Zombies Rocker Makes 'Emotional' Return Two Years After Stroke

Rod Argent, keyboardist and co-founder of ‘60s psychedelic rock group the Zombies, returned to the stage recently for the first time since suffering a stroke in 2024.

The performance took place Oct. 31 at St Albans Cathedral, part of the annual Begin Here festival, held in the Zombies’ hometown of St. Albans, England. Zombies’ singer Colin Blunstone was performing an acoustic set alongside a variety of special guests, when Argent was welcomed to the stage to a standing ovation.

Together, Argent and Blunstone performed three songs, two of which – “Time of the Season” and “She’s Not There” – you can watch below in the videos shared by Maggie Clarke Photography (@MaggieClarkePhD).

"I felt people were all trying to make me feel at home in the best possible way, and then after each song they all stood up and cheered,” Argent noted to the BBC. “It was very emotional."

READ MORE: Top 10 Songs by the Zombies

"It was very emotional and I think the crowd felt it and we certainly felt it on stage,” Blunstone affirmed. “It was a wonderful reaction to him. They were a wonderful audience. They really, really were and they lifted us... It was very moving."

Argent, now 81, suffered his stroke in July 2024. At the time, the rocker shared a statement saying he would “retire from touring in order to protect his health.”

What Were Rod Argent’s Big Hits With the Zombies?

The Zombies’ burst into international success in 1964 with their Argent-penned hit song “She’s Not There.”

Argent and the Zombies had their first hit in 1964 with "She's Not There." They quickly became one of the era’s most popular psychedelic rock acts, with such further hits as “Tell Her No,” “She’s Coming Home” and “Time of the Season,” the latter of which reached No. 1 on the Billboard chart in 1968.

The Zombies disbanded before the decade was over, but later enjoyed several successful reunions. The band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2019.