The Zombies Bring 50th Anniversary Celebration of ‘Odessey and Oracle’ to Nashville

NASHVILLE, Tenn. –  Experience a live performance of “Odessey and Oracle” by British pop group The Zombies when they perform the album in its entirety April 9 at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center’s James K. Polk Theater.

Tickets are on sale now.

The Nashville performance is part of a North American tour and 50th Anniversary celebration for the iconic album, reuniting all four surviving members of The Zombies: Colin Blunstone on lead vocals, Rod Argent on keyboards/vocals, Chris White on bass/vocals, and Hugh Grundy on drums.

Released in 1968, “Odessey and Oracle” produced the group’s biggest hit, “Time of the Season,” and became a musical touchstone for generations. Next month, the album will be reissued for the first time on CD in digipak, with bonus tracks including alternate versions and outtakes from the original recording sessions. The booklet contains never-seen photos as well as new notes from Andrew Sandoval. For vinyl lovers, “Still Got That Hunger” will be reissued on vinyl in baby blue, and The Zombies will release a greatest hits album on April 7.

In addition, a new book, “The Odessey: The Zombies in Words and Images,” will be published by BMG Books and Reel Art Press in March 2017.

The book includes handwritten lyrics for all the songs on “Odessey And Oracle,” and is lavishly illustrated with anecdotes behind the songs from the original members. The book will also include reflections from Brian Wilson, Nate Ruess, Clive Davis, Carlos Santana, Susanna Hoffs, with a foreword by Tom Petty.

The second U.K. band following The Beatles to score a number one hit in America, The Zombies infiltrated the airwaves with the sophisticated melodies, breathy vocals, choral back-up harmonies and jazzy keyboard riffs of their 1960s hit singles “She’s Not There” and “Tell Her No.” Ironically, the group broke up just prior to achieving their greatest success – the worldwide chart-topping single from “Odessey & Oracle,” ranked No. 100 in Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Albums of All Time.”

Along with founding members Blunstone and Argent, the current line-up of The Zombies is celebrating their current release, “Still Got That Hunger,” which includes bassist Jim Rodford, guitarist Tom Toomey and Steve Rodford (Jim’s son) on drums.

The past few years have marked a major resurgence for the band, with two U.K. and five U.S. tours including stops at SXSW in Austin, NYC’s Central Park SummerStage, Seattle’s Bumbershoot Festival, and Milwaukee SummerFest. Other accomplishments include the American release of their new album, “Breathe Out, Breathe In,” and the debut on RollingStone.com and VEVO of their first-ever music video for “Any Other Way.” Other notable placements include a PBS Special filmed on the legendary Austin City Limits stage, Eminem’s sample/cover version of “Time of the Season” on his comeback album, and the "She's Not There" campaign for Coco Chanel with Keira Knightley.

Performance schedule, prices, and cast are subject to change without notice. Institutional sponsors for TPAC include Nissan North America and Coca-Cola. TPAC is a nonprofit arts organization funded in part by support from the Tennessee Arts Commission and the Metropolitan Nashville Arts Commission. TPAC reminds ticket buyers that the only official place to buy tickets online is TPAC.org.

About Tennessee Performing Arts Center

Over three decades, the nonprofit Tennessee Performing Arts Center has welcomed more than 12 million audience members and served more than 1.8 million students and educators with performances at TPAC, resources for teachers, classroom residencies, and enrichment programs for adults. Founded in 1980, TPAC serves several hundred thousand audience members each year with the HCA/TriStar Health Broadway at TPAC series, a variety of special engagements, and the productions of the three resident artistic companies – Nashville Ballet, Nashville Opera, and Nashville Repertory Theatre. For more information, visit www.TPAC.org.

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