In 1969 British band The Zombies released a single, "Time of the Season," that topped the American charts––despite of the fact that the group had broken up in 1967.  In order to meet public demand, a promoter decided to take a drastic measure; hire the services of 4 American musicians to impersonate the band. During the early years of the music business, it was normal to replace the member of a band that was problematic and find a new member that was more compliant. But this case was different.  Rather than bringing the band to the States (never mind that they had disbanded 2 years earlier), this promoter decided to <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/danielralston/the-true-story-of-the-fake-zombies-the-strangest-con-in-rock">create two fake groups that toured America</a>.  Two of these impersonators eventually became members of ZZ Top.

<strong>A Story of Deception for Relevancy and Money</strong>

A struggling group in their turf, The Zombies decided to disband when their 1968 album "Odessey and Oracle" failed to gain the attention of the public.  No one even bothered to take notice of the misspelled “Odessey” (correctly spelled <em>Odyssey</em>) or regard it as psychedelic wordplay.  Two years after they disbanded, their US label released the single "Time of the Season."  The single immediately rose to number 3 on the US Billboard chart. An ardent public demand ensued––something that continuously  eluded them when they were still a band. The entertainment business if full of ironies.

Unaware of this ruse forming in America, two different American touring bands calling themselves The Zombies, the real British members of group decided to pursue other interests.  It's interesting to note that those fake bands were managed by the same production company, Delta Promotions, a shady Michigan-based organization.  The company claimed that they had the rights towards all the songs by The Zombies.  This feat would be impossible to execute today due to the omni-presence of social media.

As previously mentioned, during the early years of the music business it was natural for a label to replace a member of a band, if renecessary. Delta Promotions took advantage of this took it to its extreme. After 50 years, the exploitation of The Zombies has become a neglected part of pop music history. Many of the details concerning this story have been forgotten. But the sheer hubris and shamelessness of Delta Promotions is, still today, definitely hard to beat.  Though Delta Promotions has been dissolved, the myth surrounding The Zombies remains a ghost, haunting the music industry to this day.