Herbie Armstrong facts for kids

Herbie Armstrong (born May 14, 1944) is a talented guitarist, singer, and songwriter from Northern Ireland. He is well-known for working with other musicians. Herbie played with Kenny Young in the bands Fox and Yellow Dog. He also worked with the famous singer Van Morrison in the 1960s and 1980s.

Herbie Armstrong's Musical Journey

Herbie Armstrong began his music career in the early 1960s. He was born in Bog Meadow, West Belfast. His first band was the Manhattan Showband, where he played guitar. His friend Van Morrison was also in this band.

Herbie then joined a group called the Golden Eagles. This band later changed its name to The Wheels. The Wheels became very popular and played regularly in Blackpool, England. They wrote and recorded a song called "Bad Little Woman." This song was later covered by an American band called The Shadows of Knight. The Wheels band broke up in 1967.

Forming New Bands and Duos

After The Wheels split, Herbie and his bandmate Rod Demick joined Screaming Lord Sutch's band. This band was known as the Beautiful Quality. They played together for about six months in 1967.

In 1968, Herbie and Rod left to form a duo called the James Brothers. They released two singles, but these songs were not very successful. Herbie and Rod then continued as a duo using their own names. They released several singles and two albums. These albums were called Little Willy Ramble (1971) and Lookin' Through (1972). Music critics described their work as "impressive."

Success with Fox and Yellow Dog

After a time living in Portugal and raising horses, Herbie returned to Britain. He joined American songwriter Kenny Young and Australian singer Noosha Fox. Together, they formed the band Fox.

Fox had several hit songs in the UK. These included "Only You Can" (1974) and "S-S-S-Single Bed" (1976). The band also released three albums: Fox (1975), Tails of Illusion (1975), and Blue Hotel (1977). Herbie helped write some of the songs on these albums with Kenny Young.

When Noosha Fox left the band, Herbie and Kenny Young started a new group. They called this band Yellow Dog. Other members included guitarists Andy Roberts and Jim Gannon, bassist Gary Taylor, and drummer Gerry Conway. Yellow Dog also had hit songs in the UK, like "Just One More Night" and "Wait Until Midnight" (both 1978). They released three albums: Yellow Dog (1977), Beware of the Dog (1978), and Strangers in Paradox (1981).

Touring with Van Morrison

Herbie Armstrong then spent several years touring. He played guitar in Van Morrison's band. He also played guitar on four of Van Morrison's albums between 1978 and 1982. In 1985, Herbie released his own album called Back Against the Wall.

Herbie on Britain's Got Talent

In 2011, when he was 66 years old, Herbie Armstrong appeared on Britain’s Got Talent. He passed his first audition. Then, he sang Van Morrison's song "Have I Told You Lately". Herbie made it to the semi-finals of the show. There, he sang "Mandy", a song written by his friend Scott English. However, he was eliminated from the competition at that stage.

Herbie Armstrong's Later Life

After his music career, Herbie Armstrong took a break from the music business. He opened a restaurant in London called Armstrong's. Later, he moved to Sheffield. In Sheffield, he managed two live music venues. He then moved again to run a pub and live music venue in the village of Rowland's Castle. This village is near Portsmouth.

The year after his Britain's Got Talent appearance, Herbie released a collection of songs. It was called Real Real Gone. This album included the song "Real Real Gone", which Van Morrison wrote. It also featured other songs by Morrison, as well as some written by Herbie and other artists.