Famous Birthdays·June 24·Colin Blunstone
Colin Blunstone

GBColin Blunstone

The breathy, delicate voice of the Zombies who turned 'Time of the Season' into an enduring anthem of psychedelic pop.

Born 1945 (age 81)·English singer and songwriter·Birthday: June 24·The Silent Generation

Photo: Steve Knight from Halstead, United Kingdom · CC BY 2.0

Biography

Colin Blunstone possesses one of the most distinctive and elegant voices in British rock—a fragile, breathy tenor that seems to float above the music. His journey began in Hertfordshire, where he helped form the Zombies in the early 1960s. While the band's sophisticated, jazz-tinged pop initially found greater success in the US than at home, it was their final single, 'Time of the Season,' released after they'd already split, that became a global smash, cementing Blunstone's vocal as a hallmark of the era. After a brief stint working in insurance, he launched a solo career under the pseudonym Neil MacArthur before reclaiming his own name for a series of lush, orchestrated pop records in the 1970s, like 'One Year.' For decades, he has maintained a steady, respected presence, touring with the reunited Zombies and as a solo artist, his voice—remarkably preserved—still capable of conveying a unique blend of romantic yearning and melancholic wonder.

The Silent Generation

1928–1945

Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.

Colin was born in 1945, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.

#1 When Colin Was Born

The biggest hits of 1945

#1 Movie

The Bells of St. Mary's

Best Picture

The Lost Weekend

Colin's Life & Times

The world at every milestone

1945Born

WWII ends; atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Gas: $0.21/galHome: $4,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Sentimental Journey" — Les Brown & Doris DayBest Picture: The Lost Weekend
1950Started school

Korean War begins

Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,354Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Goodnight Irene" — Gordon Jenkins & The WeaversBest Picture: All About Eve
1958Became a teenager

NASA founded

Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1961Could drive

Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space

Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1963Could vote

JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech

Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1966Turned 21

Star Trek premieres on television

Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1975Turned 30

Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War

Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1985Turned 40

Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine

Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1995Turned 50

Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released

Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
2005Turned 60

Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans; YouTube launches

Gas: $2.30/galHome: $167,500Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"We Belong Together" — Mariah CareyBest Picture: Crash
2015Turned 70

Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US

Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
2025Turned 80

AI agents go mainstream

Gas: $3.10/galHome: $385,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"APT." — Rose & Bruno Mars
2026Age 81 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump

Key Achievements

  • As lead singer of the Zombies, delivered the iconic vocals on the timeless hits 'She's Not There' and 'Time of the Season.'
  • Released the acclaimed solo album 'One Year' in 1971, featuring the orchestral ballad 'Say You Don't Mind.'
  • Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Zombies in 2019.

Did You Know?

After the initial breakup of the Zombies, he worked for a short time in the insurance department of a London department store.

He recorded his early solo singles under the name Neil MacArthur to avoid association with the defunct Zombies.

Blunstone provided vocals on several tracks for the progressive rock band The Alan Parsons Project.

“I still get nervous before every single show I do.”

— Colin Blunstone

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