Argent (band)

Argent

Company type	Band
Industry	Music
Founded	1969
Founder	Rod Argent
Headquarters	United Kingdom
Products	Rock music, albums, singles

Argent was a British rock ensemble established in 1969 by keyboardist Rod Argent, formerly of The Zombies. The band secured three UK Top 40 hits: "Hold Your Head Up" (peaking at No. 5), "Tragedy" (No. 34), and "God Gave Rock and Roll to You" (No. 18). They also had two albums chart in the UK: All Together Now reached No. 13 in 1972, while In Deep attained No. 49 in 1973.

History

Following the global success of "Time of the Season", a post-split single by his previous band The Zombies, Rod Argent formed this new group in 1969. Argent's sound embraced heavier rhythms yet maintained intricate lyrics and minor key compositions, frequently co-written with former Zombies bassist Chris White. Guitarist and vocalist Russ Ballard provided compelling melodies and charting singles. The lineup was completed by bassist Jim Rodford and drummer Bob Henrit, with lead vocal duties shared between Ballard and Argent.

Their initial release, the album Argent, earned critical praise and featured the track "Liar," which was later famously covered by Three Dog Night. The follow-up album, Ring of Hands (1971), included the modest hit "Sweet Mary." Their third studio effort, All Together Now (1972), showcased their hallmark single "Hold Your Head Up," which achieved Top 5 status both in the UK and US charts.

Subsequently, In Deep produced notable tracks such as "God Gave Rock and Roll to You" and "It's Only Money." The 1974 release Nexus featured predominantly Rod Argent's songwriting, with Ballard contributing four out of nine songs. The centerpiece piece, "The Coming of Kohoutek," drew inspiration from the comet visible that year. After this album, Ballard departed to embark on a solo career. The live recording Encore was issued thereafter.

With the addition of guitarist John Grimaldi and guitarist/vocalist John Verity, Argent released two albums—Circus and Counterpoints (both 1975)—which were met with limited acclaim. Following Grimaldi's exit, members Henrit, Rodford, and Verity formed the band Phoenix while Rod Argent contemplated the group's direction.

The original lineup reunited for a performance at London's High Voltage Festival on 25 July 2010, followed by a brief UK tour in December of that year. Further tours occurred in early 2012, culminating in a final benefit concert in June 2013 supporting The Zombies, featuring members from Marillion.

Bassist Jim Rodford passed away due to a fall on 20 January 2018 at age 76.

Band members

• Rod Argent – keyboards, backing and lead vocals (1969–1976, 2010, 2012, 2013)
• Bob Henrit – drums (1969–1976, 2010, 2012, 2013)
• Jim Rodford – bass guitar, backing vocals (1969–1976, 2010, 2012, 2013; died 2018)
• Russ Ballard – guitar, lead vocals (1969–1974, 2010, 2012, 2013)
• John Verity – guitar, lead vocals (1974–1976)
• John Grimaldi – guitar (1974–1976; died 1983)

	1969-1974	1974-1976		2010, 2012, 2013
Rod Argent	keyboards, backing and lead vocals, producer, songwriter	keyboards, backing and lead vocals, producer, songwriter	keyboards, backing and lead vocals, producer, songwriter	keyboards, backing and lead vocals
Bob Henrit	drums	drums	drums	drums
Russ Ballard	guitar, lead vocals, songwriter			guitar, lead vocals
Jim Rodford	bass guitar, backing vocals	bass guitar, backing vocals, songwriter	bass guitar, backing vocals, songwriter	bass guitar, backing vocals
John Verity		guitar, lead vocals	guitar, lead vocals
John Grimaldi		guitar	guitar, songwriter
Chris White	producer, songwriter	producer	producer
Tony Visconti			producer

Songs

Argent’s most successful single was the track "Hold Your Head Up", penned by Rod Argent and Chris White, with Russ Ballard on lead vocals, featured on the All Together Now record. The extensively shortened single climbed to No. 5 on the US charts, surpassed sales of one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc.

The group’s musical style combined elements of rock and pop, evolving into progressive rock as demonstrated by songs like "The Coming of Kohoutek" from the album Nexus. Following Ballard's exit after the live album Encore, Argent transitioned toward a more progressive and fusion-oriented sound on their concluding Epic release, Circus. Their final 1975 album, Counterpoints, was released under RCA. By 2005, all of their albums except for Counterpoints had been reissued on CD.

Legacy

Originally recorded by Argent, "God Gave Rock and Roll to You", authored by Russ Ballard, was later famously covered by Kiss in 1991 as "God Gave Rock 'n' Roll to You II", featured in the film Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey. The track also gained recognition within Contemporary Christian rock, having been covered twice by the Christian group Petra.

Numerous compositions by Ballard became successful hits for other performers such as Rainbow ("Since You Been Gone" and "I Surrender"), Kiss, Petra, Hello, Santana, and the Brazilian metal group Oficina G3. The song "Liar", from Argent’s debut album, was a 1971 hit for Three Dog Night and also recorded by Graham Bonnet at a later date.

Ex-Marillion vocalist Fish included a cover of "Hold Your Head Up" on his 1993 release Songs from the Mirror. The American jam band Phish often performs an instrumental rendition during their live concerts. Other artists who have covered the song include 20/Twenty, Australian ensemble the Party Boys, and Mother Love Bone, whose version was reissued as a limited edition vinyl in 2014. Additionally, Jellyfish regularly opened their shows with a shortened version of "Hold Your Head Up".

Studio albums

Year	Album	Label	Highest chart rankings
			US	UK	CAN
1970	Argent	Epic	–	–	–
1971	Ring of Hands		–	–	–
1972	All Together Now		23	13	14
1973	In Deep		90	49	69
1974	Nexus		149	–	–
1975	Circus		171	–	–
	Counterpoints	RCA	–	–	–

Live albums

Year	Album	Highest chart rankings
		US	UK
1974	Encore	151	–
1995	In Concert	–	–
1997	The Complete BBC Sessions	–	–
2010	High Voltage Festival	–	–

Compilation albums

• The Best of Argent - An Anthology (Epic, 1976)
• Hold Your Head Up (1978)
• Music from the Spheres (1991)
• Greatest: The Singles Collection (2008)
• Argent: Original Album Classics [first five albums in miniature sleeves] (2009)
• God Gave Rock and Roll to You: The Greatest Hits (2010)
• Hold Your Head Up: The Best of Argent (2022)

Singles

Year	Track	US	UK	Album
1970	"Liar"	–	–	Argent
	"Schoolgirl"	–	–
1971	"Sweet Mary"	102	–	Ring of Hands
	"Celebration"	–	–
1972	"Hold Your Head Up"	5	5	All Together Now
	"Tragedy"	106	34
1973	"God Gave Rock and Roll to You"	114	18	In Deep
	"It's Only Money, Part 2"	–	53
1974	"Man for All Reasons"	–	–	Nexus
	"Thunder & Lightning"	–	–
	"Time of the Season"			Encore
1975	"The Jester"			rowspan="2"| Circus
	"Highwire"
	"Rock 'n' Roll Show"			Counterpoints

• A dash ("–") indicates singles that did not enter the charts.