The True Story of the Fake Zombies

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In 1969, the Zombies had a huge hit single, despite having broken up two years earlier. To meet the unexpected demand, one promoter did the only sensible thing: Hire four kids from Texas to tour America pretending to be a defunct British psych-rock band.

  1. EPISODE 1

    Rock and Roll Never Forgets

    Welcome to The True Story of The Fake Zombies. In the debut episode, host and writer Daniel Ralston introduces you to one of the strangest stories in rock and roll history. We meet British psychedelic rock legends, THE ZOMBIES, and uncover the origins of the young men from Texas who pretended to be them 55 years ago, including two future rock and roll icons. Then, legendary reporter, Ben Fong-Torres, tells us about his time covering The Fake Zombies. We just had to remind him that the whole thing happened first. Got a Fake Zombies story to share? Get in touch with The True Story of The Fake Zombies at Fakezombiespod@gmail.com or @thefakezombies on TikTok.Like and subscribe on the iHeart app or wherever you get your podcasts.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    39 min

  2. EPISODE 2

    Bay City Rolling

    The search for The Fake Zombies takes us to Bay City, Michigan, the “little smelly town” where the imposter Zombies assembled. The town is home to a Rock and Roll museum that contains details about the band’s history, and the audacious managers who cooked up the scheme. We also talk with Bobby Balderrama, lead guitarist in garage rock pioneers, ? And the Mysterians, who shared a manager with The Fake Zombies. Got a Fake Zombies story to share? Get in touch with The True Story of The Fake Zombies at Fakezombiespod@gmail.com or @thefakezombies on TikTok. Like and subscribe on the iHeart app or wherever you get your podcasts.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    46 min

  3. EPISODE 3

    Bay City Rolling Part 2

    We continue the search for the Fake Zombies in Bay City, Michigan, and uncover the roots of the band’s management company, Delta Promotions, all thanks to a chance encounter with the prom date of one of its founders. Later, we introduce the opening act for the Fake Zombies tour, Gordon Thayer and we speak with Mike Campbell, lead guitarist in Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, to follow up on a rumor that he and Tom saw the Fake Zombies as teenagers. Got a Fake Zombies story to share? Get in touch with The True Story of The Fake Zombies at Fakezombiespod@gmail.com or @thefakezombies on TikTok.Like and subscribe on the iHeart app or wherever you get your podcasts.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    33 min

  4. EPISODE 4

    That Little Ol' Band From ...England?

    Frank Beard and Dusty Hill take center stage as we examine ZZ Top’s self-produced 2019 documentary, “That Little Ol’ Band From Texas,” which leads to more questions about their origins. Plus, music writers Allison Hussey and Nadine Smith drop in to tell us what makes ZZ Top one of the greatest and most original American rock bands of all time. Got a Fake Zombies story to share? Get in touch with The True Story of The Fake Zombies at Fakezombiespod@gmail.com or @thefakezombies on TikTok.Like and subscribe on the iHeart app or wherever you get your podcasts.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    40 min

  5. EPISODE 5

    The Ballad of Seab and Mark

    Out of the four young men in The Texas Zombies, only two became famous. This episode chronicles the stories of the other Fake Zombies. First, we uncover the teenage stardom of hot-shot lead guitarist, Seab Meador. Later, a look at the life of Mark Ramsey, the youngest member of The Fake Zombies and the one who started this search. Got a Fake Zombies story to share? Get in touch with The True Story of The Fake Zombies at Fakezombiespod@gmail.com or @thefakezombies on TikTok.Like and subscribe on the iHeart app or wherever you get your podcasts.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    44 min

  6. EPISODE 6

    The Michigan Zombies

    Delta Promotions doubles down on their Fake Zombies scheme. We meet the second group of Americans who called themselves "The Zombies" in 1969. Later, we uncover a long-lost video of the imposter group performing on a Memphis television station. Got a Fake Zombies story to share? Get in touch with The True Story of The Fake Zombies at Fakezombiespod@gmail.com or @thefakezombies on TikTok.Like and subscribe on the iHeart app or wherever you get your podcasts.    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    42 min

  7. EPISODE 7

    The Real Zombies

    The penultimate episode finds us face to face with the band that inspired the imposter bands, The Zombies. Lead singer Colin Blunstone and chief songwriter, Rod Argent discuss their 63 year partnership, their early impressions of the American rock scene and of course, The Fake Zombies.  Got a Fake Zombies story to share? Get in touch with The True Story of The Fake Zombies at Fakezombiespod@gmail.com or @thefakezombies on TikTok. Like and subscribe on the iHeart app or wherever you get your podcasts.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    51 min

  8. EPISODE 8

    Never Play the Game Too Long

    Fake Zombies, Fake Animals, Fake Archies -- oh my! It's the final episode of The True Story of The Fake Zombies and the jig is up. Legendary Rolling Stone writer Ben Fong-Torres, who broke the imposter band story in 1970, shares details of Delta Promotions' downfall. Later, we come face-to-face with "Veronica" from Delta's Fake Archies, a real version of a cartoon band.    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    34 min

  9. BONUS

    Frank Lymon’s Tombstone Blues

    In a story full of artifacts from music’s past, one looms larger than any other. Doo-wop legend Frankie Lymon’s tombstone lives in Bay City, Michigan. Here’s how it got there.    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    18 min

  10. BONUS

    The Interview

    Slow Burn's Leon Neyfakh sits down with Daniel to talk about the art of investigations and the pursuit of a good story. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    54 min
See All Season 1 (10)

Trailer

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About

In 1969, the Zombies had a huge hit single, despite having broken up two years earlier. To meet the unexpected demand, one promoter did the only sensible thing: Hire four kids from Texas to tour America pretending to be a defunct British psych-rock band.

Information

  • Channel
    iHeartPodcasts
  • Creator
    iHeartPodcasts
  • Episodes
    11
  • Seasons
    1
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    2026 iHeartMedia, Inc. © Any use of this intellectual property for text and data mining or computational analysis including as training material for artificial intelligence systems is strictly prohibited without express written consent from iHeartMedia
  • Show Website
    The True Story of the Fake Zombies
  • Provider
    iHeartMedia + Entertainment, Inc

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