Chameleon — "The Undead Tour: How The Fake Zombies Fooled America"

Podcast: Chameleon
Host: Josh Dean (audiochuck | Campside Media)
Guest: Daniel Ralston
Date: November 27, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode of Chameleon dives into the surreal, true story of the "Fake Zombies"—a group of Texan musicians in 1969 who toured America impersonating the British Invasion band, The Zombies, after the real group disbanded. Two of the impostors went on to become members of ZZ Top. Josh Dean and Daniel Ralston, who documented the story in print and podcast form, unravel how this audacious con was pulled off, why it worked, and its strange cultural afterlife. The story is not just about scams in rock history but also about what it means to "fake it till you make it" in an era before the internet or even a proper music press.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

The Real Zombies: Rise, Fall, and Unexpected Hit

• The British Invasion Era: The mid-1960s saw a flood of British bands—Beatles, Rolling Stones, The Who, The Kinks—transforming American music. Among them was the moderately famous, "The Zombies."
  — "They had two huge hits in '64 and '65." (Daniel, 01:38)
• Career Troubles: Despite hits like "She's Not There" and "Tell Her No," by 1967, The Zombies were struggling financially and internally, even as psychedelic music evolved the scene.
• "Time of the Season": Their last-ditch single, released after they'd broken up, became a surprise monster hit in the U.S. in 1967.
  — "It becomes a monster hit in America and suddenly there's demand for the Zombies in America. But there’s no Zombies." (Daniel, 03:12)

The Birth of The Fake Zombies

• The Opportunity: As the real band dissolved, a Michigan promoter, Bill Kehoe (Delta Promotions), seized an opportunity to send out "The Zombies"—but staffed by four Texan musicians with no relation to the original band.
  — "An evolution of the British Invasion... this, to a certain type of person, presents opportunity." (Josh, 02:32, 03:53)
  — "He sends the zombies out on the road without the real zombies existing." (Daniel, 04:00)
• The Fake Band: Of the four impostors, two would become legendary: Dusty Hill and Frank Beard of ZZ Top.

Finding the Story: Daniel Ralston's Obsession

• Origins: Ralston first encountered the bizarre con while writing about music and became obsessed, uncovering that the story included future ZZ Top members.
  — "This fake zombie story is the first thing I ever wrote. When I was 36 years old..." (Daniel, 08:40)
• Research Challenges: The truth was buried: main perpetrators were dead, and only a few witnesses and roadies were still alive or willing to talk.
  — "There were details that were lost to time, there were people who had died, and one of the central figures, Frank Beard for ZZ Top, does not want to talk about it..." (Daniel, 09:21)

The Music Industry of the 1960s: The Wild West

• Managerial Chaos: “Fake” acts were not uncommon before touring logistics and branding solidified post-Beatles.
  — "Even before rock, it was pretty common for R&B and soul groups... It was just a different time." (Daniel, 10:38)
• Scams Were Possible: Without photos on albums or widespread media coverage, even huge pop acts were indistinguishable to many American fans.

Life as The Fake Zombies

• The Band: Seb Meador (lead guitarist), Mark Ramsey, Dusty Hill, and Frank Beard. Often, even their personal details or meeting stories are fuzzy.
• Performance: Despite some negative reviews, the fake Zombies toured 30+ cities, played major university festivals, and even crossed into Canada, enjoying the ride.
  — "We know they toured at least 30 cities... played to 10,000 people at one point..." (Daniel, 19:40)
  — "They were young dudes in a van. They were taking drugs, they were trying to get laid... but I don't think money was their biggest concern." (Daniel, 20:00)

The Scam Unravels: Lawsuits and the Fall

• Pushing It Too Far: Kehoe launched a fake version of The Archies (a cartoon band)—this brought real legal heat, leading to the shutdown of the operation and Delta Promotions. — "Once the Fake Zombies manager started a fake version of the band, the Archies... suddenly there was intellectual property and a lawyer... all of it. Delta Promotions itself was finished." (Daniel/Josh, 20:35–20:47)
• Kehoe's Aftermath: Sued Grand Funk Railroad for $56 million (unsuccessfully), then left the music business and lived a regular life as an inventor and local businessman.

The Real Zombies React

• Discovering the Scam: The original Zombies learned of the fake band via a surreal conference call with Kehoe, who tried to claim Colin Blundstone had died in a car crash—while Blundstone was on the other line.
  — "He said… the singer of the Zombies, who tragically died in a car crash. And Colin was on the other end of the phone when this happened." (Daniel, 23:02)
• Aftermath and Legacy: The exposure ended the fake tour, and the real Zombies regrouped to finally enjoy their U.S. hit’s success.
  — "Their music and fortune wasn’t stolen. It was only hijacked briefly..." (Josh, 25:09)

Personal Fallout, Apologies, and Cultural Legacy

• No Hard Feelings: The Zombies were gracious; no lawsuits, no bitterness.
  — "There is nothing but love from the Zombies end." (Daniel, 27:02)
• Dusty and Frank’s Response: Minimal comment; “It was the 60s man.” Frank Beard, sober and private, rarely addresses it.
  — "He emailed me and he said this was, it was the 60s man. That was basically his response." (Daniel, 27:33)
• Magic of 'Fake It Till You Make It': The narrative aligns with broader rock-and-roll mythmaking, encapsulating reinvention and “making it” through performance and image construction. — "We just rolled off the dust bowl from Texas. But it's like actually you faked a British accent for a year." (Daniel, 31:21)

The Story’s Long Shadow

• Mark Ramsey’s Redemption: After Ramsey’s death, his son—unaware of his lineage—connected with ZZ Top’s members through the story.
  — "Mark's son has hung out with Frank and Dusty and talked about the fake Zombies. Mark Ramsey's one-year-old grandson has hung out with ZZ Top..." (Daniel, 30:17)
• Pop Culture Resurrection: Daniel's podcast was optioned for a movie. The Zombies were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2019; Dusty and Frank almost inducted them. — "They were going to try to get Dusty and Frank to do it, but it never happened." (Daniel, 26:54)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "I think I caught the tail end of when you could still find a publication to pay you to go research a magazine story." — Daniel Ralston (06:36)
• "Half the band would later become 2/3 of ZZ Top, a wildly popular blues rock band... That's one hell of a forgotten first chapter." — Josh Dean (07:55)
• "They did the magic trick pretty well. And then ZZ Top disappeared into beards and sunglasses and became a whole different thing and never had to answer questions because they only do the press they want to do, and they create the image and they faked it until they made it." — Daniel Ralston (31:49)
• "The story's like Almost Famous meets Catch Me If You Can. And then they're the subject. It's hard not to be like, wow, this is fucking crazy. I can't believe somebody cared about us that much." — Daniel Ralston (27:02)

Key Timestamps

• [00:52-03:12] — British Invasion context and The Zombies' meteoric, then declining career
• [04:00-04:47] — Formation of the Fake Zombies; setup for the episode
• [06:36-08:40] — Daniel describes finding and becoming obsessed with the story
• [09:47-10:38] — "Wild West" dynamics of the 1960s music business; prevalence of fake acts
• [14:45-17:08] — The Fake Zombies lineup; their stint as "Rose Garden;" life on tour
• [19:40-20:00] — Tour numbers, reception, and the carefree mindset of the impostors
• [20:35-20:47] — The scam collapses when Kehoe pushes it too far
• [22:35-24:20] — Real Zombies find out about the scam; Colin Blunstone’s double life
• [29:12-30:17] — Mark Ramsey’s blog and his son’s connection with ZZ Top through this strange legacy
• [31:21-33:40] — Reflections on mythmaking, authenticity, and the endurance of the story

Episode Takeaways

• The "Fake Zombies" saga is a uniquely American tale of opportunism, music industry chaos, and accidental mythmaking, leading to some of the wildest true stories in rock history.
• The impostors—future rock legends themselves—were not driven by malice; rather, they were swept along by the time's lax rules and their own youthful ambitions.
• The story, once obscure and seemingly forgotten, now thrives as part of rock lore, celebrated by fans, the real Zombies, and ZZ Top aficionados alike.

Chameleon is as much about cons and deception as it is about how stories—however unlikely—continue to shape the identity of the people and music we love.