The Hollies Artistfacts

The Hollies song list

timeline

The Hollies Artistfacts

1962-
Allan ClarkeVocals, harmonica1962-1971, 1973-1999
Graham NashRhythm guitar, vocals1962-1968, 1981-1983
Tony HicksLead guitar1963-
Bobby ElliottDrums1963-
Eric HaydockBass, vocals1962-1966
Bernie CalvertBass, keyboards1966-1981
Terry SylvesterRhythm guitar1969-1981
Graham Nash and Allan Clarke grew up in the city of Salford, England, which borders Manchester. They met in school at age 6, leading to a lifelong friendship. Musically, Nash and Clarke bonded over a mutual love of The Everly Brothers and Buddy Holly, and they began singing together professionally during the late-1950s skiffle craze in the UK. Early on, they performed as an Everly Brothers-inspired duo called The Two Teens, and also played in the bands The Fourtones and The Deltas. The latter group changed their name to The Hollies in December 1962.
They chose their name just before a gig in December 1962. They were big fans of Buddy Holly, and it was close to Christmas, when holly trees were all over England, so they went with The Hollies.
The Hollies' initial hits were all tunes by outside songwriters, but Nash, Clarke and Tony Hicks soon began writing original material together. Up until late 1966, their collaborations were credited to the pseudonym "L. Ransford" or "Ransford," a name taken from one of Nash's grandfathers.
Nash and Clarke got the chance to work closely with their musical heroes The Everly Brothers during The Hollies' 1960s heyday. In 1966, Don and Phil Everly recorded an album titled Two Yanks In England, a 12-track collection that included eight songs co-written by Nash, Clarke and Tony Hicks. Future Led Zeppelin bandmates Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones played on six tracks from that album.
Graham Nash left The Hollies to form Crosby, Stills & Nash in 1968. One of the reasons he cited for leaving the group was that he was unhappy about the band's decision to record an album of Bob Dylan covers.

"I just didn't like the way that it was going," he explained in a 2015 interview for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. "I'm a great fan of Bob Dylan. I think he's our greatest poet, and I think he's one of our greatest singers, and the way that The Hollies wanted to do some of his stuff appalled me."

The album, which was titled Hollies Sing Dylan in the UK and Words And Music By Bob Dylan in the US, was released in 1969. Nash sang on "Blowin' In The Wind" but wasn't credited.
Graham Nash reunited with The Hollies for a couple of years during the early 1980s. He initially rejoined the band in 1981 for an appearance on the British TV show Top Of The Pops promoting their single "Holliedaze," a medley created from segments of some of their biggest hits. Graham went on to record a full album with bandmates Allan Clarke, Tony Hicks and Bobby Elliott, What Goes Around..., which was released in 1983. He also took part in a US tour promoting the record. The album includes a cover of the classic Supremes song "Stop! In the Name of Love" that became The Hollies' final Top 40 hit in the US, reaching #29.
The Hollies were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010, with E Street Band guitarist Steven Van Zandt giving the induction speech. The last song performed during their set at the ceremony was their 1972 hit "Long Cool Woman (In A Black Dress)," with Pat Monahan of Train on lead vocals. Terry Sylvester, who played guitar on the original version of the song, caused some onstage tension when he took the microphone from Monahan and began singing a verse. Allan Clarke then grabbed the mic away from his former bandmate and handed it back to Monahan, who finished the tune.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

More Songfacts:

Call Me MaybeCarly Rae Jepsen

"Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen was the song of the summer in 2012 and a major meme. It got some help from her fellow Canadian Justin Bieber, who tweeted that it was "possibly the catchiest song I've ever heard."

Rap GodEminem

Eminem spits a total of 1,560 words on "Rap God," earning him an entry in the 2015 Guinness Book of Records for "most words in a hit single."

Turn Up The RadioAutograph

Paper Mate paid for Autograph's "Turn Up The Radio" video in exchange for prominent placement of their erasable pen.

This LoveMaroon 5

Adam Levine of Maroon 5 made it obvious who their song "This Love" was about when he named the album "Songs About Jane."

Beck's BoleroJeff Beck

Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Keith Moon and John Paul Jones recorded "Beck's Bolero" and almost formed a band. They couldn't find a lead singer, so Page and Jones formed Led Zeppelin.