Hollies' Trivia

  1. Allan Clarke's real name was Harold Clarke. Most of you probably know that because the title of his 1972 solo album was 'My Real Name Is 'Arold'

     

     

  2. The Hollies'1968 song 'Jennifer Eccles' got it's name from the first name of Allan Clarke's wife and the maiden name of Graham Nash's first wife, Rose.

     

     

  3. Carl Wayne married actress Sue Hanson in 1974, she acted 'Miss Diane' in 'Crossroads.

     

     

  4. The Hollies' version of Dylan's 'Blowing In The Wind', which was unissued in Britain as a single, was a top ten hit in Belgium in 1969.

     

     

  5. Hollies' late lead singer Carl Wayne was born in Castle Bromwich, near Birmingham

     

     

  6. Did you know that Hollies' drummer Bobby Elliott was born in Burnley (Up The Clarets). His birthday is 8th December.

     

     

  7. Hollies' Alan Coates had a couple of hits with a Band called Broken English and appeared in the bands of artists Olivia Newton John and David Cassidy.

     

     

  8. Hollies' keyboard player Ian Parker has also toured with Killing Joke, Clanned, Joan Armatrading, Tom Robinson and Killer B's.

     

     

  9. Hollies' lead singer Carl Wayne has sung many TV jingles, one of his famous one is the song 'Gillette, The Best A Man Can Get. He also sang the theme song 'You're a Star' for the ITV talent series 'New Faces'.

     

     

  10. The Hollies' history began by chance, in this case, five-year-old Allan Clarke's arrival as a new student one day at the Ordsall Primary School in Manchester, England in 1947. Harold Allan Clarke was born April 5, 1942 in Salford, one of six children. He made the acquaintance of five-year-old Graham Nash (born February 2, 1942) on his first day at school, when Nash was the only student to volunteer to let Clarke sit next to him in class. (Goldmine Article)
  1. Mikael Rickfors born on December 4th 1948, was a member of the Swedish band Bamboo from 1967-1970 before he joined The Hollies. After he left The Hollies, he became a successful solo artist in Sweden. His album 'Judas River', released in 1991 has a song called 'Sailors of the Heart', which tells of the time when he was with the Hollies.

     

     

  2. Hollies' lead guitarist and vocalist Tony Hicks, first started in a band called Les Skifflettes, then later was in The Dolphins ( As were later Hollies, Bobby Elliott and Bernie Calvert), then finally The Hollies. His former occupation was as an apprentice electrician. He made his TV debut in Caroll Levis Discoveries.

     

     

  3. Mikael Rickfors born on December 4th 1948, was a member of the Swedish band Bamboo from 1967-1970 before he joined The Hollies. After he left The Hollies, he became a successful solo artist in Sweden. His album 'Judas River', released in 1991 has a song called 'Sailors of the Heart', which tells of the time when he was with the Hollies.

     

     

  4. It seems strange to me, how in recent Hollies' tour booklets, that when they have a picture of the early Hollies, they edit out Eric Haydock (base guitarist). It's as though he never existed.

     

     

  5. The early Hollies' members all admired Buddy Holly, to be sure, as did virtually every rock 'n' roller in England during this period. But the most likely reason for the choice of the name the Hollies was pure expediency and sheer luck, not admiration of Buddy Holly. According to one oft-told story which seems to have the kernel of truth within it, the group had been assembled out of the Deltas at the end of 1962, as the holidays were approaching, and were busy trying to decide upon a name in a room that happened to be heavily decorated with, among other Christmas-related accoutrements, holly. The band name followed, initially as a stop-gap, and it's stuck for 34 years and counting. Goldmine Article

     

     

  6. The band's first gig as the Hollies took place at the Oasis Club in Manchester in December 1962, and was a great success. Not long after, the Beatles graduated from the Cavern Club, having been signed to EMI's Parlophone label by producer George Martin, and soon after, the Hollies took their place at the most celebrated music venue in all of England. Goldmine Article

     

     

  7. The year 1967 saw The Hollies release not one, but two long-players, Evolution and Butterfly, that can only be regarded as classics of the psychedelic era. Either record can command a place alongside the Beatles' Revolver or Sergeant Pepper, or even that Pink Floyd standard, Piper At The Gates of Dawn. To date, however, only hard-core Hollies fans have ever picked up on either album, a genuine tragedy for those who are missing them. Goldmine Article

     

     

  8. The classic Hollies line-up in 1963 was now in place. Bobby Elliott's arrival was more than a little fortuitous, for not only was Elliott--whose personal musical interests went more toward jazz than rock 'n' roll--one of the best drummers on the band scene in the north of England, but he had a good ear for songs and music in general. In later years, when the Hollies were going through musical and membership transitions that left their stage act a little less than tight, his playing would impart a laser-like focus to more than one concert. But more immediately, in the early fall of 1963, his and Tony Hicks's discovery of an old copy of "Stay" by Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs, unearthed at a junk shop in Scotland, gave the band the source for its third single. Goldmine Article

     

     

  9. Recorded on January 27, 1964 and released the following month, "Just One Look" was the record that established the Hollies once and for all as hit makers, rising to #2 in England. In America, however, it barely scraped the charts, edging to #98 for a week, but the British success was still significant, a breakthrough for the band. Goldmine Article

     

     

  10. In May 1965, The Hollies recorded "I'm Alive," a song written by American Clint Ballard Jr., which became their first British chart-topping hit in July, before giving way the Byrds' debut single "Mr. Tambourine Man." In America, by contrast, the song did no better than #107, an embarrassing state of affairs for the band, which it hoped to do something about when it visited the United States in the fall of that year. Stylistically, however, the song showed the group in a much stronger light than its previous singles. Goldmine Article

 

  1. The Hollies' record, "I Can't Let Go," was a discovery of Tony Hicks's at the offices of Dick James Music, one of two songs that he came away with (the other was John Phillips's "California Dreamin'," which had not yet emerged as a Mamas and the Papas song, which they never cut). Cut on January 13, 1966, "I Can't Let Go" was released the following month and seemingly restored the group's good fortune, rising to #2 in England and #42 in America. "I Can't Let Go" also marked the final appearance on a Hollies single of bassist Eric Haydock. Goldmine Article

     

     

  2. On May 18, 1966, the Hollies recorded the song that was to become their long-awaited American breakthrough single, "Bus Stop." Written by Graham Gouldman, and featuring an opening that was worked out on stage with help from Klaus Voorman when he was sitting in with the band, "Bus Stop" rose to #5 in America as well as making it to the same spot on the English charts. Goldmine Article

     

     

  3. "Stop Stop Stop," was the first Hollies song to feature the sound of a banjo, something that Hicks rather regrets today. "We used it on that record and I've had to carry the banjo around on tour for close to 30 years," he said, jokingly, "because we've never stopped playing it in concert."

     

     

  4. In May 1965, The Hollies recorded "I'm Alive," a song written by American Clint Ballard Jr., which became their first British chart-topping hit in July, before giving way the Byrds' debut single "Mr. Tambourine Man." In America, by contrast, the song did no better than #107, an embarrassing state of affairs for the band, which it hoped to do something about when it visited the United States in the fall of that year. Stylistically, however, the song showed the group in a much stronger light than its previous singles. Goldmine Article

     

     

  5. In July 1965, the Hollies announced that they would make their first venture into cabaret, playing both the Princess and Domino Clubs in Manchester on the night of July 30. Their 25-minute sets evidently went over well, with offers of return engagements and favourable coverage in the music press. Cabaret shows were very lucrative, as Nash later observed, although the group subsequently came to avoid doing them because the setting tended to take the edge off of a performance. As Clarke later observed, the audience wasn't as demanding of excitement as a real concert audience, but at the same time the band was often competing with the food and, especially, the alcohol, for the audience's full attention. Goldmine Article

     

     

  6. The Hollies reached out to the Beatles repertory, in the form of George Harrison's "If I Needed Someone," which they cut in November 1965. Recorded at the supposed suggestion of George Martin, the song proved to be the most controversial of the group's early singles: No sooner was it released in December, than Harrison denounced the Hollies' version as "soul-less," and the press attacked the group for allegedly riding on the coattails of the Beatles. As Clarke pointed out in a recent interview, however, he genuinely loved the song, and they did do it differently from the Beatles, especially Elliott's drumming, which was highly complicated and animated. Goldmine Article

     

     

  7. 'He Ain't Heavy He's My Brother' cut in June and August 1969 and released in September--the title of which, incidentally, comes from an inscription at the gates of Boys Town--hit #3 in England and #7 in America, and racked up the highest sales the band ever had. Indeed, it became to the Hollies something like what "Nights In White Satin" became to the Moody Blues, an internationally known signature tune that, periodically re-released, tended to shoot to the top of the charts every decade or so. In fact, "He Ain't Heavy" would be reissued 19 years later and achieve the #1 spot in England. Goldmine Article

     

     

  8. Ex Hollie (1969 - 1982) Terry Sylvester was born on January 8th, 1947 in Liverpool, England. His father, James, a jazz trombone player introduced him to music at a very early age. He was brought up in the Allerton area of Liverpool, and lived in the next road to Paul McCartney. At 16, he was sharing the stage with The Beatles regularly at the world famous Cavern Club, fronting his own group, The Escorts. When The Beatles appeared at the Cavern for the last time, The Escorts were on the same bill.

     

     

  9. The Hollies formed in Manchester in 1962 by childhood friends Allan Clarke (b. 15 April 1942, Salford, Lancashire, England; vocals), and Graham Nash (b. 2 February 1942, Blackpool, Lancashire, England; vocals/guitar). They had already been singing together locally for a number of years as a semi-professional duo under a number of names such as the Guytones, the Two Teens and Ricky And Dane. They enlarged the group by adding Eric Haydock (b. 3 February 1943, Burnley, Lancashire, England; bass) and Don Rathbone (drums), to became the Fourtones and then the Deltas. Following the recruitment of local guitar hero Tony Hicks from the Dolphins (b. 16 December 1943, Nelson, Lancashire, England) they became the Hollies. Encyclopaedia of Popular Music Copyright Muze UK Ltd. 1989 - 1998

     

     

  10. After Allan Clarke left, The Hollies' new front man Carl Wayne was an exceptional stage performer and vocalist, Carl was The Move's front man and spokesman during their most dynamic and controversial years. Their live performances, while musically thrilling and accomplished, have been remembered for Carl's frenzied demolitions of televisions, instruments and stages with an axe, chain-sawing a Cadillac to pieces at London's Roundhouse and setting light to the stage of the Marquee Club during Fire Brigade, resulting in Soho being jammed with fire engines! So shocking and fiery were The Move live, that for a while, the group were banned from every theatre venue in the UK. The Move Online
  1. The Hollies first two singles were covers of the Coasters' '(Ain't That) Just Like Me' and 'Searchin''. Both made the UK charts and the group set about recording their first album. At the same time Rathbone left to become their road manager and was replaced by Bobby Elliott (b. 8 December 1942) from Shane Fenton (Alvin Stardust) And The Fentones. The group's excellent live performances throughout Britain had already seasoned them for what was to become one of the longest beat group success stories in popular music.

     

     

  2. By 1974, The Hollies were struggling to find a new hit. There were subtle changes in its sound: Their single "Another Night," off the album of the same name, marked the group's tentative venture into the still-developing disco/dance field, and marked the first appearance on a Hollies record of a synthesizer. Released in England during 1974, it had not performed on the charts, nor had their cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Sandy (4th Of July, Asbury Park)." Goldmine Article

     

     

  3. In 1980, the group was active again, and had a modest chart success in England with its single "Soldier's Song," placing #58 on the British charts, their first appearance there since the release of "The Air That I Breathe" six years earlier. An attempt to revive their fortunes at the turn of the decade with an album of Buddy Holly covers entitled Buddy Holly, released only on Polydor in England, proved ill-fated. "On paper, the idea of the Hollies recording nothing but an album of Holly songs is fascinating. On vinyl though it turns into something stiffer than an embalmed corpse," wrote Patrick Humphries in Melody Maker. Goldmine Article

     

     

  4. The Hollies' 'Buddy Holly' album was never issued in America. By 1981, a new problem arose, as the Hollies' lineup all but disintegrated. In May of that year, Terry Sylvester left the band following an argument, after 12 years in the band, and only a few days later, Bernie Calvert, their bassist of 14 years, resigned as well. Goldmine Article

     

     

  5. In 1981, The Hollies were now reduced to their core membership of Allan Clarke, Tony Hicks and Bobby Elliott, and made several unsuccessful attempts to record with guest musicians. The group's story might have ended some time soon after that, if not for the success of a specially edited medley of their early hits, titled Holliedaze, that charted in England. An invitation to appear on Top Of The Pops resulted, unexpectedly, in the agreement of Graham Nash and Eric Haydock to appear with the group in September 1981. Goldmine Article

     

     

  6. More recently, The Hollies were the subject of a multi-artist tribute album, Sing Hollies In Reverse, featuring contemporary rock acts doing their own covers of songs written by or uniquely associated with the Hollies. This collection brought the band a new level of respect from the current rock press, which suddenly had to acknowledge the Hollies' 30-year legacy beyond its mere nostalgia value. Goldmine Article

     

     

  7. Regarding a previous trivia bit; Tony Hicks must have a short memory, because The Hollies did remove "Stop! Stop! Stop!" from their set list during the time when Mikael Rickfors was in the band. (I bare witness to this; I saw their performance of Nov. 22, 1972 at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium here in California. Stunning! For me, the BEST Hollies lineup.) Site Visitor's Trivia

     

     

  8. I've just seen The Hollies at the Mission Vineyard at Napier New Zealand on February 10th 2001 around 25,000 the venue a natural amphitheatre. Band played really well crowd really enjoyed the night sound was good. In the end The Hollies didn't want to leave the stage.Show finished about 11.30pm. Reading through the other entries they followed the same repetoire of The Oz gigs finishing with "He Aint Heavy" then the Quartet sound mentioned before. For me Bobby Elliott and Tony Hicks were just fantastic, along with Alan Coates all excellent. Carl did OK but the sound is different .The Hollies were also presented during the performance with a gold record (or was it platinum) by EMI NZ for their topping the LP sales "The Best Of The Hollies" . Visitor's Trivia

     

     

  9. Did you know that Allan Clarke's brother Frank was instrumental (Excuse the pun!) in establishing the band in the early years, working as "Roadie", "Manager" etc.. It is very sad that nobody even mentions the man in any of the historical articles of the band. Not even the "Goldmine", detailed as it is, gives him a mention. I had the honour and privilege of meeting Frank at his home around 5/6 years ago. He related many fond memories of the early days of the Hollies and it is a meeting that I shall never forget with this remarkable man. If anyone has further info please get in touch. Site Visitor

     

     

  10. Here is a list of the songs performed by The Hollies at the Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica, California, on Nov. 22, 1972: Opener: "Look What We've Got" (Tony, lead vocal & guitar break instead of sax on record, harmonies on the line "Nothing at all"), "Carrie-Anne" (Tony, with Terry. Mikael on congas), "Pull Down the Blind", "You Know the Score" (Tony, lead vocal), "Long Dark Road" (Tony, lead vocal, with Mikael taking over for the finish), "Bus Stop" (Mikael), "On a Carousel" (Terry), "Amazing Grace" (acapella; Tony, Terry, & Mikael on one microphone), "Romany", "Only Love Can Break your Heart" (Tony), "Touch", "Words Don't Come Easy" (Mikael, solo spotlight, on congas), "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" (Mikael), "Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress" (Terry). Site Visitor
  1. It came as a surprise to me, but if you listen to the chorus of Carrie Anne, you'll find Graham Nash sings all three parts of the harmony (Rob Bird)

     

     

  2. The last verse of Soldier's Song was not written by Mike Batt until he was in the Lansdowne studios with the Hollies doing Allan's vocal. In fact Mike Batt was writing the last two lines while Allan was singing the first verses. Derek J Block the.blox@btinternet.com

     

     

  3. During The Hollies' fall 1972 concert tour of the U.S., new lead singer Mikael Rickfors not only excelled on vocals, but displayed his instrumental versatility as well, playing bass, guitar, harmonica, and congas. Site Visitor

     

     

  4. In the United States, The Hollies had a slow start at getting radio play. They were signed to the West Coast label "Imperial", and as such got earlier exposure in the Los Angeles area. I personally first heard The Hollies in 1965 when "I'm Alive" hit Los Angeles radio. Having only bought Beatles records up to that time, "I'm Alive" was the very first non-Beatles record I bought. After that, I became a Hollies fan for life! Site Visitor

     

     

  5. How many musicians can remember getting started using the Hollies paperback on 'How to run a professional band'? - Published by the Daily Mirror in 1964 (I think). Site Visitor

     

     

  6. The song 'Marrakesh Express' was written by ex Hollie Graham Nash at the time he was leaving The Hollies in 1968 to join Crosby Stills and Nash. The rest of The Hollies showed no interest in the song, so Graham took it to America with him and it was recorded by CSN. I do believe The Hollies recorded certain tracks of the song, but it never saw the light of day.

     

     

  7. In November, 1968, sitting in his home in Liverpool, twenty-two year old Terry Sylvester sat staring at the paper, he noticed an add "Who will fill Graham Nash's Shoes?" He had experienced his first taste of fan hysteria at the age of seventeen when he was lead singer with a local Liverpool band called The Escorts. When they finished in 1966 he joined the already established Swinging Blue Jeans. Reading the add, he thought to himself "I'm going to be the new Hollie." He bought a copy of 'The Hollies' Greatest Hits', studied all all the harmonies, then went to London where he auditioned and got the job. Taken from Epic Biography.

     

     

  8. It was in 1963 when The Hollies survived their first crisis. Don Rathbone, the drummer, realized that although he was good enough onstage, his drumming just didn't cut it in the studio. He left, to be replaced by Bobby Elliott, an excellent drummer who'd been playing the circuit with Shane Fenton (later to become Alvin Stardust)and The Fentones. From Epic Biography

     

     

  9. In late 1968, with 20 chart records under their belts, harmony singer Graham Nash announced his departure. The story goes that Allan Clarke heard a rumour that Graham was leaving from someone outside the band and confronted him with it. Graham admitted he was leaving and that he had been rehearsing for over a year with American friends David Crosby and Steven Stills. After 25 years as friends, Allan Clarke was shattered ... and the band was temporarily derailed. From Epic Biography.

     

     

  10. Graham Nash on Allan Clarke's retirement from The Hollies: "Allan has been my friend since I was 6 years old. We have been through many wonderful times together. I knew that if he did not feel he could always do his best on stage then he would retire. I want to take this opportunity to thank him for all the pleasure he has brought to my life. He was one of the most underrated lead singers in music today. I will miss his energy and his voice." 
  1. Carl Wayne's statement on joining The Hollies: "I applaud Allan Clarke's extraordinary contribution to the success of The Hollies over many years and his decision to leave for personal reasons is admirable. I look forward to a successful association with The Hollies and although I acknowledge their formidable musical reputation, I feel this is a new stage in their illustrious career. Whilst respecting what has already been achieved, I am not joining The Hollies just to make up the numbers! The year 2000 gives us the opportunity to move forward and rather than constantly refer to the past, there now exists enormous potential to record and succeed with new material. In many ways the Clarke/Nash vocal combination was similar to my work with Roy Wood. The Move always loved the American rock/vocal group sound as pioneered by The Byrds and later The Eagles and that is why I am very excited about working with The Hollies, the U.K's leading exponents of that sound."

     

     

  2. Before Tony Hicks found the song "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" at a publishing office, the song was offered up in America to Bob Shane of the Kingston Trio who was then on a brief solo career. Mr. Shane turned it down and recorded O.C. Smith's "Honey" instead. The Hollies went on to have a worldwide smash.

     

     

  3. My husband is the lead singer in a Hollies' Tribute band called 'Just One Look', they are going down a storm ever where the go. Site Visitor

     

     

  4. The Hollies once suffered 'Road Madness' and left a grand piano balancing on a hotel swimming pool diving board- it was still there the next day when they came down for breakfast!! Peej

     

     

  5. Bobby Elliott is married to Tony Hicks' sister Maureen, making him Tony's brother in law

     

     

  6. Keith Moon also auditioned for drummer with Shane Fenton and the Fentones. . .But our Bob obviously out shone him.

     

     

  7. Alan Coates also played in a band called Baby Face (early seventies). This band backed Johnny Wakelins hit single 'In Zaire'. I know because I also played on this single!

     

     

  8. "Graham Nash always had a very unique voice," Hicks says. "It's incredibly high but not falsetto. When I joined the Hollies, there was no suggestion that I could be singing at all, but it just worked out that the structure of the single was there'd be a verse where Allan would sing on his own, there'd be a second verse where Graham would join in and then probably we'd hit the chorus -- the real meat of the song -- and I ended up joining in, so you got a natural build all the way up." Sean Egan RollingStone.com

     

     

  9. A disappointment for many Hollies fans will be the absence of the long-rumored Hollies version of "Marrakesh Express," (in The Long Road Home) a Nash song that originated with the band but which became a hit for his next group, Crosby, Stills and Nash, after Nash quit the Hollies over musical disagreements in late 1968. "There's not enough of it there to warrant [inclusion]," says Elliott. "It's a bare rhythm track that stops towards the end -- things weren't going too well. Graham was always singing it and I loved it, but [producer] Ron Richards didn't seem to like it." Sean Egan RollingStone.com

     

     

  10. Allan Clarke was devastated by the departure of Graham Nash, his friend of more than 20 years and after seven further hits, including the UK Top 5 hits "Sorry Suzanne" and "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother", decided to leave for a solo career. The band soldiered on with the induction of Mikael Rickfors (b. 4 December 1948, Sweden), who sang on 'Romany' and 'Out On The Road', the latter only being released in Germany. In the USA the million-selling "Long Cool Woman (In A Black Dress)" narrowly missed the top spot in 1972, ironic also because Allan Clarke was the vocalist on this older number taken from the successful album Distant Light.
  1. The enigmatic and troublesome Eric Haydock was sacked in April 1966 and was replaced by Hicks former colleague in the Dolphins, Bernie Calvert (b. 16 September 1942, Nelson, Lancashire, England). The Hollies success continued unabated with Graham Gouldman's "Bus Stop", the exotic "Stop Stop Stop", and the poppier "On A Carousel" and "Carrie-Anne", all UK Top 5 hits, but also (at last) major Top 10 hits in the US Billboard chart. The Hollies were quick to join the "flower power" bandwagon, as a more progressive feel had already pervaded their recent album, For Certain Because ..., but with Evolution, their beads and kaftans were everywhere.

     

     

  2. Allan Clarke left the band in late 1977 to have another stab at a solo career, but rejoined in August 1978 to help record Five Three One-Double Seven O Four. In 1981, Sylvester and Calvert left the band, and Alan Coates (b. 26 June 1953, London, England) was drafted in on guitar. Sensing major problems ahead, EMI Records suggested they put together a Stars On 45-type segued single. The ensuing "Holliedaze' was a UK Top 30 hit, and Graham Nash was flown over for the television promotion. Clarke, Nash, Hicks and Elliott reunited for 1983"s What Goes Around, which included a minor US hit with the Supremes' "Stop! In The Name Of Love". The album was slammed by the critics, and only made the US charts because of Nash's association.

     

     

  3. In the early 1960s British pop music came of age. Bands no longer regurgitated a pale imitation of US rock'n'roll, but instead merged aspects of British music culture - such as dance-hall, pop and skiffle -with American R'n'B. The resulting confection, designated beat, saw a flourishing of bands throughout Britain that challenged the States' stranglehold on popular music. While the beat boom flourished on Merseyside, Manchester developed its own quartet of contenders: Freddie and the Dreamers, Herman's Hermits, Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders and The Hollies. And of these Mancunian candidates, it was The Hollies who can claim to be the biggest and best. Manchesteronline.co.uk

     

     

  4. An often underrated 60s British Beat group is The Hollies. OK, they didn't write their own songs until after the mid-60s, but they were great singers and songs by writers such as Graham Goldman sounded terrific when covered by Graham Nash, Allan Clarke et co. Recordings such as "Bus Stop", "Yes I Will" and "He Ain't Heavy He's My Brother" all sound almost as great as anything done by the Fab Four, and with "King Midas In Reverse" and the entire "Butterfly" album they also proved they could be adventurous. Geir Hongro

     

     

  5. This British quintet ,The Hollies, were formed in 1962 and named possibly after the late Buddy Holly, consisting of lead singer Allan Clarke, guitarists Graham Nash and Tony Hicks, bassist Eric Haydock, and drummer Don Rathbone. In 1963, before the group started having hits, Bobby Elliot replaced Don; Bernie Colvert took Eric's place in '66; and in '68, when Graham left to form Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, he was replaced by Terry Sylvester.

     

     

  6. Allan Clarke (lead singer) and Graham Nash (vocals, guitar) had been friends since childhood in Manchester, and formed the nucleus of the Hollies in the early '60s with bassist Eric Haydock. In early 1963, EMI producer Ron Richards signed the group after seeing them at the famous Cavern Club in Liverpool. Guitarist Vic Steele left before the first session, to be replaced by 17-year-old Tony Hicks. Drummer Don Rathbone only lasted for a couple of singles before being replaced by Bobby Elliott, who had played with Hicks in his pre-Hollies group, the Dolphins.

     

     

  7. The Hollies really didn't break in America in a big way until "Bus Stop" (1966), their first Stateside Top Tenner; "On a Carousel," "Carrie Ann," and "Stop Stop Stop" were also big hits. Here the Hollies were providing something of a satisfying option for pop-oriented listeners that found the increasingly experimental outings of groups like the Beatles and Kinks too difficult to follow. At the same time, the production and harmonies were sophisticated enough to maintain a broader audience than more teen- and bubblegum-oriented British Invasion acts like Herman's Hermits

     

     

  8. A modest slide in the early '70s was arrested by "Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress," a Creedence Clearwater Revival-type rocker that made number two in the States in 1972. The timing wasn't ideal; by the time it became a smash, Clarke, who had sung lead on the single, had left to go solo, to be replaced by Swedish vocalist Mikael Rikfors. Clarke re-joined in mid-1973, and the group had one last international monster, "The Air That I Breathe," which made number six in the U.S. in 1974. The group went on to record a string of further albums in the second half of the 1970's.

     

     

  9. Curiously, mostly thanks to Clarke, they did pick up on Bruce Springsteen's work as a songwriter earlier than a lot of other acts, but not even their beautiful rendition of "Sandy" could avert their slide from the public's consciousness. Most of their late 70's releases were heavily influenced by the prevailing disco and dance-rock sounds of the era, although they never entirely abandoned their harmony vocal sound. Under other cirucmstances they might have pulled off a career conversion similar to that achieved by the Bee Gees after 1974, but luck wasn't with the group and their output in this period was ignored.

     

     

  10. The Hollies received a small boost in press interest in America during 1983, however, when Graham Nash rejoined for one LP (What Goes Around), but even this proved a false start -- the album got reviews, but the latter were often negative, and a tour by this line-up had to be hastily re-booked into smaller halls. The group continued to play concerts and make beautiful records, but there was no public demand for the latter and by the 1990s they'd ceased recording regularly. As the twenty-first century beckoned, Allan Clarke -- after nearly 40 years as the lead vocalist for the band decided to leave, but is still active in the music business, leaving Hicks and Elliott as the last two core members of the group.
  1. During a January 1967 recording session, The Hollies found themselves surrounded by TV cameras in the studio. Granada Television were filming the band recording vocals for a documentary about the pop business. Obviously this intrusion didn’t phase the lads at all as it’s this take of "On A Carousel" which became their next single in February. A stone classic in the Hollies admirable canon of singles, the song builds from a simple two-chord guitar motif into an energetic romp powered by Bobby Elliott’s untouchable dynamics and those ever-present liquid harmonies. Turn the single over and you’ll discover the Hollies’ first venture into psychedelia, "All The World Is Love", based around a repetitive raga-like riff and featuring some sly visual rhymes ("love" and "move").

     

     

  2. The Hollies had a squeaky-clean image, and were famous for their rich vocal harmonies, which rivalled those of The Beach Boys. They scored their first major British hit in 1964 with a cover of Maurice Williams and The Zodiac's "Stay" which hit #8 in the UK charts. They quickly followed with Doris Troy's "Just One Look". Frequent releases during the mid-60s included many cover versions of popular songs, as well as a few group-penned hits and many songs written especially for them by professional songwriters.

     

     

  3. The Hollies continued to record and tour sporadically in various lineups through the mid-1980s,last hitting the US top 40 with a remake of The Supremes "Stop!In The Name Of Love",which reached #29 in 1983. They still tour as of 2004, albeit with only two original members -- Hicks and Elliot. After Allan Clarke's retirement in 2002, he was replaced by Carl Wayne, former lead singer of The Move, but sadly Wayne worked with the group for only two years before his untimely death from cancer in 2004.

     

     

  4. When Graham Nash, one of the group's main songwriters, left in 1968 over creative differences, he joined forces with former Buffalo Springfield member Stephen Stills and ex-Byrds member David Crosby to form one of the first 'supergroups', Crosby, Stills and Nash. Soon afterwards, a massive audition took place for a suitable successor. Guitarist-singer Terry Sylvester of the Swinging Blue Jeans eventually joined. This lineup had an immediate hit with "Sorry, Suzanne".The same year The Hollies hit the UK charts at #3 with the ballad "He Ain't Heavy,He's My Brother". The song featured the piano playing of Elton John.

     

     

  5. By 1965 The Hollies were established as one of Britain's pre-eminent singles bands, and they enjoyed huge chart success in many countries in the mid-Sixties, releasing a string of classic harmony-pop hits including ""Bus Stop"" (written by future 10CC member Graham Gouldman), "I'm Alive", "Stop, Stop Stop", "Carrie Anne" (from which actress Carrie-Anne Moss got her name, having been born when the song was on the charts), "On A Carousel" and "Look Through Any Window". Drummer Bobby Elliot is also considered by many to be one of England's best drummers; together with longtime bassist Bernie Calvert, the Hollies enjoyed a solid, almost jazz-oriented backbeat. Tony Hicks and Graham Nash shared the guitar spotlight, while frontman Allan Clarke sang in his distinctive nasal tenor.

     

     

  6. Once upon a time, Britain's number two rock band was a group from Manchester - The Hollies - that paid unintentional but oddly appropriate tribute to the departed master of pop-flavored 50s rock 'n' roll. Even before the Beatles' 1964 conquest of America, the two groups were competing on the U.K. singles charts.

     

     

  7. Allan Clarke (lead singer) and Graham Nash (vocals, guitar) had been friends since childhood in Manchester, and formed the nucleus of the Hollies in the early '60s with bassist Eric Haydock. In early 1963, EMI producer Ron Richards signed the group after seeing them at the famous Cavern Club in Liverpool. Guitarist Vic Steele left before the first session, to be replaced by 17-year-old Tony Hicks. Drummer Don Rathbone only lasted for a couple of singles before being replaced by Bobby Elliott, who had played with Hicks in his pre-Hollies group, the Dolphins.