After six decades, numerous Top-10 hits and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, The Hollies are packing it in.
Formed in Manchester, England in late 1962 by childhood friends Graham Nash and Allan Clarke, the band’s classic lineup also included Eric Haydock on bass, Tony Hicks on lead guitar and Bobby Elliott on drums.
British Hitmakers
Emerging in the post-Beatlemania British Invasion and fueled by the songwriting talent of Clarke and Nash, The Hollies racked up a string of hits throughout the 1960s and well into the following decade.
Nash left the band in 1968, moving to Los Angeles and eventually teaming up with Steven Stills and David Crosby to form supergroup Crosby, Stills & Nash; the band then became Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young with the addition of Neil Young for their second album, and would continue in various iterations over the ensuing decades.
The Hollies replaced Nash with Terry Sylvester, and continued to crank out hits.
Among the band’s best-known tracks during Nash’s tenure with the band include “Bus Stop” (1965), “Carrie Ann” (1967), and “On a Carousel” (1967).
End of An Era
The Hollies have remained a touring and recording band over the years; the last of the band’s 23 studio albums was released in 2009, “Then, Now, Always.”
However, on Thursday, August 20, the band issued a statement via social media to announce that The Hollies were officially packing it in after the final two original members made the difficult decision to step away.
“Due to health reasons, Tony has decided to step away from touring,” reads the message.
“Out of respect for Tony and everything they have shared throughout their remarkable journey together, Bobby has also decided to retire from touring,” the message adds.
“After more than six decades, the Hollies’ touring career will come to a close with immense gratitude to the fans who have supported them around the world.”
Graham Nash’s Exit Didn’t End The Hollies
While his bandmates were content to continue cranking out pop hit after pop hit, by the late 1960s Nash had become disenchanted with the music the band was making.
Seeking a new sound, he wound up in Laurel Canyon, where he entered a romantic relationship with Joni Mitchell.
“I knew I had to … leave the Hollies, and follow that sound,” Nash told On magazine, “and that’s what I did. … I believe it was the right choice.”
The Hollies, however, experienced some of the band’s biggest success after Nash quit, charting such hits as “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother” (1969), “Long Cool Woman (In a Black Dress)” (1972) and “The Air That I Breathe” (1974).
As the decades wore on, the band was ultimately led by Hicks and Elliott, who kept The Hollies alive primarily as a touring entity.
Induction Into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
In 2010, Nash reunited with The Hollies when the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by E Street Band guitarist Steven Van Zandt.
“I’m already in the Hall of Fame with Crosby, Still and Nash, of course, of which I’m grateful, but this is really an honor for my first band,” Nash told Rolling Stone at the time. “When we started in late ’62 or something, we never knew we’d be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It was something that was completely out of our sphere. I always thought they deserved it. They were very influential band. The Hollies were a great live band and obviously had a long string of hits. So I think they deserved to be in there, but my first initial reactions was for my friend Allan.”
