Information about The Hollies

The Hollies are an English Beat group formed in the early 1960s. They are commonly associated with Manchester, as several original Hollies came from the city and its outlying communities.

The Manchester quintet, heavily influenced by the Everly Brothers, is known for rich three part harmonies rivalling those of The Beach Boys, ringing guitars, infectious melodies, jazz oriented backbeats and a squeaky-clean image. They have been called the British Everly Brothers. Nevertheless, The Hollies are one of the most commercially successful pop/rock acts of the British Invasion. While groups like the Beatles would sometimes toy with non-pop experiments, the Hollies kept their material catchy and appealing no matter what style they pursued; however, they tried easing into more sophisticated folk-rock and mildly psychedelic sounds as the decade wore on, especially on their albums. Their mass recognition is generally limited (especially in the United States) to a selection of perhaps a dozen hit songs, from 1964's "Just One Look" to 1974's "The Air That I Breathe". In reality, their recorded history started in 1963 and encompasses more than 350 songs, spread over dozens of albums, EPs and singles, across 33 years (Eder,1996).

Formation

The Hollies' history began by chance with five-year-old Allan Clarke's arrival at the Ordsall Primary School in Salford (Manchester's twin city), England in 1947. He met five-year-old Graham Nash, when Nash was the only student to volunteer to let Clarke sit next to him in class. Soon, they found a common interest in music. They began singing together in choir and as they matured, their voices complemented each other magnificently. The impetus for Clarke and Nash to begin music careers together was the emergence of skiffle music in England (Eder, 2004).

According to Clarke (Eder, 2004),

"We all wanted to be rock 'n' roll stars, and skiffle was one way to start, because it was all based on the easiest chords to play, A, D, G, and C, and we loved the songs. Graham and I played clubs in Manchester, doing an Everly Brothers-type thing. The Everly Brothers were our real inspiration, because of the two-part harmonies."

This laid the foundation for The Hollies. By 1962 Clarke (born Harold Allan Clarke, 5 April 1942, in Salford, Lancashire) and Nash (born Graham William Nash, 2 February 1942, in Blackpool, Lancashire) had already been singing together locally at coffee houses for a number of years as a semi-professional duo under a number of names such as the Guytones, the Two Teens, The Levins and a brother act called Ricky and Dane. As they were playing a show with the Fourtones, they met Eric Haydock (born 3 February 1943, in Stockport, Cheshire) and Don Rathbone (born Donald Rathbone, October 1942, in Wilmslow, Cheshire) and were invited to join The Deltas (Rock, 2000).

The four decided to abandon the Deltas and form a new group in December 1962. According to those close to the band, they chose the name from some Christmas holly decorating Graham Nash's house; not, as long time rumour has it, in homage to Buddy Holly (Rock, 2000). The stories are sufficiently vague that not even the band members remember exactly; however, what they do agree upon is that the name was simply a stop-gap, and it's stuck for 34 years and counting (Eder, 1996). The original lineup consisted of lead singer Allan Clarke, guitarists Graham Nash and Vic Steele, bassist Eric Haydock and drummer Don Rathbone. Vic Steele soon left, and was replaced by local guitar hero Tony Hicks (born Anthony Christopher Hicks, 16 December 1943, Nelson, Lancashire). In 1963, before the group started having hits, Rathbone left to become their road manager and was replaced by Bobby Elliott (born Robert Hartley Elliott, 8 December 1941, at 13 Chiltern Avenue, Bolton, Lancashire) from Shane Fenton And The Fentones; however, Elliott and Hicks had played together previously in another Manchester band called Rick Shaw and the Dolphins. In 1966 Bernie Calvert (born Bernard Bamford Calvert, 16 September 1942, in Brierfield, Lancashire) took Haydock’s; and in '68, when Nash left to form Crosby, Stills & Nash, later to become Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, he was replaced by Terry Sylvester (ex-Escorts and Swinging Blue Jeans) (Artist, 2004).

The 1960s

The band's first show as The Hollies took place at the Oasis Club in Manchester in December 1962 with great success. Not long after, The Hollies took The Beatles slot at the Cavern Club. The Beatles had graduated from the club and had been signed to EMI's Parlophone label by producer George Martin. The amount of musical activity in Liverpool and Manchester caused record producers who had previously never ventured very far from London to start looking to the north. One of them was Ron Richards, a staff producer at EMI, who went up to the Cavern in January 1963. What he found was a tiny club that lived up to its reputation and that The Hollies could do more than just wail (Eder, 1996). After Steele's departure and Hicks' arrival, The Hollies incorporated many obscure American R&B classics in their repertoire, as did many beat groups of the early 1960s; however, they were also writing new songs as well as commissioning songs from professional songwriters. The originals wound up as "B" sides, often credited to the pseudonymous "Chester Mann" or “L. Ransford" (Artist, 2004). They scored their first major British hit at the end of 1963 with a cover of Maurice Williams and The Zodiacs' Stay, which hit #8 in the UK charts. They quickly followed with Doris Troy's Just One Look. The group's fifth single, "We're Through," was their first original A-side, written by Allan Clarke, Tony Hicks and Graham Nash under their new collective pseudonym of "L. Ransford". Recorded on 25 August 1964, "We're Through" was released the following month. On 26 September 1964, it entered the British charts at No. 27 and, during a relatively short stay, peaked at #7, a fact that, in the wake of "Just One Look's" #2 showing, discouraged the record company from pursuing any more original A-sides from the band at that time. As an original A-side, however, it was a milestone for the band, and hinted at better things to come for them.

During the summer of 1965, the Clarke-Hicks-Nash songwriting team, still working as "L. Ransford", achieved what at the time seemed like a major breakthrough. The three were signed to a publishing contract by Dick James Music and given their own publishing imprint, Gralto Music (for GRaham, ALlan, and TOny). When Graham left, it became Alto Music.The end of 1965 saw the Hollies crack the US top 40 for the first time with the Graham Gouldman penned "Look Through Any Window" which peaked at #32 in January of 1966.

By 1965 The Hollies had established themselves as one of Britain's pre-eminent singles bands and enjoyed enormous chart success in several countries (Biography, 2002). However, the group experienced their first lapse when their recording of George Harrison's If I Needed Someone just scraped the UK Top 20 and brought with it some bad press. Both the Hollies and John Lennon took swipes at each other, venting frustration at the comparative failure of a Beatles song (Rock, 2000).

Bassist Eric Haydock and drummer Bobby Elliot were considered one of the tightest rhythm sections in British Pop/Rock of the period; however, in 1966, bassist Haydock was replaced by Bernie Calvert. Many music critics do not consider Calvert to have been as good a bass player as Haydock, whose playing had a much higher profile on the group's records. Ron Richards confirmed this in his contribution to the notes of Epic Records' 20 Song Anthology (Biography, 2002).

According to Richards,

"Calvert was not a good bass player, and [I] deliberately buried his sound in the mix of their songs once he joined the group."

Although they had become quite successful by 1966 in Britain and Europe, neither their tours of the United States, nor their record releases there, had been as successful as they were in Europe. With their new member, Bernie Calvert, The Hollies recorded the song that was to become their long-awaited American breakthrough single, "Bus Stop". Written by Graham Gouldman, "Bus Stop" rose to #5 in America and made it to the same spot in Britain.

By this time, the band had blossomed as songwriters and recording artists. The next album, "For Certain Because", was their most elaborate yet, its songs, all originals, filled with unusual instrumentation, including marimbas, kettle drums and other exotic sounds. In many respects The Hollies' equivalent to The Beatles' Rubber Soul album, For Certain Because was the first album by the group in which not a single track was filler and on which every track could have been either a proper A-side or B-side of a single. Indeed, one song from the album, "Pay You Back With Interest", was issued as a single by Imperial in America after the band signed with Epic, while another, "Tell Me To My Face",was a top 40 hit for American singer Keith['98.6']and was later covered very successfully in the 1970s by Dan Fogelberg and Tim Weisberg. Other songs, such as "Clown," were more personal compositions by Graham Nash, who was starting to develop a distinctly individual approach to songwriting (Eder,1996).

This was a golden era for The Hollies as a performing unit as well. In concert, they worked on the same bill with acts such as the Spencer Davis Group and the Small Faces, and their music onstage had achieved a level of sophistication equivalent to the kind of songwriting they were doing. The success of "Stop! Stop! Stop!", achieving the #2 spot in England and #7 in America, was all the more remarkable as an original A-side. Their follow-up, "On A Carousel", was written during the group's tour of America, and recorded on 11 January 1967. Released the following month, it reached a by-now routine #4 in England, and #11 in America. "Carrie Anne" had been started by Hicks in 1965, while the band was on tour in Norway, and began in the wake of the Byrds' "Mr. Tambourine Man", with Hicks writing to the phrase "Hey Mr. Man." Two years later, it was finished in its familiar form and recorded on 3 May 1967, in only two takes. Released later the same month, it reached #3 in the United Kingdom and #9 in America (Eder,1996).

The year 1967 saw the band release not one, but two psychedelic albums, the harder rock orientated "Evolution" and the softer, more in tune with the summer of love, "Butterfly".

After The Beatles released Sgt. Pepper in June 1967, The Hollies were quick to join the flower power bandwagon. The band tried their hand at psychedelic music with a new song, King Midas In Reverse, largely written by Nash, who yearned to make an impact as a more serious artist. The song had an ambitious string, brass and flute arrangement; however, its relatively modest commercial success did not bode well for his influence over the band's direction, and their next singles were in the more romantic tradition.

In 1968, Nash felt constrained by the band's commercial orientation and left because of creative differences over the plan to record an album of Bob Dylan songs, which he saw as a retrograde step for the band. He joined forces with former Buffalo Springfield member Stephen Stills and former Byrds member David Crosby to form one of the first supergroups, Crosby, Stills and Nash. His departure from The Hollies really marked the end of the group's peak era. Terry Sylvester, formerly of Liverpool bands The Escorts and The Swinging Blue Jeans, replaced him. This lineup had an immediate hit in 1969 with Sorry, Suzanne, which reached #3 in the UK. The hit streak continued for a while longer with He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother, written by Americans Bob Russell and Bobby Scott. The song topped the British and US charts twice; originally in 1969 and again 19 years later, thanks to play in a beer commercial (Artist, 2004). Elton John played piano on this hit.

Nevertheless, the group was reaching a dead end after achieving a long run at the top considering that they hadn't changed their formula much since the mid-'60s. It was apparent that they really were not capable of producing works that appealed to the album audience. Their singles still charted on occasion, although the songs were not as memorable as their best 1960s work.

The 1970s

Clarke, devastated by the departure of his friend of more than 20 years, had been locked into the group identity for nearly all of his adult life, and now felt the urge to step out on his own. The group was beginning work on a new album, which Clarke would do with them, after which he would begin work on his own career and his own recordings, independent of the band. Ironically, the new album was to benefit from Clarke's plans for a solo career, but the group's ability to take advantage of its unexpected success was to be sorely tested. While recording the album, titled Distant Light, Clarke turned up with a song that was to be added to the record: a throwaway, co-authored by Clarke, Roger Cook and Roger Greenaway, titled Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress (Eder, 1996^[1]).

Recorded on a day when producer Ron Richards was absent, the album gave Clarke a rare chance to show off his guitar skills. The problem was that Clarke had not intended it to be released on a Hollies album, but as a record of his own. However, a couple of members of the group did play on it and he was forced to include it on Distant Light. This, in turn, led to an open breach between Clarke and the rest of the group, once they learned that he intended to do a solo recording. Clarke was issued an ultimatum, that he either remain with The Hollies or pursue a solo career, but not both.

In a 1973 interview with Melody Maker, Clarke states (Eder, 1996^[2])

They thought that when I became successful, I'd leave them anyway, so they just shortened the agony by forcing me to do one thing or the other. It was silly, really, because I wouldn't have left the group.

Long Cool Woman came out as a single after a modest slide in the early '70s. The song was a Creedence Clearwater Revival style million record selling rocker that made #2 in the States in 1972; suddenly, this became the group's new signature tune, saturating the airwaves in the United States. However, Clarke was already gone, being strangely replaced by Swedish star Mikael Rickfors, who attempted to overcome language barriers. The new Hollies yielded the minor hit The Baby; however, Rickfors could sing in English but not speak it fluently, which created problems that were never fully resolved (Biography, 2002).

Much to Clarke's disappointment The Hollies were offered their first major US tour due to the success of Long Cool Woman, a song which Clarke considered to be his. The new Hollies line-up toured the US and for the first time received a major push in that country, appearing on the major music TV shows of the day. The personnel changes meant that the band had to re-invent their style somewhat, switching instruments and lead vocals on various songs. While a very interesting period for the band, the overall cohesive nature of The Hollies sound was somewhat damaged and the tour was not a big success with audiences.

Clarke returned in late 1973 and they returned to the UK Top 30 with another swamp rocker written by Clarke, "The Day That Curly Billy Shot Down Crazy Sam McGee". In 1974 another hit ensued, the worldwide smash The Air That I Breathe, and returned the group to their orchestral style in grand fashion; however, it was their last major UK hit for over a decade. The song was written by Albert Hammond and Mike Hazelwood, and originally recorded by the group's early idol, Phil Everly. The Everly connection had been cemented a few years earlier, when The Hollies largely wrote and backed the American duo on their 1966 Two Yanks in England album. The Air That I Breathe was the last Hollies hit to be produced by Ron Richards, as the group took their own reins (Artist, 2004).

Subsequent singles like Son of a Rotten Gambler, I'm Down, and Boulder to Birmingham, failed to chart. 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. Disco heavily influenced most of their late 70s releases and dance-rock sounds of the era, although they never entirely abandoned their harmony vocal sound. Over the next five years, the Hollies pursued the supper-club and cabaret circuit as their chart appearances began to dwindle. Although their albums were well produced, they were largely unexciting and sold poorly. Under other circumstances, they might have pulled off a career conversion similar to that achieved by the Bee Gees after 1974 (Unterberger & Eder, 2005^[3]).

Unlike some other British Invasion bands, the Hollies were also accomplished in concert, as indicated by their 1977 Live Hits album recorded in Christchurch, New Zealand the previous year. The album included effective performances of lesser-known songs such as Hicks' working-class portrayal Too Young to Be Married, which reached #1 in several overseas territories, though never released as such in the UK or US (Biography, 2002). Ironically, their American label, Epic Records ended up passing on the Live Hits that would have reached out to old and new audiences. It received enthusiastic reviews in numerous American magazines and newspapers as a Canadian import. Apparently, Epic made a decision that The Hollies would never sell large numbers of LPs regardless of how big their hits were and subsequently minimized their marketing efforts, essentially running out the clock on their contract ((Unterberger & Eder, 2005^[4]).

The 80s and beyond

In 1981 Calvert and Sylvester left and were replaced by Alan Coates and Ray Stiles, respectively. Sensing major problems ahead, EMI suggested they put together a Stars On 45-type segued single. The ensuing Holliedaze was a hit and returned them to the UK Top 30 (Rock, 2000). Nash and Haydock briefly rejoined to promote the record on Top of the Pops. The Hollies received a small boost in press interest in America when Graham Nash decided to reunite with the Hollies. They found worldwide success with an update of the Supremes classic Stop! In The Name Of Love, which reached No. 29 in 1983; subsequently, the group recorded an album (What Goes Around). The next year, a live album featuring the Clarke-Hicks-Elliott-Nash regrouping, Reunion. However, this proved a false start, the album received reviews, but they were often negative, and a tour by this line-up had to be hastily re-booked into smaller halls (Unterberger & Eder, 2005). He Ain't Heavy was reissued in the UK in 1988 and reached No. 1 after its use in a Miller lite beer commercial, thus establishing a new record for the length of time between chart-topping singles for one artist of 23 years (Biography, 2002).

Although The Hollies continue to tour and record today, with only two original members, Hicks and Elliot, there really is no public demand for new recordings, and by the 1990s they had ceased recording regularly. Ian Parker joined the group on keyboards circa 1990. In 1993, they were given an Ivor Novello award in honor of their contribution to British music. The group was also the subject of a tribute album, Sing Hollies In Reverse, in 1995. It featured alternative-rock figures like the Posies and Material Issue.

Allan Clarke, after nearly 40 years as the lead vocalist for the band, found that his singing didn't come to him as strongly or as well as he was used to. In 2000, he decided to retire, leaving Hicks and Elliott as the last two core members of the group. In 2003, EMI Records recognized the Hollies' musical significance with a six-CD box set, The Long Road Home: 1963-2003, covering every era and major line-up in the group's history (Unterberger & Eder, 2005).

After Clarke's retirement, he was replaced by Carl Wayne, former lead singer of The Move. Wayne only recorded one song with them, How Do I Survive, before his untimely death from cancer in 2004, and was replaced by Peter Howarth, who had worked for many years with Cliff Richard and had starred in a national tour of The Roy Orbison Story.

The Hollies have recently completed a new studio album, their first since 1983, Staying Power, trailed by the singles Hope and So Damn Beautiful, was released in 2006. (Biography, 2002).

The Hollies 1973 recording of Jesus Was a Cross Maker was featured in Cameron Crowe's 2005 movie Elizabethtown.

Line-up

1962 - 1963	Allan Clarke - lead vocals Graham Nash - guitar, vocals Vic Steele - guitar, vocals Eric Haydock - bass Don Rathbone - drums
1963 - 1966	Allan Clarke - lead vocals Graham Nash - guitar, vocals Tony Hicks - guitar, vocals Eric Haydock - bass Bobby Elliot - drums
1966 - 1968	Allan Clarke - lead vocals Graham Nash - guitar, vocals Tony Hicks - guitar, vocals Bernie Calvert - bass Bobby Elliot - drums
1968 - 1971	Allan Clarke - lead vocals Terry Sylvester - guitar, vocals Tony Hicks - guitar, vocals Bernie Calvert - bass Bobby Elliot - drums
1971 - 1973	Mikael Rickfors - lead vocals, guitar Terry Sylvester - guitar, vocals Tony Hicks - guitar, vocals Bernie Calvert - bass Bobby Elliot - drums
1973 - 1976	Allan Clarke - lead vocals Terry Sylvester - guitar, vocals Tony Hicks - guitar, vocals Bernie Calvert - bass Bobby Elliot - drums
1976 - 1981	Allan Clarke - lead vocals Terry Sylvester - guitar, vocals Tony Hicks - guitar, vocals Bernie Calvert - bass Bobby Elliot - drums Pete Wingfield - keyboards
1981 - 1982	Allan Clarke - lead vocals Graham Nash - guitar, vocals Allen Coates - guitar, vocals Tony Hicks - guitar, vocals Eric Haydock - bass Bobby Elliot - drums Brian Chatton - keyboards
1982 - 1983	Allan Clarke - lead vocals Graham Nash - guitar, vocals Allen Coates - guitar, vocals Tony Hicks - guitar, vocals Steve Stroud - bass Bobby Elliot - drums Peter Arnesen - keyboards Paul Bliss - keyboards
1983 - 1984	Allan Clarke - lead vocals Graham Nash - guitar, vocals Allen Coates - guitar, vocals Tony Hicks - guitar, vocals Steve Stroud - bass Bobby Elliot - drums Dennis Haines - keyboards
1984 - 1986	Allan Clarke - lead vocals Allen Coates - guitar, vocals Tony Hicks - guitar, vocals Steve Stroud - bass Bobby Elliot - drums Dennis Haines - keyboards
1986 - 1990	Allan Clarke - lead vocals Allen Coates - guitar, vocals Tony Hicks - guitar, vocals Ray Stiles - bass Bobby Elliot - drums Dennis Haines - keyboards
1990 - 2000	Allan Clarke - lead vocals Allen Coates - guitar, vocals Tony Hicks - guitar, vocals Ray Stiles - bass Bobby Elliot - drums Ian Parker - keyboards
2000 - 2004	Carl Wayne - lead vocals Allen Coates - guitar, vocals Tony Hicks - guitar, vocals Ray Stiles - bass Bobby Elliot - drums Ian Parker - keyboards
2004 - Present	Peter Howarth - lead vocals Steve Lauri - guitar, vocals Tony Hicks - guitar, vocals Ray Stiles - bass Bobby Elliot - drums Ian Parker - keyboards

Discography

See The Hollies discography

Trivia

• The Hollies were very big in Sweden throughout the '60s racking up numerous number ones.
• In Britain in the '60s The Hollies were regarded as "the third group" after The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. Sales and fan polls bore this out.
• In 1973 the band recorded Out On The Road an album of all original compositions. Due to the return of Allan Clarke this album was only ever released on vinyl in Germany and Spain. In 2006 it was finally issued on CD in France by Magic Records.

Notes

References

• Artist Profile. (2004). The Hollies. Retrieved September 1, 2006, from Rockphiles Web site: www.rockphiles.com
• Rock and Roll Biographies. (2000). The Hollies. Retrieved August 31, 2006, from Classicbands Web site: http://www.classicbands.com/hollies.html

External links

• Official band site
• Terry Sylvester Official Site
• Scandinavian Hollies site
• The Legends of the Sixties Featuring Eric Haydock
• Yahoo Groups The Hollies Free Yahoo fan group
• Quasimodo Bell All Singles, Full Discography & UK Chart Info

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