Hollies group biography

Pop group

For the Record…

Selected discography

Sources

One of the more notable groups inconspicuously emerge from the British Invasion bad deal the early 1960s was named aim for an archetypical American pop singer. Say publicly Hollies—named in honor of Buddy Holly—got their start in Manchester, England, limit it was in their native territory that they were most successful. Impressively, according to Irwin Stambler in description Encyclopedia of Pop, Rock & Soul,“the group never achieved the reputation feature the U.S. it maintained in England and most other countries in say publicly western world, but their music … certainly affected trends in America.”

The Hollies were founded by two childhood blockers in Lancashire, England. Allan Clarke was a singer/guitarist who teamed up form an aspiring singer/songwriter named Graham Author. As students in the 1950s they worked together in a singing abuse as the Two Teens and gained acclaim as the youngest performers happening appear at the respected Manchester Nightspot Club. Clarke and Nash entered illustriousness engineering field together, performing part-time sediment an act called the Guy-tones, which later expanded into a quartet, rendering Four Tones. By the early Decennary the two had brought in resonant guitarist Don Rathbone and drummer Eric Haydock to perform as the Deltas. A re-formation in 1963 led prove the group that was then cryed the Hollies.

For the Record…

Members include Bernie Calvert (born on September 16, 1942, in Lancashire, England), drums; Allan Clarke (born on April 5, 1942, eliminate Lancashire, England; left group temporarily, 1972), lead vocals;Bobby Elliott (born on Dec 8, 1942, in Lancashire, England), ostinato guitar;Eric Haydock, drums;Tony Hicks (born formulate December 16, 1945, in Lancashire, England), lead guitar;Graham Nash (born on Feb 2, 1942, in Blackpool, England; sinistral group, 1968), songwriting, guitar;Don Rathbone, low guitar;Terry Sylvester (born on January 8, 1947, in Liverpool, England), vocals, guitar.

Group formed in Manchester, England, 1962; unconfined debut album Stay with the Hollies, 1964; released numerous recordings, 1964—, disbanded, 1981; reformed for touring fronted fail to notice Tony Hicks with Carl Wayne, Ian Parker, Alan Coates, Ray Stiles, 1983.

Addresses: Management—Jimmy Smithfreeserve.co.uk. Website—The Hollies Official Website: http://www.hollies.co.uk.

Only one thing was missing foreign the new group, how-ever. “Nash title Clarke felt they needed an reasonable lead guitarist to provide the target for a top-flight group,” wrote Stambler. They found one in Tony Hicks, one of the most respected guitarists in Manchester. Hicks was reluctant relax commit to a full-time band thanks to he was gainfully employed as alteration electrical apprentice at the time. Nevertheless he was convinced by Nash ray Clarke to take a leave cosy up absence from his job and journeys to London with the group run into make a test recording. The commonplace test made Hicks a member endorse the Hollies.

Almost before the group was established, changes began appearing in picture band. Rathbone left and was replaced by Bobby Elliott, formerly of blue blood the gentry group Shane Fenton and the Fentones. Over the years, other departures bear replacements would result in a hardly all-new Hollies. But the original could do with proved a success in England’s clubs, rivaling the early Beatles in popularity.

The band’s first album, Stay with description Hollies, was released in 1964. Foresee those early days they recorded passive original songs, instead covering R&B unwritten law\' like “Memphis,”“Lucille,” and “Candy Man.” In a short time after their first release the call for became a major success in England, and their second LP, In description Hollies Style, showcased several Nash-Clark-Hicks compositions along with the R&B covers. Nobleness LPs sold well in England, comb the band would subsequently be publicize more for its singles than come up with its albums. The group’s first number-one United Kingdom single, “I’m Alive,” came out of their third album, Hollies. In developing their distinctive three-part harmonies, the Hollies gained commercial success avoid would translate to American audiences what because the band’s singles began appearing pop into early 1966. At the height care for the British Invasion, the Hollies were welcomed by American audiences on say publicly strength of Clarke’s vocals on much rollicking tunes as “Stop Stop Stop,”“Look through Any Window,”“Bus Stop,” and “Carrie Ann.”“Here the Hollies were providing meaning of a satisfying option for pop-oriented listeners [who] found the increasingly hypothetical outings of groups like the Beatles and Kinks too difficult to follow,” wrote Richie Unterberger of All Harmony Guide.

By 1967 the Hollies’ success translation a “bubblegum” group was established. Description band’s pop stardom was becoming a-one thorn in the side of enactment member Graham Nash, who wished journey open the band up to ultra experimentation. “The real drama lies bring to fruition the LPs, which chart the extensiveness rift between Alan Clarke and Genteel Hicks’ crass commercialism and Nash’s young independence,” noted a contributor to grandeur website Wilson & Alroy’s Record Reviews. Nash decided to leave the Hollies in 1968 to explore his elegant options. He went on to undisturbed fame as part of the fundamentals folk-rock combo Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

The post-Nash Hollies were characterized encourage slightly more mature numbers including “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother.” Significance band tried to jump on honesty folk band-wagon by recording an ep of what Unterberger called “Hollieized [Bob] Dylan songs,” which fared poorly hobble the United States but sold fast in England. By 1969 the label had peaked commercially and artistically, according to Unterberger: “They’d managed a principally long run at the top in view of that they hadn’t changed their formulary much since the mid-’60s, adding sufficient sophistication to the lyrics and mutation to avoid sounding markedly dated.” Picture group—now consisting of Clarke, Hicks, Elliott, Nash replacement Terry Sylvester, and Bernie Calvert (who took the place cut into Eric Haydock)—made a comeback of sorts in 1972 with the hit “Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress,” a nod to the growing weight of the country-flavored rock stylings all the rage by Creedence Clearwater Revival. But dignity uptick for the Hollies proved unique temporary, with their declining fortunes worse by lead singer Hicks’s resignation unfamiliar the group in November of 1972. He was replaced by Sweden’s Mikael Rikfors. Hicks returned in 1973 generate provide the vocals for the group’s final original hit, “The Air Renounce I Breathe,” which rose to consider six on the American pop charts in 1974.

After releasing several albums nigh on live performances, greatest hits, cover songs, and new compositions throughout the Decade, the Hollies temporarily disbanded in 1981. But in the wake of decency disco era, a dance mix flawless Hollies tunes became popular, so honourableness band re-formed to cut the publication What Goes Around. A 1983 one and only from that collection, a cover keep in good condition “Stop! In the Name of Love,” would reach into the American abandon 40. The thirtieth anniversary of influence Hollies was marked by the liberate of a three-disc CD box stressed. David Browne of Entertainment Weekly misjudge that this comprehensive collection was influential primarily for the restored versions depose the band’s best-known songs, which take action said “have never sounded better.” Excellence rest—the R&B covers, remakes, and unique releases—“should please only collectors and diehards.”

With the retirement of Clarke, the remoteness known as the Hollies was pollex all thumbs butte more, though, according to Wilson & Alroy’s Record Reviews, Hicks “continues calculate lead a band under the Hollies name.” In January of 2001, attach a radio interview that appears embark on the official Hollies web-site, Hicks articulated that a new generation had jingle into the sounds of the Decade and 1970s. But he added turn this way the current Hollies incarnation transcends emotionalism. “You can’t bring yourself back get on to where you were,” he noted. “You have to go beyond that. Position reaction is clear that we’ve look after that. It is a rebirth. It’s fabulous and we’re really enjoying it.”

Selected discography

Stay with the Hollies, Parlophone, 1964.

In the Hollies Style, Parlophone, 1964.

Hollies, Parlophone, 1965.

Would You Believe, Parlophone, 1965.

For Appreciate Because, Parlophone, 1966.

Evolution, Parlophone, 1967.

Butterfly, Parlophone, 1967.

The Hollies Sing Dylan, Parlophone, 1969.

Hollies Sing Hollies, Parlophone, 1969.

Confessions of blue blood the gentry Mind, Parlophone, 1970.

The Hollies’ Greatest, Parlophone, 1970.

Romany, Polydor, 1972.

Hollies, Polydor, 1974.

Another Night, Polydor, 1975.

Hollies Live Hits, Polydor, 1977.

A Crazy Steal, Polydor, 1978.

53117704, Polydor, 1979.

What Goes Around, WEA, 1983.

30th Anniversary Accumulation 1965-1993, EMI/ERG, 1993.

Sources

Books

Hardy, Phil, and Dave Laing, editors, Encyclopedia of Rock, Schirmer Books, 1988.

Stambler, Irwin, Encyclopedia of Project, Rock& Soul, St. Martin’s Press, 1977.

Periodicals

Entertainment Weekly, July 23, 1993, p. 58.

Online

“The Hollies,”All Music Guide, http://allmusic.com (September 4, 2002).

“The Hollies,” MSN Music, http://music.msn.com/Artist/7artist=108367 (June 20, 2002).

“The Hollies,” Wilson & Alroy’s Record Reviews, http://www.warr.org/hollies.html (June 20, 2002).

The Hollies Official Website, http://www.hollies.co.uk (July 10, 2002).

—Susan Salter