The Hollies

The Hollies are a British rock and roll band formed in the early 1960s. They signed to Parlophone in 1963 as label-mates of The Beatles, and released their first album in the US in 1964 as part of the first wave of British Invasion releases. They are commonly associated with Manchester, because several original Hollies came from the city and its outlying communities.

Related Topics:
British - Rock and roll - 1960s - Parlophone - 1963 - The Beatles - US - 1964 - British Invasion - Manchester

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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.

Related Topics:
The Beach Boys - Doris Troy - Cover version

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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. Until 2000, Allan Clarke remained the primary singer.

Related Topics:
1965 - "Bus Stop" - 10CC - Graham Gouldman - Carrie Anne - Carrie-Anne Moss - On A Carousel - Look Through Any Window - Bobby Elliot - Bernie Calvert - Tony Hicks - Graham Nash - Allan Clarke

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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.

Related Topics:
1968 - Buffalo Springfield - Stephen Stills - Byrds - David Crosby - Crosby, Stills and Nash - Terry Sylvester - Swinging Blue Jeans

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Singer Allan Clarke briefly left the group in 1971 for a solo career. European star Mikael Rickfors overcame language barriers as Clarke's replacement, yielding the minor hit "The Baby". Allan Clarke returned in 1972 with the Creedence Clearwater Revival-inspired smash, "Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress".

Related Topics:
1971 - Mikael Rickfors - 1972 - Creedence Clearwater Revival - Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress

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The Hollies last visited the US top ten in August of 1974 with the grandiose love song "The Air That I Breathe" Some have compared the Hollies' successful vocal style to The Everly Bros and The Beatles.

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The band 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.

Related Topics:
1980s - Carl Wayne - The Move

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