AFTER ACHIEVING FIFTEEN CONSECUTIVE TOP TEN HITS IN ENGLAND, THE Hollies lost an integral member of the group, Graham Nash.
In November of 1968, Nash decided to leave the Hollies in order to further his own musical career. On Dec. 8, he and the Hollies parted company following a final concert at the London Palladium.
Now, Graham Nash is a member of one of the hottest recording groups in the industry, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. But, what happened to the Hollies?
During the winter after Nash’s departure, an extensive search was made to find a replacement who could blend with the group’s fine vocal harmonies.
The unanimous choice of all the Hollies was Terry Sylvester, a twenty-three-year-old rhythm guitarist and singer from Liverpool. Terry first met the group in Munich in 1965 while he was with a group called the Escorts. Earlier, Terry had been with the Swinging Blue Jeans (“Hippy Hippy Shake”).
After his first live performance with the Hollies, Terry said, “It took a few minutes for me to realize that I was actually on stage with them. After each number I wanted to start applauding. By the third gig it was fine . . . I felt right in with them.”
Besides Terry, the other Hollies are Allan Clarke, lead singer; Tony Hicks, lead guitar and vocals; Bobby Elliott, drums; and Bernard Calvert, bass guitar and piano. Their most popular U.S. released singles were “I Can’t Let Go,” “Look through Any Window,” “Bus Stop,” “Stop, Stop, Stop,” “Dear Eloise,” and “Carousel.”
After almost a year away from the recording scene, the Hollies have released a new album on the Epic label, Words and Music by Bob Dylan.
Allan Clarke was singing professionally long before the creation of the Hollies. He and Graham Nash had been in and out of groups together throughout their school days. They once had their own act called the Two Teens (the youngest act ever to appear at the Cabaret Club in Manchester, England) before joining in with such equally unsuccessful groups as the Deltas, the Guytones, and the Fourtones.
All of the cuts on their current album could make good single material, but the standouts are “All I Really Want to Do” and “Mighty Quinn.”