The Hollies

The Hollies are an English rock and pop band formed in Manchester in 1962. One of the leading British groups of the 1960s and into the mid-1970s, they are known for their distinctive three-part vocal harmony style. Singer Allan Clarke and rhythm guitarist/singer Graham Nash founded the band as a Merseybeat-type group in Manchester, although some of the band members came from towns further north, in east Lancashire. Nash left the group in 1968 to co-form Crosby, Stills & Nash, though he has reunited with the Hollies on occasion. In addition to Clarke and Nash, members have included lead guitarist Tony Hicks, rhythm guitarist Terry Sylvester (who replaced Nash), bassists Eric Haydock and Bernie Calvert, and drummers Don Rathbone and Bobby Elliott.

The Hollies enjoyed considerable popularity in the UK and Europe during the mid-1960s with a string of hits that included "Just One Look", "Here I Go Again" (both 1964), "I'm Alive" (1965; their first of two UK number ones), "Look Through Any Window" (1965) and "I Can't Let Go" (1966), although they did not achieve US chart success until "Bus Stop" was released in 1966. The group went on to have periodic success on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean over the next decade with hits such as "Stop Stop Stop" (1966), "On a Carousel", "Carrie Anne" (both 1967), "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" (1969), "Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress" (1972) and "The Air That I Breathe" (1974). "He Ain't Heavy" reached number one on the UK Singles Chart following a 1988 re-release. Overall, the Hollies had over 30 charting singles reach the UK Singles Chart, 22 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and 21 on the chart of RPM magazine in Canada.