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The upcoming box set, called Reflections, may be postponed to next year, to coincide with Graham's birthday.
Graham Nash established together with Allan Clarke the nucleus of the Manchester group the Hollies, who started their career in 1963. The Hollies received worldwide success with their catchy songs and three-part harmonies. Graham, Allan and the lead guitarist Tony Hicks wrote several of the high-charting singles: “We’re through”, “Stop! Stop! Stop!”, “On a carousel”, “Carrie Anne”, “King Midas in reverse”, “Jennifer Eccles”. I first became aware of the Hollies when I heard “Stay” and was caught by the magic of “Just one look”. To this day I still can recall my ensthusiasm when “I’m alive” went to the top of the charts in the early summer of 1965. Sitting outside on the grass with a portable radio, listening to the NME Top Twenty chart being played on Swedish radio. What a happy day for a 15-year old chap with a sense for good music! 16. December 1967 I finally got the chance to experience Graham with the other Hollies live in Folkets Hus in Oslo. A well-deserved headline of the newspaper Dagbladet’s review was: “This year’s concert in Oslo.” About time the Hollies came to Norway, they had been touring Sweden for years already.
Graham left the Hollies I 1968 to join the first super group Crosby Stills & Nash, being disappointed for the relative lack of success of the more complicated material he had started to write. CSN caught the spirit of the peace and flower generation during Woodstock in 1969, and Graham wrote “Marrakesh express”, “Teach your children” and “Our house” for CSN in the following years. A later important song was “Wasted on the way.” That song was also played on tour during the Hollies reunion in 1983. “Stop! In the name of love” became a US hit for the Hollies with Graham Nash that year. The last collaboration with the Hollies took place in 1995, when they recorded harmony and backing to Buddy Holly vocals for “Peggy Sue got married”, headlining a tribute album and a TV program.
Graham has been active in the peace and environment movements, which has been reflected both in song lyrics, and charity concerts. Listen to “Military madness” and “Barrel of pain”. The anti-atomic bomb concert “No nukes” was also released on record, and there are current possibilities of a DVD release.
I first got the chance to see Crosby Stills & Nash live, when they did an acoustic show in the Royal Albert Hall, London, 8. October 1992. In fact they were supposed to be playing in Oslo on the 18., but the 2nd half of the European tour that year was cancelled. Ten years later I caught them on 12. March 2002 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, when Neil Young joined CSN after the 11. October attacks. An amazing show, how can you sing and play that well after all these years? What an energy! And what harmonies! Finally, Graham returned twice to Oslo in 2005, first with David Crosby at Rockefeller 9. February, and then he came back with Crosby and Stills for two shows in June. I saw the one in the Grieg Hall, Bergen on 19. June. What do you say, when Graham returns to Norway for concerts after 37 years, and then suddenly gives two tours? And in between, he opened his photo art show, at the Stenersen Museum in Oslo on 2. June (when the top picture on this page was taken). He also signed my promo CD of “Peggy Sue got married” (see right), and his face lit up, quite amazed when I showed him that the record was already signed by Allan, Tony and Bobby. The same day he had added harmony vocals on two tracks for the new album by Norwegian group A-ha. His Oslo visit received broad coverage in the Norwegian national newspapers.
In addition to his technically advanced interest in photography, Graham has also been at the front when at comes to recording. He was the first artist to take full advantage of the DVD Audio surround system, and his latest album, Songs for survivors was at first available only in this format. Listen to that album using a good surround system and a DVD audio player, and you will hear what I mean.
Graham has also employed the Internet at an early stage. He took advantage of his knowledge during his multimedia shows, and runs a website, where he regularly answers relevant questions in his forum: www.grahamnash.com
Thank you, Graham, for what you have done and still do, musically, and for your human attitudes and political engagement.
