The Hollies are an English rock and pop band formed in Manchester One of the leading British groups of the s and into the mids, they are known for their distinctive three-part vocal harmony style.
The Hollies are one of the few UK groups of the early s, along with the Rolling Stones , who have never disbanded and continue to record and perform. In recognition of their achievements, the Hollies were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in The Hollies originated as a duo formed by Allan Clarke and Graham Nash , who were best friends from primary school and began performing together during the skiffle craze of the late s.
When Quinn quit to join Freddie and the Dreamers in , Clarke and Nash also quit and joined another Manchester band, the Deltas, consisting of Vic Steele on lead guitar, Eric Haydock on bass guitar, and Don Rathbone on drums, which had just lost two members including Eric Stewart , who left to join a "professional" band, the Mindbenders. In January , the Hollies performed at the Cavern Club in Liverpool, where they were seen by Parlophone assistant producer Ron Richards , who had been involved in producing the first Beatles session.
Hicks played in a Nelson band called the Dolphins, which also featured Bobby Elliott on drums and Bernie Calvert on bass. Their second single, another Coasters cover, this time 's " Searchin' ", hit No. At this point, after recording only eight songs for Parlophone, Rathbone also decided to leave the band, and Hicks was able to arrange for his Dolphins bandmate Bobby Elliott to replace him as the Hollies' new drummer in August It was lifted from the band's Parlophone debut album, Stay with the Hollies , released on 1 January , which went to No.
Like their Parlophone labelmates the Beatles, the Hollies' albums released in North America remained very different from their UK counterparts. By this time, the Hollies were writing and performing a substantial amount of original material, written by the group's songwriting team of Clarke, Nash, and Hicks, and producer Richards finally permitted the group to release its first self-penned hit, "We're Through" Sep. Ransford", the name of Graham Nash's grandfather, as were all their early compositions.
