* En anglais uniquement
Singer/guitarist/songwriter
Allan Clarke is one of the founders of
the Hollies; intermittently, he also has maintained a solo career.
Clarke and his childhood friend,
Graham Nash, began singing together in Manchester in the '50s. Adding
Eric Haydock (bass) and
Don Rathbone (drums) (replaced by
Bobby Elliott in 1963), they became the Fourtones in 1961 and then
the Deltas in 1962. By early 1963, when they added Tony Hicks (guitar) and signed a record contract, they had become
the Hollies. Their initial repertoire consisted of American R&B songs (though they soon began to write original material), and their defining characteristic was a strong vocal style, usually with
Clarke in the lead and
Nash and Hicks providing harmonies. In the U.K.,
the Hollies enjoyed consistent singles success, starting with "Just Like Me," the first of 29 chart singles, 17 of which made the Top Ten, with two -- "I'm Alive" and "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" -- reaching number one. Their appearances on the U.S. charts were less successful, though they managed to rack up 23 chart singles, six of which hit the Top Ten.
Nash decamped at the end of 1968 to form
Crosby, Stills, and Nash, but
the Hollies continued.
Clarke quit in August 1971 and launched a solo career, during which he made three albums: My Name Is 'arold (1972), Headroom (1973), and Allan Clarke (1974). He rejoined
the Hollies in July 1973, but maintained his solo career, releasing I've Got Time in 1976. He left a second time in March 1978 and made I Wasn't Born Yesterday (1978), but returned in August. His subsequent albums included
Legendary Heroes (1979) and The Only One (1980), plus a Best Of compilation in 1981. In 1983,
Nash rejoined
Clarke, Elliott, and Hicks in
the Hollies for the album What Goes Around ... and a reunion tour, after which
Clarke, Elliott, and Hicks carried on as
the Hollies. ~ William Ruhlmann