The Hollies and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

The English rock group, The Hollies have not had a hit record since 1974, and while they still tour, only two of the original members remain with the group. When I learned they were going to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Monday, March 15, 2010, I wanted to know how that happened. The Hollies began recording in the early 60s, meaning they would have been eligible for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame a long time ago - like around 1985.

Performers are eligible for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25 years after their first recording. The Red Hot Chili Peppers, who didn't make the cut this year, were also on the list of nominees. The Chili Peppers began recording in 1984, pretty close to when The Hollies would have first been eligible. So, what took so long with The Hollies?

The Hollies formed in Manchester, England in the early 1960s. The group consisted of lead vocalist, Allan Clarke, guitarist and vocalist, Graham Nash, guitarist Vic Steele (real last name Farrell), Erick Haydock on bass guitar and Don Rathbone on drums. Graham Nash said on the Bob Edwards show in Feb. 2009 that the group took its name in honor of Buddy Holly. Steele left in May 1963, not long before the group signed to Parlophone and they were lucky enough to snag Tony Hicks, who is still with the group, to replace him. Bobby Elliot, who played with Hicks in The Dolpins, became the Hollies' new drummer in 1963. They went through several more lineup changes in the next several years.

After their first two efforts, "Ain't That Just Like Me" and a cover of The Coasters' "Searchin" reached respectable positions on the UK charts, they had their first Top10 British hit in 1964 with another cover, Maurice Williams and The Zodiacs' "Stay". Off to a good start, The Hollies went on to an extremely successful commercial career in music that would result in them being considered the third most successful British group of the 1960s--in terms of single hits. The Hollies had 20 UK Top 40 hits between 1963 and 1969 in the UK. Only The Beatles and The Shadows had more. However, that is not taking into account the actual placement of the hits because there were many British groups who had way more hits charting higher than the Hollies. The Rolling Stones, for example, had 8 No. 1 UK hits, while The Hollies only had one. To many rock fans, the notion that the Hollies were more successful than the Stones is pretty mind-blowing.

In the USA, The Beatles or The Stones were already highly popular with American teens before The Hollies came along in 1966 with "Bus Stop" and "Stop, Stop, Stop" and "Carrie Anne" in 1967. My friends and I weren't Beatles' fans in the first place. We were tough city kids, we were cool. We liked The Stones, The Animals and The Doors. We liked "Summer in the City" by the Lovin' Spoonful, but we were, in the end, still silly kids. We got a big kick out of "Carrie Anne" and the lines: "When we were at school, our games were simple. I played the janitor, you played the monitor ..." That song has some strange lyrics! We thought it was a very sexually suggestive song, not to mention insulting in the line that says she lost her charm as she was aging. People have left messages on Songfacts saying the song was really about Marianne Faithfull and even Carrie Fisher (a bit of a stretch, if you ask me)!

Other Hollies' hits in the USA were "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" (1969), "Long Cool Woman" (1972), and their last hit "Air That I Breathe" (1974). By that time, most of us had found out we weren't that cool and were settling down. We went through a lot and The Hollies were still hanging in there too.

If we were counting by their last hit, the Hollies should have been nominated to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame around 1999. What the real problem appears to be is the Hall of Fame only inducts around 5 to 7 performers a year, so if you don't make the cut in one year, perhaps you go on a "waiting list." This logic does not apply to the case of The Hollies, however, because 2009 was the first time they made the ballot. Perhaps they should increase the number of performers they induct. Otherwise, The Red Hot Chili Peppers may be in for a long wait!

The current members of The Hollies are Tony Hicks, Bobby Elliott, Ray Stiles, Steve Lauri, Ian Parker and Peter Howarth. Former members include Graham Nash, Allan Clarke, Terry Sylvester, Eric Haydock, Allen Coates, Vic Steele, Don Rathbone, Bernie Calvert, Mikael Rickfors and Carl Wayne. Will all of them be at the March 15, 2010 Waldorf Astoria ceremony? It's surely a given that the group's current members will be there. Founding member and long-time lead singer, Allan Clarke, should be there as well. Carl Wayne, who initially replaced Allan Clarke as lead singer, unfortunately passed away in 2004. Terry Sylvester's website notes that Terry will actually be the 5th person born in Liverpool to be inducted, so he will be there. Graham Nash, who is already in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as part of Crosby, Stills and Nash, told Rolling Stone columnist Andy Greene (12/15/2009) that he's thrilled to see his first band, and Allan Clarke especially, getting the accolades they deserve. He said he'll be there "with bells on."

Other performers being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010 are ABBA, Genesis, Jimmy Cliff and The Stooges.

Sources:
Wikipedia: The Hollies
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum