During his long career, Graham Nash has harmonized with some of the greatest singers in the rock world. In a new interview with Vulture, though, the British-born folk-rock legend revealed that at the top of his bucket list would be singing with an artist who’s arguably the most famous rock musician on the planet.
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Nash said that his dream collaboration would be “singing a two-part harmony on ‘Yesterday’ with one guitar with Paul McCartney.” The 83-year-old Rock & Roll Hall of Famer added about the Beatles icon, “If anyone has Paul’s number, give him a call for me.”
The Vulture interview featured Nash answering a series of questions in which he reflected on songs and incidents that had a significant impact on his life and career.
As part of the Q&A, Graham revealed which song he most enjoyed singing harmonies on. He chose a classic from Crosby, Stills & Nash’s 1969 self-titled debut album.
“‘Suite: Judy Blue Eyes’ lets people know that we were very serious about the sound that we had created,” Nash shared. “I think that that song shows that deeper than anything. Me and David [Crosby] would always watch Stephen [Stills]. It was the first thing we tried to do in the studio while making that first record. We knew it was an important song, and we would just watch Stephen. He would sing the song to us, and we knew instinctively what to do. And, of course, doing the ‘do-do-do-do-do’s is fun.”
A Couple of Memories Involving His Late Friend and Bandmate David Crosby
Nash also was asked what the proudest one-take moment of his recording career was. He said it involved “Lady of the Island,” another song from Crosby, Stills & Nash.
“It was a true one take. It was very personal to me,” Graham said. “There are essences in it of my first wife, Rose, and [his girlfriend at the time] Joni [Mitchell]—just the intense emotions of what I was feeling about them. I wear my heart on both sleeves.”
He added, “I particularly love Crosby’s vocal pattern, which almost sounds like a cello. We knew that we had expressed it the best way we could, so there was no point in doing any more takes.”
In addition, Nash was asked to share a story about Crosby “that would make anyone smile.”
“We were once in Hawaii going down to Hana, and our tour manager slipped and shattered his knee,” Graham remembered. “It was awful, and nobody was around besides us. David carried him on his back for two miles to get help. It was a simple thing, but anyone can figure out exactly where the heart of David lay.”
Crosby died in January 2023 at age 81.
Nash’s Upcoming Tour Plans
Graham kicks off a 19-date U.S. summer tour on July 8 in Red Bank, New Jersey. The trek is plotted out through an August 6 show in Buffalo, New York.
Nash’s tour features two joint shows with country/folk great Emmylou Harris. Those concerts are scheduled for July 29 in Lenox, Massachusetts, and July 31 in Vienna, Virginia.
The summer outing will mainly visit venues in the Northeastern U.S.
Graham also has a 20-date European tour leg lined up in the fall.
The trek begins September 23 in Frankfurt, Germany, and is plotted out through an October 24 show in Brussels, Belgium. Eleven of the concerts will take place in Graham’s U.K. homeland.
Check out his full itinerary at GrahamNash.com.
(Photo by Harry Herd/Redferns)
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