Remembering When a Frustrated Graham Nash Left The Hollies in 1968

There are a handful of musicians who’ve been fortunate enough to be members of two outstanding bands in their careers. Count Graham Nash among them. The British musician served as a member of both The Hollies and Crosby, Stills & Nash.

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Those two outfits delivered music that was far removed from one another in terms of style. And those artistic differences were one of the reasons that Nash moved from one band to another.

Nash’s Frustration

Graham Nash was a founding member of The Hollies along with Allan Clarke. They performed as a duo in the 50s long before the rest of the band came into the picture. The melding of their voices would be an essential part of the band’s extremely successful equation.

Once the lineup filled out, the band started churning out hits with regularity. They relied on cover songs initially, while also occasionally benefiting from top songwriters for hire such as Graham Gouldman. But soon, the band themselves, specifically Clarke, Nash, and Tony Hicks, were churning out pop gems like “Stop, Stop, Stop” and “Carrie Anne”.

When the second half of the 60s arrived, Nash wanted The Hollies to keep up with the British Invasion Joneses, artists like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, who were taking big artistic leaps. However, Hollies’ management didn’t want the band straying from their pop comfort zone. Nash was starting to feel like he didn’t belong.

Goodbye, Graham

A series of events led to Graham Nash’s decision to leave The Hollies. He pushed the band to record “King Midas In Reverse”, the overtly psychedelic song he wrote, as a single in 1967. The song was a relative failure compared to others by the band. That left the band doubting Nash’s artistic instincts.

Nash also couldn’t understand the band’s decision to record an album of all Bob Dylan covers. He loved Dylan’s music, but he thought that the band should be forging their own path. In addition, he hated the slick arrangements that The Hollies concocted for Dylan’s songs. He’d participate in just a single song on the record, singing lead on “Blowin’ In The Wind”.

On top of everything else, Nash was tiring of the constant touring. He had visited California and loved the laid-back vibe he encountered there. He decided to quit The Hollies in December 1968. Soon, he was back on the West Coast, writing songs and planning his next move.

A New Trio

While there are differing accounts as to where it took place, all three members later agreed that David Crosby and Stephen Stills were singing a song at a party when Nash added his harmonies. So effortless was their connection that the three men, all looking for new artistic avenues, immediately decided that they needed to unite as a trio.

And what was the first single that they recorded? It was a Nash song called “Marrakesh Express”. As it turned out, Nash had brought the song to The Hollies, only for them to turn it down for release. With Crosby, Sills & Nash, the song was right at home, which was exactly how its creator felt.

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