Graham Nash’s contributions to music have seen him reap an exceptional number of rewards, not least two inductions into the Hall Of Fame - firstly with American supergroup Crosby, Stills And Nash, then with The Hollies. The Salford-born icon chats to What’s On ahead of joining a star-studded line-up at this month’s Moseley Folk Festival...

For anybody who doesn’t know, The Hollies were one of the biggest bands of the 1960s, releasing their debut single, Just Like Me, in 1963, and then going on to amass a string of hits, including Just One Look, Here I Go Again, Look Through Any Window, Bus Stop and Jennifer Eccles. At the heart of their sound were the voices of Allan Clarke and Graham Nash, Salford school pals who had been performing together for a number of years prior to the arrival of The Hollies.  

But frustrated by their musical direction, Nash quit the band in 1968 and relocated to the US, where he formed supergroup Crosby Stills And Nash (later joined by Neil Young).

In the years since, the two old school friends have reunited now and again, but this year sees them writing and recording together for the first time in decades (Nash reckons 1983!), with the track Buddy’s Back appearing on both Nash’s new Now album and Clarke’s I’ll Never Forget LP (with Clarke’s record featuring further collaborations).

"Allan had lost his voice many years ago,” recalls Graham, “and couldn't sing The Air That I Breathe, He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother, and Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress. But he called me about eight months ago and said he’d found his voice, and I said, fantastic - any help I can give?

"He said: 'Yeah, well, I've got a couple of songs I want you to consider. If you like them, put your voice on and send them back.' So I did that. And he loved them. So what does he do? He sends me another two songs - and now I'm on 10 songs on his solo record! And I'm very happy about it.”

Born in 1942 and raised in Salford, Manchester, Nash was part of a young generation of British musicians for whom rock & roll/pop music was suddenly a viable, long-term, career option.
“Me and Allan started out in working men's clubs. We were just two teenagers with a couple of acoustic guitars singing skiffle songs. But the audience loved us. And once we realised that, we were off and running as musicians.

"We were supposed to do what our dads did, and our grandfathers did. We were supposed to go down the mine and dig coal, or supposed to go in the mill and make cloth. But fortunately, my parents recognised my passion for music and encouraged me, rather than slapping me upside the head and telling me to get a real job... Do what you love.”

Although Crosby Stills Nash, and their various configurations, dominate Graham’s post-Hollies discography, the songwriter has nonetheless enjoyed a successful if sporadic solo career since releasing his debut offering, Songs For Beginners, in 1971. Occasional solo releases have followed, although only three this century. But as he's quick to point out, alongside working towards 2016’s This Path Tonight and this year’s Now, the last decade has seen him involved with a mass of other releases.

“Don't forget that in that time I put out something like 14 CDs. I did the CSNY Stadium tour of 1970 - that was four CDs; I did Stephen [Still]'s box set of four CDs; I did David [Crosby]'s box of three CDs; I did my own box; I did demos of Crosby Nash... in between making solo records.”

He also found time to marry his third wife, photographer Amy Grantham, and relocate to New York: “The city that never sleeps.” 

Now 81, and despite his concerns for the world and environment, he says he's personally happier than ever: “I used to think that I would never love again.”

A special guest at Moseley Folk & Arts Festival, where he joins a line-up that also includes Squeeze, Wilco, The Proclaimers, Stornoway, The Saw Doctors and The Mary Wallopers, Graham has no plans to slow down. Forthcoming projects include a new collection of previously unheard Crosby Nash live recordings, and the possibility of a new solo album culled from Now and This Path Tonight surplus cuts. 

And as an avid photographer for decades, he’s also planning a new photography book.
Inspired by his amateur photographer father, Graham began taking photos of his family at the age of 11.

“That was the first time I realised that I could see things differently,” he says. Though music became his primary obsession, he’s never stopped snapping and was quick to embrace the possibilities of digital photography and digital printing.

“I waited for years and years for digital to get to the resolution of film, but it's way past it now, right? I love to be able to work on images, having a cup of tea and using Photoshop to get rid of scratches and stuff like that. I'm always doing something.”

Capturing images of those around him over the years - from bandmates and associates, such as Joni Mitchell, to family and friends - Graham finds inspiration in studying pictures taken by some of the best in the business.

“Diane Arbus is a great photographer; Weegee is a great photographer. I like unusual photographs. I do collect photography - just images that I can’t leave the store without.”