After 64 Years, the Hollies Announce They Are Calling It Quits

The Hollies’ classic lineup (photo from their Facebook page).

The Hollies, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame-inducted band formed in Manchester, England, in 1962, are effectively packing it in. The band, which included Graham Nash during its first six years, and which recorded such hits as “Bus Stop,” “Carrie Anne,” “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother,” “The Air That I Breathe” and “Long Cool Woman (In A Black Dress),” has issued a statement on Aug. 20, 2026, stating that guitarist Tony Hicks, 80, and drummer Bobby Elliott, 84, both of whom joined the band in 1963, will no longer tour.

As The Hollies have not released a new studio album in more than a decade, the statement can be interpreted as an acknowledgement that the Hollies are no more.

The band’s statement, which was posted on its social media pages, reads in full:

“Due to health reasons, Tony has decided to step away from touring.

“Out of respect for Tony and everything they have shared throughout their remarkable journey together, Bobby has also decided to retire from touring.

“After more than six decades, The Hollies’ touring career will come to a close with immense gratitude to the fans who have supported them around the world.

-The Hollies”

Like many bands with a long history, the Hollies have undergone numerous personnel changes over the years. In addition to Nash, Hicks and Elliott, the Hollies’ classic-era lead singer, Allan Clarke, is still alive, as are other former members Bernie Calvert (bass, 1966-81) and singer/guitarist Terry Sylvester (1968-81) and vocalist Mikael Rickfors (1971-73). Early bassist Eric Haydock died in 2019.

According to Wikipedia, Clarke retired from the music industry in 1999 to care for his wife, who had been diagnosed with cancer. He returned with a new album, Resurgence, in 2019, and then I’ll Never Forget in 2023.  

Related: Our interview with Allan Clarke

A touring version of Hollies has been in existence since the group’s formation. Along with the Rolling Stones, they are the only high-level British rock band that has never disbanded during a six-decade career.

Other hits by the Hollies included “Just One Look,” “I’m Alive,” “Look Through Any Window,” “I Can’t Let Go,” “Stop Stop Stop,” “On a Carousel,” King Midas in Reverse,” “Dear Eloise,” “Jennifer Eccles” and a 1974 cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “4th of July Asbury Park (Sandy).”

Among the group’s members, Nash has been the most successful, having left the Hollies in 1968 to join with David Crosby and Stephen Stills in a new trio.  

The Hollies were inducted into the Rock Hall in 2010.

Watch the Hollies perform “Carrie Anne” live in 1969

The Hollies’ recordings are available in the U.S. here, in Canada here and in the U.K. here.