The Hollies In the early 1960s, Nash co-founded the Hollies, one of the UK's most successful pop groups, with school friend
Allan Clarke, and was credited as the group's leader on their first album. He was featured vocally on "
Just One Look" (1964) and sang his first lead vocal on the original Hollies song "To You My Love" on the band's second album
In The Hollies Style of the same year. He often sang featured bridge vocals on later Hollies recordings ("So Lonely", "I've Been Wrong", "Pay You Back With Interest") and provided lead vocals on several later singles, notably "
On a Carousel" and "
Carrie Anne" (both 1967). Nash encouraged the Hollies to write their own songs, initially with Clarke, then with Clarke and guitarist Tony Hicks. From 1964 to mid-1966 they wrote under the alias L. Ransford. Their own names were credited on songs from "Stop Stop Stop" from October 1966 onward. In 1965, Nash, with Allan Clarke and guitarist Tony Hicks, formed Gralto Music Ltd, a publishing company which handled their own songs and later signed the young Reg Dwight (a.k.a.
Elton John) who played piano and organ on Hollies 1969 and 1970 recordings. Nash was pivotal in the forging of a sound and lyrics, often writing the verses on Clarke, Hicks & Nash songs. However, Nash also composed songs by himself under the 'team banner' (like
Lennon & McCartney), including "Fifi the Flea" (1966), "Clown" (1966), "Stop Right There", and "Everything Is Sunshine" (1967). The
Butterfly album included several of his songs that had less group participation and exhibited more of a singer-songwriter approach. He was disappointed when this new style did not register with their audience, especially "
King Midas in Reverse" (Nash and producer Ron Richards clashed over this song because Richards believed it was 'too complex' to work as a hit single).
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young Nash initially met both
David Crosby and
Stephen Stills in 1966 during a Hollies US tour. On a subsequent visit to the US in 1968, he was more formally introduced to Crosby by mutual friend
Cass Elliott in
Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles. Nash left the Hollies to form a new group with Crosby and Stills. A trio at first,
Crosby, Stills & Nash later became a quartet in 1969 with
Neil Young:
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (CSNY). With both configurations, Nash went on to even greater worldwide success, penning many of CSN's most-commercial hit singles such as "
Our House" (about the house in Laurel Canyon shared with his then-lover
Joni Mitchell); "
Teach Your Children" and "
Marrakesh Express" (both of which had been rejected by the Hollies); "
Just a Song Before I Go"; and "
Wasted on the Way". Nash, nicknamed "Willy" by his bandmates, has been described as the glue that keeps their often fragile alliances together. Nash became politically active after moving to California, as reflected in his
anti-Vietnam War songs "Military Madness" and "
Chicago / We Can Change the World" (about the
trial of the Chicago Eight).
Crosby & Nash In 1972, during CSNY's first hiatus, Nash teamed with Crosby, forming a successful duo. They worked in this configuration on and off for many years, producing four studio albums and a few live and compilation albums. His song "
Immigration Man",
Crosby & Nash's biggest hit as a duo, arose from a tiff he had with a US Customs official while trying to enter the country.
Solo career in 1980 In 1971, Nash released his first solo album
Songs For Beginners on
Atlantic Records. His second album
Wild Tales, was released in 1974. Later, Nash would perform these two albums live on tour in 2019. In 1979, Nash co-founded
Musicians United for Safe Energy which is against the expansion of
nuclear power. MUSE put on the educational fundraising No Nukes events. In 2007 the group recorded a music video of a new version of the
Buffalo Springfield song "
For What It's Worth".
Hollies reunion Nash briefly rejoined the Hollies in 1983 (to mark their 20th anniversary) to record two albums,
What Goes Around... and
Reunion. In 1993, Nash again reunited with the Hollies to record a new version of "Peggy Sue Got Married" that featured lead vocal by Buddy Holly (taken from an alternative version of the song given to Nash by Holly's widow Maria Eleana Holly)—this Buddy Holly & the Hollies recording opened the
Not Fade Away tribute album to Holly by various artists.
Later years In 2005, Nash collaborated with Norwegian musicians
A-ha on the songs "Over the Treetops" (penned by
Paul Waaktaar-Savoy) and "Cosy Prisons" (penned by
Magne Furuholmen) for the
Analogue recording. In 2006, Nash worked with
David Gilmour and David Crosby on the title track of David Gilmour's third solo album,
On an Island. In March 2006, the album was released and quickly reached No. 1 on the UK charts. Nash and Crosby subsequently toured the UK with Gilmour, singing backup on "On an Island", "The Blue", "
Shine On You Crazy Diamond", and "
Find the Cost of Freedom". and Nash playing
Occupy Wall Street, November 2011 In addition to his political songs Nash has written many songs on other themes he cares about such as of nature and ecology—beginning with the Hollies' "Signs That Will Never Change" (first recorded by
the Everly Brothers in 1966)—later CSNY's "Clear Blue Skies", plus
anti-nuclear-waste-dumping ("Barrel of Pain"), anti-war ("Soldiers of Peace") and social issues ("Prison Song"). Nash appeared on the season 7 finale of
American Idol singing "Teach Your Children" with
Brooke White. In 2010, Nash was inducted a second time to the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, this time as a member of the Hollies. He was appointed
OBE "for services to music and charitable activities", becoming an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the Diplomatic and Overseas Division of the Queen's Birthday Honours List on 12 June 2010. Nash received the title of George Eastman Honorary Scholar at the
George Eastman House on 22 January 2011, in Rochester, New York. On 4 February 2016,
Rolling Stone magazine unveiled a new song from the new album, the reflective "Encore," the tender tune that wraps up Nash's new album. Upon the upcoming release of his new studio album in April 2016, Nash planned a solo tour from 25 March 2016 at the
Byron Bay Bluesfest in Australia, continuing United States on 22 April 2016 at
Saban Theatre,
Beverly Hills, California, to visit Europe starting from the UK on 21 May 2016 at the
Albert Hall, Manchester and ending 14 June 2016 at the Alte Oper Hall,
Frankfurt, Germany. He was still touring in the fall of 2017, performing in New Jersey and New York in September. On 29 June 2018,
Rhino Records released the two-disk box set
Over The Years, a 30-track collection of Nash's demos made from 1968 to 1980, featuring highlights from the
CSN debut album
Crosby, Stills & Nash ("Marrakesh Express"), CSNY follow-up
Déjà Vu ("Our House", "Teach Your Children"), song selections from subsequent CSN albums, four tracks from Nash's 1971 solo album
Songs For Beginners, with "Better Days" and "I Used To Be King" presented as unreleased mixes. The most recent recording on the compilation is "Myself at Last" from Nash's 2016 solo album
This Path Tonight. The second disc in this set features 15 demo recordings, 12 of which have never been released. Nash and
Stephen Stills, backed by
Dawes, reunited for a performance of "
Teach Your Children" at the January 30, 2025
Fire Aid benefit concert in
Los Angeles. It marked the first time since 2016 that Nash and Stills have performed together. == Photography career ==