Graham Nash facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Graham Nash OBE
Nash in 2023
Background information
Birth name	Graham William Nash
Born	(1942-02-02) 2 February 1942 (age 83) Blackpool, Lancashire, England
Origin	Salford, Lancashire, England
Genres	Rock pop folk
Occupation(s)	Musician singer songwriter photographer
Instruments	Vocals guitar keyboards
Years active	1958–present
Labels	Epic Atlantic ABC MCA EMI Reprise Artemis

Graham William Nash (born 2 February 1942) is an English-American musician, singer, and songwriter. He is famous for his clear, high singing voice. He was a key member of two very successful bands: the Hollies and Crosby, Stills & Nash.

Beyond music, Nash is also a talented photographer. He collects photos and was a pioneer in digital image printing. He has been honored twice in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. First, as a member of Crosby, Stills & Nash in 1997. Then, as a member of the Hollies in 2010. In 2010, he also received an award called Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). This award was for his contributions to music and his charity work.

Early Life

Graham William Nash was born on February 2, 1942. He was born in Blackpool, Lancashire, England. His mother had moved there from Salford because of World War II. After the war, his family returned to Salford, where Graham grew up.

When Graham was 14, his father went to prison for a year. This happened because his father bought a camera as a gift for Graham. However, he refused to tell the police who had sold it to him.

Music Career

The Hollies

Graham Nash performing in 2023

Nash performing in 2011

In the early 1960s, Graham Nash helped start the Hollies. This band became one of the most popular pop groups in the UK. He started the band with his school friend, Allan Clarke. On their first album, Nash was seen as the group's leader.

He sang on many Hollies songs, like "Just One Look" (1964). He also sang lead on "To You My Love" from their second album. Later, he sang lead on hit singles like "On a Carousel" and "Carrie Anne" (both 1967).

Nash encouraged the Hollies to write their own songs. He often wrote the verses for songs he created with Allan Clarke and Tony Hicks. He also wrote some songs all by himself. These included "Fifi the Flea" and "Clown" (both 1966).

He was disappointed when his new songwriting style on the Butterfly album was not popular with fans. This was especially true for the song "King Midas in Reverse". His producer thought this song was too complicated to be a hit.

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

Nash first met David Crosby and Stephen Stills in 1966. This was during a Hollies tour in the US. In 1968, he met Crosby again through their friend Cass Elliott in Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles. Nash then decided to leave the Hollies. He wanted to form a new group with Crosby and Stills.

This group was first a trio, Crosby, Stills & Nash. Later, in 1969, Neil Young joined them, making them a quartet: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (CSNY). With both groups, Nash became even more famous worldwide. He wrote many of their biggest hit songs. These include "Our House" (about the home he shared with Joni Mitchell). He also wrote "Teach Your Children" and "Marrakesh Express". The Hollies had actually turned down these last two songs.

Nash became interested in social issues after moving to California. He wrote songs against the Vietnam War. These included "Military Madness" and "Chicago / We Can Change the World".

Crosby & Nash

In 1972, when CSNY took a break, Nash formed a successful duo with David Crosby. They worked together for many years. They released four studio albums and several live albums. Their biggest hit as a duo was Nash's song "Immigration Man". He wrote this song after a problem with a US Customs official.

Solo Career

In 1971, Nash released his first solo album, Songs For Beginners. His second album, Wild Tales, came out in 1974. Nash later performed these two albums live on tour in 2019.

In 1979, Nash helped start Musicians United for Safe Energy (MUSE). This group is against the expansion of nuclear power. MUSE organized events to raise money and teach people about safe energy.

Hollies Reunion

Nash briefly rejoined the Hollies in 1983 for their 20th anniversary. They recorded two albums, What Goes Around... and Reunion. In 1993, Nash worked with the Hollies again. They recorded a new version of "Peggy Sue Got Married". This version featured the voice of Buddy Holly himself.

Later Years

In 2005, Nash worked with the Norwegian band A-ha. He sang on their songs "Over the Treetops" and "Cosy Prisons". In 2006, Nash sang with David Gilmour and David Crosby. They worked on the title track of Gilmour's album, On an Island. This album quickly became number one in the UK. Nash and Crosby then toured with Gilmour.

David Crosby and Nash playing at Occupy Wall Street in 2011

Besides political songs, Nash has written many songs about nature and the environment. These include "Clear Blue Skies" and "Barrel of Pain" (about nuclear waste). He also wrote about social issues, like "Prison Song".

In 2010, Nash was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame a second time. This time, it was as a member of the Hollies. He also received the OBE award. This was for his music and charity work.

Nash playing at the LBJ Presidential Library in 2014

On January 22, 2016, Nash announced his new album, This Path Tonight. This was his first album of new songs in fourteen years. He released the title track through MOJO magazine. Rolling Stone magazine also shared a new song from the album, "Encore." Nash then planned a solo tour to support the album.

In 2018, Rhino Records released Over The Years. This was a two-disc collection of Nash's song demos from 1968 to 1980. It included early versions of famous songs like "Marrakesh Express" and "Our House."

Photography Career

Graham Nash loved photography from a young age. In the early 1970s, he started collecting photographs. By 1976, he had collected over a thousand prints. In 1978, he organized a traveling exhibition of his collection. This show visited more than a dozen museums around the world.

In 1990, Nash decided to sell his collection of 2,000 prints. He sold them through Sotheby's auction house. This sale set a record for the highest amount of money made from a single private photography collection. Nash said some of the money would go to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Early Digital Fine Art Printing

Experimenting

In the late 1980s, Nash began trying out digital images of his photos. He used Macintosh computers. His tour manager, R. Mac Holbert, helped him with this. Nash found a problem: he could create detailed images on the computer, but no printer could print them as well as they looked on screen.

Nash and Holbert tried early commercial printers. They also used large Fujix inkjet printers at UCLA. When those printers were no longer supported, they learned about the Iris printer. This was a new, high-quality inkjet printer. Nash met David Coons, a color engineer for Disney. Coons was already using the Iris printer to print images from Disney's digital animation system.

Coons helped Nash print large versions of his photos. He used special software he wrote to make the images look great. In July 1990, Nash bought an Iris Graphics 3047 inkjet printer for $126,000. He set it up in Manhattan Beach, California. Coons and Steve Boulter used it to print a large show of Nash's work for Parco Stores in Tokyo. This show, called Sunlight on Silver, featured 35 celebrity portraits. Each portrait was 3 feet by 4 feet.

Nash Editions

In 1991, Nash decided to fund Mac Holbert to start a printing company. This company would use the IRIS Graphics 3047 printer Nash owned. Holbert stopped being a road manager for Crosby, Stills and Nash to run the company. It opened on July 1, 1991, and was called Nash Editions Ltd.

They worked to make the IRIS printer better for fine art printing. They experimented with inks to make sure the prints would not fade quickly. They even changed parts of the printer so it could print on thicker paper. Nash and Holbert called their fine art prints "digigraphs". Another employee, Jack Duganne, created the name "Giclée" for these types of prints. The company is still working today.

In 2005, Nash donated the original IRIS Graphics 3047 printer and other items from Nash Editions to the National Museum of American History. This is part of the Smithsonian Institution.

Personal Life

Graham Nash was married to his first wife, Rose Eccles, from 1964 to 1966. He later married actress Susan Sennett in 1978. They had three children together. They divorced in 2016. Susan Sennett passed away from cancer in 2020. Nash then married artist Amy Grantham in April 2019.

In September 2013, Nash released his autobiography called Wild Tales: A Rock & Roll Life. He also has an art collection of his photographs on display. In interviews, he often talks about the impact of Canadian-American musician Joni Mitchell. They had a relationship from 1968 to 1970.

Nash became a citizen of the United States in the late 1970s. In 2020, he shared that he had started practicing Transcendental Meditation. He said he wished he had started it much earlier in his life.

On January 7, 2024, Nash was a guest on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs. He chose "A Day in the Life" by the Beatles as his favorite song. He called it "the greatest song that was ever written."

Discography

See also discographies for Crosby Stills Nash & Young, The Hollies and Crosby & Nash.

With The Hollies

Albums

Singles

EPs

Solo

Studio albums

Live

Compilations

Singles

Other appearances

Studio

Live

See also

In Spanish: Graham Nash para niños