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 is a talented musician, singer, and songwriter from both Britain and America. He was born on February 2, 1942. He is famous for his clear, high singing voice and for being a key member of two popular music groups: The Hollies and Crosby, Stills & Nash.

Graham Nash also loves photography. He collects photos, publishes his own, and helped create new ways to print digital images. He's so important in music that he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice! First with Crosby, Stills & Nash in 1997, and then with The Hollies in 2010. In 2010, he received a special award from the British Queen, the OBE, for his amazing work in music and for helping charities. He also has several honorary degrees from universities, recognizing his achievements.

Early Life

Graham William Nash was born on February 2, 1942, in Blackpool, England. His mother had moved there from Salford because of World War II. The family later returned to Salford, where Graham grew up. When Graham was 14, his father went to prison for a year. He had bought a camera as a gift for Graham, but it turned out to be stolen. His father didn't tell the police who sold it to him.

Music Career

The Hollies

Nash (middle) with the Hollies in 1964

In the early 1960s, Graham Nash helped start The Hollies. This became one of the most successful pop groups in the UK. He co-founded the band with his school friend Allan Clarke. Graham was a lead singer on some of their early songs, like "Just One Look" (1964). He also sang lead on later hits such as "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 guitarist Tony Hicks. He also wrote some songs completely by himself, like "Fifi the Flea" (1966). Graham was a bit sad when his newer, more thoughtful songs, like "King Midas in Reverse", weren't as popular with their fans.

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

Nash performing in 2011

Graham Nash first met David Crosby and Stephen Stills in 1966. This was during a tour with The Hollies in the United States. In 1968, he met David Crosby again through their friend Cass Elliott. Nash decided to leave The Hollies to form a new group with Crosby and Stills.

This group was first a trio called Crosby, Stills & Nash. Later, in 1969, Neil Young joined, and they became 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), "Teach Your Children", and "Marrakesh Express". The Hollies had actually turned down "Teach Your Children" and "Marrakesh Express".

After moving to California, Nash became very interested in politics. This can be heard in his songs against the Vietnam War. These include "Military Madness" and "Chicago / We Can Change the World".

Crosby & Nash

In 1972, when CSNY took a break, Nash teamed up with David Crosby. They formed a successful duo called Crosby & Nash. They worked together on and off for many years. They released four studio albums and several live albums. Their biggest hit as a duo was "Immigration Man". This song was inspired by a problem Graham had with a US Customs official.

Solo Career

Nash performing with Leah Kunkel in 1980

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

In 1979, Nash helped start Musicians United for Safe Energy. This group is against the expansion of nuclear power. They organized "No Nukes" events to raise money and teach people.

Hollies Reunion

Nash briefly rejoined The Hollies in 1983 for their 20th anniversary. They recorded two albums together: What Goes Around... and Reunion. In 1993, Nash worked with The Hollies again. They recorded a new version of "Peggy Sue Got Married" with Buddy Holly's original vocals.

Later Years

In 2005, Nash worked with the Norwegian band A-ha on their album Analogue. In 2006, he collaborated with David Gilmour and David Crosby on Gilmour's album On an Island. Nash and Crosby then toured the UK with Gilmour, singing backup on some songs.

David Crosby and Nash playing at Occupy Wall Street, November 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 for the second time, as a member of The Hollies. He received the OBE award for his contributions to music and charity. He also received an honorary scholar title from the George Eastman House in 2011.

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 collection of new songs in fourteen years. He released the title track through MOJO magazine's website. Rolling Stone magazine also shared a new song from the album called "Encore." Nash then went on a solo tour in Australia, the United States, and Europe.

In 2018, Rhino Records released Over The Years. This was a two-disc collection of 30 songs, including demos from 1968 to 1980. It featured songs from CSN and CSNY albums, and four tracks from his solo album Songs For Beginners. The second disc had 15 demo recordings, with 12 of them never released before.

On January 30, 2025, Nash and Stephen Stills performed "Teach Your Children" at the Fire Aid benefit concert in Los Angeles. This was their first performance together since 2016.

Graham Nash at De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill, Wednesday 30 August 2023

Photography Career

Graham Nash became interested in photography as a child. He started collecting photographs in the early 1970s. By 1976, he had collected over a thousand prints. In 1990, Nash sold his collection of 2,000 prints through Sotheby's auction house. This sale set a record for the highest amount of money made from a single private photography collection. Nash gave some of the money to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art to help them buy modern photographs.

In 2010, a book called "Love, Graham Nash" was published. It included copies of his song lyrics and signed photographs by Graham Nash.

Early Digital Fine Art Printing

Experimenting with Digital Images

In the late 1980s, Nash began trying out digital images of his photos. He used Macintosh computers with help from R. Mac Holbert. Holbert was the tour manager for Crosby, Stills and Nash. Nash found a problem: he could create detailed images on the computer, but there was no printer that could print them as well as they looked on screen.

Nash and Holbert tried early commercial printers. They also printed images on large printers at UCLA's JetGraphix center. When those printers were no longer supported, they looked into a new printer called the Iris printer. This printer was designed for high-quality printing. Nash also met programmer David Coons, who was using the Iris printer at Disney.

Coons helped Nash print large images of his photographic portraits. These were for a show in 1990 at the Simon Lowinsky gallery. Since many of Nash's original negatives were lost, Coons had to scan contact sheets and improve the images. He used special software he wrote to print the photos.

In July 1990, Nash bought an IRIS Graphics 3047 inkjet printer for $126,000. He set it up in a small building in Manhattan Beach, California. David Coons and Steve Boulter used it to print an even larger show of Nash's work for Parco Stores in Tokyo. This show, called Sunlight on Silver, featured 35 celebrity portraits by Nash. Each portrait was 3 feet by 4 feet, with 50 copies of each.

Nash Editions

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

Early employees worked to make the IRIS printer even better for fine art. They experimented with inks to prevent prints from fading 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, came up with the name "Giclée" for these types of prints. The company is still running 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 museum is part of the Smithsonian Institution.

Personal Life

Graham Nash was married to his first wife, Rose Eccles, from 1964 to 1966. He was married to his second wife, actress Susan Sennett, from 1978 until 2016. They had three children together. Susan Sennett passed away in September 2020. After moving to New York City, Nash married artist Amy Grantham in April 2019.

Nash released his autobiography, Wild Tales: A Rock & Roll Life, in September 2013. Photographs he took during his career are shown in an art collection in San Francisco. In interviews about his book and art, he talked about the impact of Canadian-American musician Joni Mitchell. They had a relationship between 1968 and 1970.

Nash became a citizen of the United States in 1978. In October 2020, he shared that he had started practicing Transcendental Meditation. He said he wished he had started it 50 years earlier.

On January 7, 2024, Nash was a guest on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs. His favorite song was "A Day in the Life" by The Beatles. 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 Albums

Compilations

Singles

Other Appearances

Studio

Live

See also

In Spanish: Graham Nash para niños