Graham Nash

In 1969 Graham Nash formed Crosby, Stills and Nash with David Crosby and Steven Stills. The group, together with Neil Young who joined later, became one of the most popular American folk rock bands of all time.

Musican, songwriter. Born Graham Nash on February 2, 1942 in Manchester, England. At an early age Nash showed a passion for music. By his early teens, he had teamed up with schoolmate and close friend Allan Clarke to create a band that could replicate the "skiffle" songs - a pop mix of jazz, blues, folk, roots and country - that they admired so much on English radio.

The pair went through a number of different names for themselves, from Two Teens to The Levins to The Guytones. But it wasn't until they connected with three other musicians - Eric Haydock (bass), Tony Hicks (lead guitar), Don Rathbone (drums) - that Clarke and Nash found a stable sound, and the beginnings of success. In 1963 the group renamed themselves the Hollies, and recorded their first single: a Coasters cover called "Ain't That Just Like Me." The song didn't experience popular success, but another Coasters cover, "Searchin'", along with its B-side "Whole World Over", both reached No. 12 on the U.K. pop charts that same year. The Hollies, with Nash as one of its key songwriters, began making inroads into the U.S. soon after, with Top 10 hits such as "Stop Stop Stop" (1966).

As the 1960s took shape and rock fans clamored for a more psychedelic edge to their music, the Hollies tried to deliver, with Nash leading the way. Frustration with his bandmates, however, and longing to strike out on his own, paved the way for Nash's departure from the band in 1968. Before the year was out, Nash had teamed up with another set of musicians, David Crosby and Steven Stills, whom he'd met during a Hollies tour. The trio immediately began recording together and, in 1969, their album Crosby, Stills and Nash proved to be huge success, with hits like "Marrakesh Express" and "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes." Later that year, Neil Young joined the band, and the four of them came together to deliver one of the more memorable performances at Woodstock.

Nash's new group, dubbed by critics as a "super group" because of its collection of highly regarded rock stars, responded to the headlines and mood of their generation with songs like "Woodstock"(1970) and "Ohio" (1970), the latter being a response to the four students killed by National Guard soldiers on the campus of Kent University. Like any kind of creative partnership, however, CSN&Y has had its difficulties. There have been breakups, feuds, reunion shows and new albums over the last three-plus decades.
Solo Work

Nash, as expected, has always gone his own way. In 1971, Nash's first set of studio work, Songs, achieved decent success, peaking at No. 15 on the U.S. charts. And while other albums haven't delivered the same kind of commercial results, Nash, considered one of the more upbeat and steady musicians to come out of the 1960s, has never let it faze him. His longtime band mate and friend, David Crosby, has credited Nash with helping him fight his own substance abuse problems.
Personal Life

Outspoken and unafraid to show his political leanings, Nash was at the forefront of the anti-nuclear movement of the 1970s and 80s. In recent years, with more attention being paid to kick-starting America's nuclear industry, Nash has once again been vocal in his opposition.

In 1997, Nash was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Crosby, Stills and Nash and the Hollies in 2010.

Nash, who dated Joni Mitchell in the late 1960s, married Susan Sennett in 1977. The couple has three children. Hide