Hospital Radio: Two music legends to hit stage in Torbay

Next month sees two greats of the music industry playing at the Princess Theatre. Grammy Award winning Graham Nash will perform songs spanning his sixty-year career from The Hollies to Crosby, Stills and Nash and his solo career will hit the stage on 12^th October.

The following day Grammy nominee Lulu is inviting her fans to join her for an intimate conversation with songs and stories, following the release of her autobiography ‘If Only You Knew.’ Seeing such titans of the music world coming to the bay says something about the quality venue we have on our doorstep.

Fans of The Hollies will know that is where Nash began, contributing songs to their songbook between 1964-68. H co-founded the band, who are one of the UK's most successful pop groups, with school mate Allan Clarke, and was credited as the group's leader on their first album.

He wrote or co wrote many of their hits including “Stop Stop Stop,” and “On A Carousel,” The Hollies had unique sound, forged around 3 piece harmonies, which included Nash’s light tenor voice.

Nash left the Hollies to form a new group with David Crosby and Stephen Stills in 1966. A trio at first, that yielded songs that are instantly recognisable like, Nash’s “Marrakesh Express,” and “Our House.”

In 1969  they became a quartet when Neil Young came on board. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (CSNY) who are noted for their intricate vocal harmonies, a continuing theme through Nash’s career. They famously performed at the Woodstock festival.

Nash’s career as a solo artist took flight in 1971, whilst his latest effort, “Now”, was released worldwide in May 2023. During the show he will tell more about his songs and his life as a rock star. There will of course be a host of hits featuring Nash’s folk-rock harmonies.

He holds four honorary doctorates Including one in fine arts from Lesley University and another in music from the University of Salford. Not bad for a lad from Blackpool who in 2010 received an OBE.

I cannot see anywhere that Nash and Lulu have performed together, it’s a curious absence, really. Given Lulu’s pop-soul versatility and Nash’s ability to harmonise, they could’ve made a striking pairing.

At 76, Lulu is touring to showcase her highly anticipated memoir, she’s finally telling her whole, unfiltered story for the very first time. She has had an interesting life with characters from The Bee Gees to David Bowie and Take That all having crossed paths with her.

After rising to fame at just 15, Lulu has done it all, including the Eurovision Song Contest and singing the “Man with the Golden Gun,” let’s face it you’ve made it when you get to sing a  Bond theme. That said it’s one of the few Bond themes that didn’t chart in the US or UK—despite her explosive vocals. Remember that she started out with the huge hit “Shout” with her band was called Lulu and the Luvvers, which I guess would make her cringe now.

In the sixties she married Maurice Gibb and with “To Sir with Love” she conquered America as it was the best-selling single there in 1967. In the 90s “Relight My Fire” was a huge hit when she collaborated with Take That.

In 1993 a song she co-wrote with her brother “I don’t want to fight” was a major hit for Tina Turner. Lulu is certainly a talented lady. She was awarded an OBE in 2000 and later upgraded to a CBE in 2021 for her services to music and charity

At Torbay Hospital Radio we regularly feature tracks by Nash in his various guises and Lulu, they fit well into our playlist and generally prove to be popular with patients and staff in the hospital. If you want to see either of these stars when I looked there were  still tickets available, they should both be excellent entertainment.