The Hollies have ended their six-decade touring career after Tony Hicks and Bobby Elliott, the final members of the band’s classic era still performing, announced their retirement from touring.
by Paul Cashmere
The Hollies have brought their touring career to a close after more than six decades, following the retirement of guitarist Tony Hicks and drummer Bobby Elliott. The announcement was made by the band on 20 August 2026, with Hicks stepping away because of health reasons and Elliott subsequently deciding to retire from touring in support of his longtime bandmate.
The Hollies statement from their social media reads in full:
“Due to health reasons, Tony has decided to step away from touring.
Out of respect for Tony and everything they have shared throughout their remarkable journey together, Bobby has also decided to retire from touring.
After more than six decades, The Hollies’ touring career will come to a close with immense gratitude to the fans who have supported them around the world.”
The decision marks the end of one of the longest continuous touring stories in British popular music. Formed in Manchester in 1962 by Allan Clarke and Graham Nash, The Hollies became one of the defining British groups of the 1960s, developing a distinctive sound built around tightly arranged vocal harmonies, melodic songwriting and prominent guitar work.
Hicks and Elliott joined in 1963 and remained the band’s constant instrumental presence through successive generations of The Hollies. Their departure therefore represents more than another change of personnel. It closes the touring chapter of a group whose membership evolved repeatedly while its catalogue remained familiar to several generations of listeners.
The early Hollies quickly established themselves in Britain with songs including ‘Searchin”, ‘Stay’, ‘Just One Look’, ‘Here I Go Again’ and ‘I’m Alive’. Their first UK No. 1, ‘I’m Alive’, was followed by ‘Look Through Any Window’, which also became their first US Top 40 success.
The international breakthrough continued with ‘Bus Stop’, while the Clarke, Nash and Hicks songwriting partnership helped define the group’s identity. Nash left in late 1968 to pursue a new musical direction with David Crosby and Stephen Stills, ultimately forming Crosby, Stills & Nash. Terry Sylvester replaced Nash in The Hollies, and the group continued scoring major hits.
Among the most enduring recordings from the post-Nash era was ‘He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother’, recorded with Elton John on piano.
The song reached No. 3 in the UK and No. 7 in the United States. It was followed by ‘Long Cool Woman (In A Black Dress)’, which reached No. 2 in America, and ‘The Air That I Breathe’, which peaked at No. 6 there.
Nash did return to The Hollies in the early 1980s. He participated in the recording of ‘Somethin’ Ain’t Right’ and reunited with the group for the 1983 album What Goes Around…. That reunion produced another US Top 40 entry with a version of The Supremes’ ‘Stop In The Name Of Love’, which reached No. 29. Nash continued appearing with the group into 1984.
The Hollies continued beyond the classic Clarke, Nash, Hicks, Elliott and Calvert era, with Allan Clarke eventually leaving in 2000. Peter Howarth became lead singer in the later line-up, with Steve Lauri, Ray Stiles and Ian Parker joining Hicks and Elliott. That configuration stabilised from 2004 and carried the band into its final touring years.
The catalogue remained active well beyond the original hit period. Staying Power in 2006 was the band’s first new studio album since 1983, followed by Then, Now, Always in 2009. The Hollies were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010, with Clarke, Nash, Hicks, Eric Haydock, Elliott, Bernie Calvert and Sylvester recognised as members.
The band’s story also includes significant losses. Original bassist Eric Haydock died in 2019, while original drummer Don Rathbone died in 2024. Elliott’s retirement therefore removes the last remaining drummer from the group’s earliest recording era, while Hicks’ departure ends the touring tenure of the guitarist who had been present through virtually every phase of The Hollies’ history.
The Hollies leave behind a substantial recorded legacy spanning 23 studio albums and decades of singles, with songs such as ‘Carrie Anne’, ‘Bus Stop’, ‘He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother’, ‘Long Cool Woman (In A Black Dress)’ and ‘The Air That I Breathe’ remaining central to the group’s identity. Their 2010 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction formally recognised a career that had already crossed several generations of British and international pop music.
There is no indication in the statement that The Hollies’ recorded catalogue is being withdrawn or that the band’s historical recordings will cease to be available. The announcement specifically concerns touring. For a group that has continued performing through changing line-ups for more than 60 years, the retirement of Hicks and Elliott brings the live chapter to its natural conclusion, with The Hollies’ music continuing through its recordings and the many artists who have carried its songs forward.
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