The renowned voice of the airwaves, Phil Wilson, renowned for his morning show "Phil Wilson In The Morning" on Radio Shields, Saturday 7-10am and the syndicated sensation "Phil Wilson's Vinyl Revival," engages again in a captivating conversation with The Hollies lead singer Allan Clarke.
As lead singer of The Hollies, Allan Clarke presided over one of the greatest pop groups to emerge from the early 1960s British Rock revolution, when music began to shake the world. With their soaring, distinctive harmonies, brilliantly crafted songs and cultivated musicianship, their extensive back catalogue remains one of the most enduring and celebrated in popular music history.
Allan Clarke was born in Salford on 5th April 1942 and began singing with his childhood friend Graham Nash while they were still at school. They formed The Hollies in 1962, and just a year later found themselves in Studio 3 at Abbey Road Studios with two humble guitar amplifiers and a drumkit. From that moment on the hits kept coming and the band from such humble beginnings were to go on and influence everything that came to follow.
30 Top Ten UK hits, 26 US chart singles, worldwide tours and songs that would become staples of radio across the globe followed - ‘I’m Alive’, ‘Carrie-Ann’, ‘Bus Stop’, ‘Look Through Any Window’, ‘The Air That I Breathe’ and the No.1 ‘He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother’. But as that song says...the road is long, with many a winding turn.
In 1999, Allan announced his retirement from the music industry due to ongoing medical problems with his vocal chords and following his wife, Jennifer’s second cancer diagnosis, having successfully beaten the disease some 15 years earlier.
He decided that the time had come to enjoy everything he had worked for and achieved and most importantly to spend precious time with his loved ones. Once again, Jennifer beat cancer and this year they celebrate 59 years of marriage!
Despite greatly enjoying his retirement there were still more trials to face. Allan’s daughter was diagnosed with cancer and like her mother, went on to beat the disease into remission, but it wasn’t until his own diagnosis that he even began to consider music seriously again. Having been told to rest up following treatment, Allan found himself writing poetry and picking up his guitar. Songs began to form and with no intention of recording or releasing them he played some ideas to his son Toby, a musician himself, who pointed him towards recording software programme GarageBand.
Newly equipped with the means to make his own music at his own pace, the creative floodgates opened. Allan brought in Francis Haines, a former collaborator, as producer and arranger, and soon a body of work was taking shape. Even at that stage, he wasn't thinking of the project as an album — but then word reached one of his countless industry admirers, BMG CEO Hartwig Masuch. A deal was struck, and 2020’s Resurgence album was born.
With another album’s worth of songs written, I’ll Never Forget might lead to more rock & roll magic. Whatever the future holds, these songs are worthy of Allan Clarke’s finest moments, and it’s an unforgettable experience.
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