Graham Nash

2023 Recipient of the John Lennon Real Love Award

Two-time Rock And Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Graham Nash describes his life as “a magical story from beginning to end.” 

Graham was born in Blackpool, England in 1942 during World War II. His father, who would later introduce him to the wonders of photography, was in the army at the time. Graham grew up in Salford, a city in Greater Manchester in the United Kingdom. 

While in grammar school, Graham met classmate Allan Clarke and, as Allan recalled many years later, they “instantly started singing together.” Deeply influenced by American R+B, skiffle and the distinctive harmonies of the Everly Brothers, Graham and Allan co-founded the Hollies in 1962.

Among the most beloved bands of the British Invasion, the Hollies scored 15 top-10 records in seven years across the Atlantic. Like the Beatles, they had legions of fans in England before they were known in America. That changed in 1965 with “Look Through Any Window,” the Hollies’ first top-40 single in the U.S., followed in 1966 by “Bus Stop,” their first top-10 American hit. 

But Graham’s songwriting was evolving and he was outgrowing the Hollies’ pop sound. While visiting Los Angeles in 1968 his friend Mama Cass introduced him to David Crosby, who Graham found lying on a couch rolling what he recalls as “one of the most perfect joints I had ever seen.” 

It wasn’t long after that while visiting Joni Mitchell, who Graham had met and fallen in love with in March of 1968, that he first sung with David Crosby and Stephen Stills. Instantly they could all hear the magic. 

Little known fact: In 1969 Crosby, Stills and Nash auditioned for the Beatles’ Apple Records. Incredibly, they were turned down. 

Nevertheless, by the time they got to Woodstock later that year, just a few months after the release of their luminous debut album, CSN had captured the heart of a generation with their evocative songs and soaring harmonies.

When Neil Young joined and with the release of Déjà Vu in March of 1970, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young formed what was perhaps the greatest and most socially impactful supergroup in rock history. 

The following year saw the release of Graham’s first solo album, Songs For Beginners, a deeply introspective collection that remains one of the enduring classics of the era. 

Fast forward to 2023: Graham Nash has recorded seven albums with the Hollies, eight with CSN(Y), five with David Crosby, seven solo efforts, plus live performances around the world, including concerts for peace at the United Nations, benefit shows for Habitat for Humanity, Why Hunger, UNICEF, the Seva Foundation and countless other charities. He’s also found time to publish a memoir and book of photographs.     

About the Beatles, Graham has said, “I don’t think there will ever be another Beatles. I think that the universe put those four kids together at the right place and right time and gave them the right talent to be able to move the hearts and minds and spirits of billions of people.”  

Upon learning that he would be honored with the 2023 John Lennon Real Love Award, Graham wrote, “This is a very special award. I thank Yoko and Theatre Within for thinking of me. Over many years, I watched John and Yoko ‘fight the good fight’ for many whose voices were not being heard, a fight that Yoko continues to this day.”