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SpartyScott Post subject: Jan. 1969 Melody Maker - Terry joins the Hollies
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When I tried scanning my photocopy of this article, the results were something less than satisfying and not suitable to uploading. So, I've imported the text of the article into a word processor, and that's what I'm posting below. Too bad - the accompanying photo was a good one, with Bernie and Terry looking their best and Tony, as usual, looking about ten years younger than he actually was (can I learn that secret?). Here's the article title and text:

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FILLED — one situation vacant for pop singer. Salary, £33,000 a year


BOB DAWBARN meets the new Hollie


MELODY MAKER, January 25, 1969 Page 5


Only the taxman knows how much Terry Sylvester has earned over the past year. But over the next 12 months he stands to make around £33,000.

Terry Sylvester is the replacement for Graham Nash with the Hollies and when I met him this week he seemed delighted, and a little anxious, at having won the job from some 90 applicants.

Terry, a 22 year-old from Liverpool, spent three years with the Escorts, followed by three with the Swinging Blue Jeans — his notice with the Blue Jeans expires on January 31.

“I met the Holies in August, 1965, when I was in Germany with the Escorts,” he told me. “I used to have a blow with them. I didn’t really expect to get this job but I came down and had a sort of personality interview with Robin Britton, the Hollies’ manager.

“Then I did an audition singing with Allan and Tony and then another day in the studio for the benefit of the recording manager.”

Terry, who names his favourite singer as Tony Bennett and group as the Association, will be taking over the high note role with the Hollies.

“I shan’t be playing much guitar,” he told me. “I shall just stand there with the acoustic guitar and maybe play on a couple of numbers.”

He is also a songwriter — news which obviously interests the rest of the group — though he is rather modest about his talents in that direction.

Hollies’ drummer Bobby Elliott explained how Terry came to be chosen.

“We had about 90 applicants and, between us, actually about 70 of them,” he said. “We got it down to three, and then two. No, I won’t tell you who the other guy was — it wouldn’t be fair to him.

“Anyway, we went into the studio and the other chap had to do a lot of rehearsing to get things right. Terry went in and did it straight off.

“Now we must get down to some good rehearsing and get some stage numbers off. We have also got to finish our new album — it’s a tribute to Bob Dylan and they are all Dylan songs. We finished the backing tracks in November and have been waiting to get the three voices on.”

Allan Clarke was also delighted with the new Hollie.

“Things should be better now that Graham has left,” he said. “If there is one unhappy person in a group it is bound to upset you.

“Stage shows were fine — once we were on stage we were all the Hollies — but I think it showed on records. Graham wanted to do his own stuff whereas we liked to do other people’s songs and standards.

“He wanted to progress, but I don’t believe you have to think about progressing. It’s all there in yourself — in you want to do a new thing you do it without worrying about whether you are progressing or not.”

Allan recalled the first time he met Terry: “We were playing at the Top 10 Club in Munich and they were second on the bill. We used to play together after the show and we got on well.

“When the big blow came and Graham left, we had started trying to find a new singer when a slip of paper came through my door saying Terry would like the job.

“I thought ‘Why didn’t I think of him before.’ In Germany we were all Everly Brothers fans and, with the Escorts, he was doing those high Everly harmonics.

“Anyway, he’s with us now and I’m looking forward to getting back to work. After six years on the road I get bored sitting at home for three-and-a-half months just twiddling my thumbs.”

Robin Britton is also obviously delighted to get the boys back at work.

“We had to cancel three months work when Graham left — including a Palladium date and an American tour,” he told me. “I reckon that was over £30,000 worth of work.

“Now we are planning a college tour for February, March and April. We will probably also do some concerts — about six at major venues like the Royal Festival Hall and Manchester’s Free Trade Hall, all of Saturdays.

“Then there is also a Swedish tour and we also plan to go to Israel. Finally we are going to quite a bit of cabaret in the major clubs up North.

“Still, it was worth making sure we got the right man for the job. A group with 19 consecutive hits can’t afford to mess about.”



(edit to correct a typo - that scanning into Microsoft Word is far from foolproof!)
PostPosted:Sat Feb 24, 2007 23:14 pm

Last edited by SpartyScott on Sun Feb 25, 2007 4:48 am; edited 1 time in total
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Vrinda Post subject:
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Thanks, Sparty! What a great slice of pop music history, and a nice way to go back in time!

I wonder who those other guys were who tried out for the part. ...

I guess Bobby's lips are still sealed on that subject! Cool

Too bad the boys had to cancel that Palladium date and American tour. If they had made it, then that would have brought them earlier exposure stateside than having to wait until the early seventies.
PostPosted:Sun Feb 25, 2007 4:32 am

Last edited by Vrinda on Sun Apr 08, 2007 15:06 pm; edited 2 times in total
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James Towill Post subject:
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What an amazing time that must have been for Terry - bet he wasn't earning anywhere near £33K pre-Hollies! I too wonder who the other applicants were!

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PostPosted:Sun Feb 25, 2007 8:55 am
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Gee Post subject: Those Back Pages...
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I Too have that "Melody Maker"...plus this earlier one:
"HOLLIES - WHY GRAHAM NASH IS GOING......"
So it's finally happened... and thousands of fans are still in shock
Graham Nash, founder of the Hollies is going it ALONE (note no mention of CSN then....)
PostPosted:Sun Feb 25, 2007 13:09 pm

Last edited by Gee on Tue Jan 26, 2010 11:46 am; edited 1 time in total
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Vrinda Post subject:
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The article mentions going to Israel. Did the Hollies ever tour there?
PostPosted:Thu Aug 30, 2007 22:31 pm
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shootthebusstop Post subject:
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Really great article-thanks for posting it! Very Happy

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PostPosted:Fri Aug 31, 2007 20:29 pm
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shootthebusstop Post subject:
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Spartyscott,I had a vision of 90 young mop-topped men in smart suits and chelsea boots sitting in a big room, biting their nails,nervously strumming their guitars( trying to copy the fingering of the lad beside them).Whispers in low tones,"Do you know the words to I'm Alive" and then Sir Allan's name is heard over the loud speaker ,NEXT!,and a young trembling musician disappears behind the 10 ft doors of the record company, never to be seen again! Now I know what really happened, Ta. Laughing

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PostPosted:Fri Aug 31, 2007 20:46 pm
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Dennis Post subject:
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According to Terry, at the audition he went in and boldy said, "I'm the new Hollie".
PostPosted:Sat Sep 01, 2007 6:22 am
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Gee Post subject: How to be an "Escort" to....The Hollies !
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The Hollies knew Terry Sylvester well...initially from his days in The Escorts....

....indeed once Graham Nash and Allan Clarke had joined Terry and Drummer Pete Clarke (who was in a later line up of Badfinger too ) onstage as "The Escorts" when Mike Gregory and John Kinrade were either unwell or more likely delayed from getting to a show where The Escorts were opening act for The Hollies, this was probably in 1964 or 65....Ironic that messrs Clarke, Nash and Sylvester of "Hollies fame" only officially harmonised together....as "The Escorts" !


The Escorts Bass Guitarist/vocalist Mike Gregory was on the short list...along with Future Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones (Hence his playing on "Don't Run and Hide" in May 1966) to replace Eric Haydock in The Holiies...later Mike left The Escorts...to replace Terry in The Swinging Blue Jeans when Terry joined The Hollies in 1969.....a bit like "Rock Musical Chairs" ....
PostPosted:Sat Sep 01, 2007 8:41 am

Last edited by Gee on Mon Dec 07, 2009 11:55 am; edited 1 time in total
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shootthebusstop Post subject:
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Geoff ,"you the daddy" a veritable walking enclyclopedia! Cool I remember reading somewhere that there was a bit of sour grapes type of thing between The Beatles and The Hollies when George's song If I Needed Someone didn't do that well in the charts for The Hollies.Here you say George hugged Terry.Did they all get on? Confused

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PostPosted:Sat Sep 01, 2007 12:45 pm
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Gee Post subject:
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I think There was possibly a bit of the Liverpool / Manchester rivalry....early on....
it is worse than ever between the Football teams today !

Actually pretty much all of The Hollies did NOT come from Manchester anyway...Graham Nash was born in Blackpool (as he sang in "Military Madness" later on...), Bobby and Tony were not born in Manchester either....etc while Terry Sylvester was of course a Liverpudlian !

But The Hollies got the press tag as "Manchester's Beatles"....a bit unfair, but there you go....they played "The Oasis club" (hence the current band's name....) and "The Twisted Wheel" club etc....later doing The Famous Cavern Club....
PostPosted:Sat Sep 01, 2007 21:21 pm

Last edited by Gee on Mon Dec 07, 2009 11:52 am; edited 1 time in total
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Vrinda Post subject:
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Thanks for that fascinating information, Geoff! I remember reading in a book one time, that John beat up a Liverpool DJ named Bob Whooler at Paul's 21st birthday party in 1963. Bob made a remark about John being a homosexual, a reference to his recent trip to Spain with Brian Epstein in April of that year, and John, apparently drunk, started to punch him out. Billy J. Kramer and members of another Liverpool band, the Fourmost, had to separate them.

What was it that John said to Billy, and what did he say to Dusty? What did he say to the Big Three that made them so mad? What remark did he make to Tom Jones? Were Dusty and Tom friends with him after that?
PostPosted:Sat Sep 01, 2007 22:24 pm
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Gee Post subject: In his Own Write.....!
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We must remember that they were all very young back then !

John Lennon often spoke "out of turn" when he had drunk too much....! - When they won a Variety Club award...presented by Prime minister Harold Wilson...John said: "Thanks for The Purple Heart...ooh sorry !"

At the 1963 Royal Command Performance in front of The Queen he said..."Would the People in the Cheaper seats clap your hands....and the Rest just rattle your Jewellery....!"
PostPosted:Sun Sep 02, 2007 9:53 am

Last edited by Gee on Wed May 26, 2010 17:21 pm; edited 2 times in total
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shootthebusstop Post subject:
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Geoff yet again a feast of info.I'm a teacher and at a recent training course we were told that John was autistic!(maybe that could explain his erratic behaviour!).I believe though that John was impetuous and quite immature.He'd been the "big guy" in his gang of friends and his cruel put downs at mainly gone unchallenged. When he suddenly found himself in the world of grown ups it took him a while to get away from the "school yard" way of treating people.It was now neither funny nor cool but it serious implications.Don't get me wrong I love John Lennon,but he wasn't as intelligent as he thought and sometimes he said the most stupid things.It's no coincidence that he was the Beatle that was assasinated Crying or Very sad I think John had a lot of anger in him that he found hard to manage.Yet I loved him and miss him deeply Sad

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PostPosted:Sun Sep 02, 2007 10:07 am
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Gee Post subject:
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That is a very interesting point - thank you !

It would explain a great deal about John......he was very jealous of Paul still having his mother...until she too died....he was also jealous (hence his later song on "Imagine" called "Jealous Guy") of silly things like Paul KNEW all the lyrics to Eddie Cochran's "Twenty Flight Rock" (which actually got Paul into the band....)
PostPosted:Sun Sep 02, 2007 11:22 am

Last edited by Gee on Mon Dec 07, 2009 11:43 am; edited 1 time in total
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