Welcome return for Hollies singer Allan Clarke

While enjoying his retirement though Allan began writing poetry and started playing guitar again and this led to his son Toby suggesting he looked at the GarageBand software and app.

Very soon some songs appeared and bringing in Francis Haines very soon some recordings were made. They had collaborated before for production and arrangement as Francis was one time keyboard player in the Hollies and when BMG chief exec Hartwig Masuch heard a deal was struck to produce a whole album and this resulted in Resurgence.

The prolific writing continues and enough for another new album called I’ll Never Forget will be released in April.

In the meantime, a brand new single appears this week called Buddy’s Back and features Allan with his old Hollies mate Graham Nash on a song written by Graham as a affectionate tribute to Buddy Holly.

Do remember that is where the Hollies got their name originally and as the two schoolmates formed the group in 1962 a hugely successful and influential career followed. Just a year after forming they were in Abbey Road recording 30 UK top ten hits and 26 US chart singles and these included I’m Alive, Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress, Stop Stop Stop, Look Through Any Window, Bus Stop and Carrie Anne plus monsters like The Air That I Breathe and the chart topping He Ain’t Heavy He’s My Brother.

As the 1960s decade ended a musical split meant Graham leaving the group and the country to harmonise with David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Neil Young famously playing Woodstock as their second gig. Now back together for the first time in decades Buddy’s back has a resounding ‘Peggy Sue’ retro beat with a lyric reflecting on how Buddy Holly was the inspiration back then for what was to come. Fifty-five years on the two voices blend as they once did.

The new record will be on CD and as a vinyl LP and fans who pre-order can get a signed art card included. The sleeve has a new photo of Allan with a Fender guitar that was gifted to him from the Buddy Holly Education Foundation, and he still writes new songs on it today.