Graham Nash explains his comparison between buddy Holly and Elvis Presley

[NinaFromCanadaEh]

https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/13864 ... is-presley



Graham Nash says his buddy Holly deserved Elvis Presley–level status.

Nash, a longtime admirer of Holly, has often spoken about the late singer’s influence on the artists who came after him.

Holly, who died in a plane crash in 1959 at the age of 22, shaped early rock and roll by blending country, R&B, and gospel into a highly influential style.

Both Holly and Presley emerged from Texas in the mid-1950s and crossed paths early in their careers, with Holly once opening for Presley.

In a 2012 interview with Music Radar, Nash previously compared his friend Holly to Elvis Presley.

He argued that despite the very different public images of Holly and Elvis, Holly’s influence on rock and roll deserves similar recognition.

He pointed out that Holly didn’t have Elvis’s polished image, swagger, or sexual appeal, yet earned deep respect from other musicians. According to Nash, Holly felt relatable and accessible, which made his influence particularly meaningful.

Nash also remembered working on a posthumous recording of Holly’s Peggy Sue Got Married, which Holly had originally recorded alone in his New York apartment on a basic tape recorder.

Through filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, Nash was able to work on the recording and turn it into a tribute with his band, The Hollies.

Although the project did not become a major commercial release, Nash described the experience as meaningful on a personal level.

He later said that working with Holly’s voice felt comparable to “singing with Elvis.”

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nina notes: the only photo of Elvis and Buddy



https://www.elvispresleymusic.com.au/pi ... ry-13.html

[NinaFromCanadaEh]

The singer Graham Nash compared to Elvis Presley
Rachael Pimblett
Sun 28 December 2025 20:00, UK

https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/the-singer ... s-presley/

No one can be Elvis Presley. Mind you, plenty have had a go. Austin Butler and Jacob Elordi both took a crack at capturing The King’s essence, with mixed results. But truthfully, it’s a near-impossible task. He was one of a kind. That said, Graham Nash once compared a legendary singer to Elvis, and to be fair, the comparison actually makes a lot of sense.

Graham Nash has never been shy about his love for Buddy Holly. The trailblazing rock and roll singer from Texas left behind a massive legacy, despite losing his life in a plane crash at just 22. Mixing country, R&B and gospel, and known for those unmistakable specs, Holly became a real icon – someone the greats themselves looked up to. Among his biggest admirers? Two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Nash.

Speaking with Music Radar in 2012, Nash explained exactly why he believed Nash to be such a special figurehead. It’s simple, really: “Buddy Holly was one of us. […] a fucking nerd with glasses.”

Interestingly, this marked the first time Nash would talk about the star in comparison to Presley, but he first positioned them on either end of an important spectrum: “He wasn’t Elvis Presley, he wasn’t James Dean, he didn’t have slicked-back hair, he didn’t swivel his hips,” Nash continued of Holly.

Nash’s adoration for Holly goes so far that it almost wanders into the realm of the supernatural. In the same interview, Nash gushed that he “sang with” Holly, though he was referring only to a posthumous recording of Holly’s famous song, Peggy Sue Got Married. Let’s set the scene: Holly originally recorded the iconic tune on his acoustic guitar in the comfy confines of his New York City apartment, nothing but his fingers, his voice, and a small Grundig tape recorder bearing witness to history.

This should have been a moment locked away forever, but Nash was allowed to revel in it when his movie-star friend, Francis Ford Coppola, shared that he’d gotten permission to use the song for his movie of the same name. This sparked an idea in the mind of the superfan: “I said, ‘Why don’t we put the two-track to a multi-track. We’ll get Paul on bass, Phil Collins on drums, George on guitar, and we’ll make a track out of the original?'”

It was a strong idea, but it never really went anywhere. The economic success of the endeavour wasn’t at the top of Nash’s priority list. Rather, the artist would forever be changed by the fact that he had been afforded the honour to create the tribute record, titled ‘Not Fade Away’, which he ended up recording with the rest of The Hollies. To describe the occasion, Nash grappled with the biggest of ideas, like Shakespeare using ekphrasis as a form of evocative, emotive rumination: he deemed it “Unbelievable,” before adding, “It would be like singing with Elvis. You know, I’m still a fan.”

The comparison is pertinent, given that both stars met in Texas in 1955, after which Holly opened for Presley. Despite their different styles, there’s only a handful of stars who still shine as bright as the rock and roll pioneers. Graham Nash could even be up there with them.