HOLLIES frontman Peter Howarth returns to Nailcote Hall following a hugely successful debut earlier in the year.
For 20 years Howarth has been the lead singer of one of the UK and Europe’s most popular rock and pop bands, which boasts more hit records than The Beatles – including He Aint Heavy, He’s My Brother; The Air That I Breathe, Long Cool Woman; Here I Go Again and Carrie Anne.
Ahead of his latest much-anticipated Berkswell gig, he recalls how he came to join the band, which recently completely a 60th anniversary world tour with two of its original members Bobby Elliot and Tony Hicks.
“When I was a young lad and I was in a rock band called Sahara, I came down to London to find fame and fortune in the early 80s and we wanted to try out a keyboard player because it was basically a guitar-based band.
“The base player knew a keyboard player who came along and played with us for one night and there was nothing wrong with him, but we just decided we wanted to keep it guitar based after all.
“That chap was Ian Parker who has been with the Hollies for around 45 years and he is the one who, years later, recommended me for the Hollies gig.”
Following the death of Carl Wayne, former frontman of the Move, Peter was asked to step in as the frontman.
He added: “It was an honour to be asked. It was funny really because I wasn’t really a fan of the band at the time. I knew them but it was my brother who was a huge fan. He couldn’t believe it when I was asked to join them.
“I didn’t appreciate the gravitas of it but it soon became apparent because the trouble with taking over a role in a famous band like that is that, no matter how good you are, you’ll never be as good as the person you’re replacing because they’ve created their own personal stamp.
“People get cross that you’re there and I got a lot of abuse. But the band is not about one particular person, it’s about Tommy’s guitar playing, Bob’s drumming and the harmonies and, of course, the songs. The people who come every year have come to accept the band how it is now and they have a great time.”
For the past 35 years, Howarth has written, recorded, played, sung and toured worldwide with a variety of artists ranging from Cliff Richard to The Who.
His time in theatres is something he looks back on most fondly, playing the role of Roy Orbison in Bill Kenwright’s Only The Lonely and Four Steps To Heaven at London’s Picadilly and Whitehall Theatres as well as around the UK.
It was also for his late friend Bill that he wrote the musical Robin Prince of Sherwood, and took on the role of the Sheriff of Nottingham in the West End and on tour, a personal career highlight.
Today, Howarth, 65, enjoys success as the co-founder of the acoustic trio Frontm3n, formed with former 10CC musician Mick Wilson and Pete Lincoln from the band Sweet.
He also continues to tour with his own solo show, Peter Howarth Unplugged and spends many months of the year at sea entertaining cruise ship audiences.
Reflecting, he said: “When I was a kid all I wanted to be was a professional musician, I just wanted to make a living doing music. I didn’t particularly want to be a superstar and never in a million years expected to be working in the West End. When things are going well it’s great. But when you’ve got a family to feed and the phone isn’t ringing, that’s when it’s not so clever.
“My parents were supportive. They weren’t showbiz parents but they were just happy for me to do something I enjoyed and they were quite impressed by the fact that at a very young age I was earning very good money doing it.”
