Writers: Allan Clarke
Producers: Ron Richards and the Hollies
Recorded: Abbey Road Studios, London, 1971
| Players: | Allan Clarke — vocals Tony Hicks — guitar Terry Sylvester — guitar, vocals Eric Haydock — bass Bobby Elliot — drums |
| Album: | Distant Light (Legacy) |
Although the band had a run of singles in the early to mid-'60s (“Just One Look,” “Here I Go Again,” “We're Through,” “Yes I Will,” “I'm Alive,” “Look Through Any Window”), the Hollies didn't crack the top 10 in the U.S. until “Bus Stop” hit Number Five in 1966.
“Long Cool Woman (In A Black Dress)” became the Hollies' biggest U.S. hit, reaching Number Two on the pop chart in September 1972.
Perhaps the song's success can be partly traced to its similarities to the music of Creedence Clearwater Revival, themselves giant at the time. In reality, it was a near-solo song for lead singer Allan Clarke, although it did earn the group a gold record.
Although he had departed the Hollies for Crosby, Stills & Nash before “Long Cool Woman,” the Hollies are at least partly remembered for giving Graham Nash his start. The Hollies were a far more pop-oriented group than the Woodstock folkies Nash would later latch onto.
Nash and Clarke were childhood friends and had played together in a variety of bands. Some names included the Deltas, Two Teens, and the Guytones.
Few folks may remember that the Hollies authored the book How To Run A Beat Group.
The music world almost lost its chance to hear Nash at all. In 1963, he checked to see if the door of the group's van was locked as it traveled down a Scotland road at 40 miles per hour. As Nash tumbled out of the van and onto the road, it occurred to him that maybe this wasn't a good idea.