The Hollies end touring as final classic members retire
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The Hollies have brought their touring career to a close after 63 years, with guitarist Tony Hicks and drummer Bobby Elliott, the band's last remaining classic-era members, announcing their retirement. Hicks, now in his 80s, is stepping back for health reasons, and Elliott, also in his 80s, chose to retire alongside him "out of respect" for their decades-long partnership, bringing a final end to a British Invasion act inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
A statement from the band thanked fans worldwide for their support "throughout their remarkable journey", while Elliott separately reflected on missing the "adulation" and standing ovations of live performance. The Hollies, known for hits including "Stay," "Just One Look" and "Yes I Will," released dozens of albums across their career. Fans responded warmly online, sharing personal memories and thanking the pair for six decades of music, with many agreeing the retirement was well earned.
- The Hollies end touring after 63 years as Hicks and Elliott retire
- Both musicians are in their 80s; Hicks cited health reasons
- Fans shared warm tributes, calling the retirement well deserved
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The Hollies are a British rock band formed in Manchester in 1962, part of the wave of UK groups, alongside acts such as the Beatles, who found huge success in the mid-1960s "British Invasion" of American charts. Over more than six decades they built a catalogue of well-known songs, including "Stay," "Just One Look" and "Yes I Will," and were later inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in recognition of their influence.
Guitarist Tony Hicks and drummer Bobby Elliott joined in the band's earliest years and remained with it far longer than any other original members, making them the last direct link to the group's classic line-up. Both are now in their 80s, and their continued presence on stage had long been seen as central to the band's identity as a live act.
Their retirement therefore marks the end of the Hollies' touring history, closing out a career that spanned 63 years and connecting fans today to a story that began at the height of 1960s British pop.
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Originally published by American Songwriter as “Legendary Rock Band Calls It Quits After 63 Years as Last Two Classic-Era Members Retire”.