Bernard Bamford Calvert (born 16 September 1942) is an English musician who played bass guitar and keyboards with

The Hollies The Hollies are a British pop rock band, formed in 1962. One of the leading British groups of the 1960s and into the mid-1970s, they are known for their distinctive three-part vocal harmony style. Allan Clarke (singer), Allan Clarke and Graham ...

from 1966 until 1981.

Career

He worked with several

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...

groups A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together. Groups of people * Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity * Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic iden ...

during the early 1960s, most notably Rickie Shaw and the Dolphins, where he worked with future Hollies members,

Tony Hicks Anthony Christopher Hicks (born 16 December 1945) is an English guitarist and singer who has been a member of the British rock/pop band the Hollies since 1963, and as such was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010. His main rol ...

and

Bobby Elliott Robert Hartley Elliott (born 8 December 1941) is an English rock drummer, best known for playing with The Hollies. He has been described as "one of the very finest drummers in all of pop/rock". Early life Elliott discovered jazz music when he w ...

. Originally a pianist, Calvert, on Hicks's suggestion, switched to bass. After the break-up of the Dolphins, Calvert played in a number of semi-professional outfits. However, unable to advance his musical career, Calvert took a factory job until he was asked to substitute for Hollies' then bassist,

Eric Haydock Eric Haydock (born Eric John Haddock; 3 February 1943 – 5 January 2019) was a British musician, best known as the original bass guitarist of The Hollies from December 1962 until July 1966. He was one of the first British musicians to play a F ...

, in a tour of

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...

. After the tour, Calvert played on an

Everly Brothers The Everly Brothers were an American rock duo, known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close harmony singing. Consisting of Isaac Donald "Don" Everly (February 1, 1937 – August 21, 2021) and Phillip "Phil" Everly (January 19, 1939 ...

album, and on the Hollies' single, "

Bus Stop A bus stop is a place where buses stop for passengers to get on and off the bus. The construction of bus stops tends to reflect the level of usage, where stops at busy locations may have shelters, seating, and possibly electronic passenger ...

", before returning to his factory job. Shortly after that, he was invited to join the Hollies permanently in 1966. Calvert was friends with

Mama Cass Elliot Ellen Naomi Cohen (September 19, 1941 – July 29, 1974), known professionally as Mama Cass and later on as Cass Elliot, was an American singer and voice actress. She was a member of the singing group the Mamas & the Papas. After the group brok ...

from

The Mamas & the Papas The Mamas & the Papas were a folk rock vocal group formed in Los Angeles, California, which recorded and performed from 1965 to 1968. The group was a defining force in the music scene of the counterculture of the 1960s. The group consisted of Am ...

Bass Guitars

Fender Precision When Calvert first joined The Hollies he used an early model of Fender Precision Bass that was still fitted with pickup and bridge covers. Calvert can be seen using this bass from 1966 to early 1967, resurfacing in 1969 on numerous recordings and live performances. It would remain in use until his departure in 1980. Fender Jazz In 1968 Calvert moved to an early model of Fender Jazz Bass that still fitted with pickup and bridge covers. Calvert acquired this model of the electric bass in early-1967 and used it on songs such as "

On a Carousel "On a Carousel" is a song written by Allan Clarke, Graham Nash and Tony Hicks. It was released by the Hollies as a single in February 1967, having been recorded the previous month, on the Parlophone label in the UK and Imperial in the US. Nash wo ...

," "

Carrie Anne "Carrie Anne" is a song written by Allan Clarke (singer), Allan Clarke, Graham Nash, and Tony Hicks and released by British pop rock group The Hollies. The song was recorded on 1 May 1967 and was released as a single in the same month by Parlop ...

," and "

King Midas in Reverse "King Midas in Reverse" is a song by English pop group the Hollies, written by Graham Nash but credited to Allan Clarke, Nash and Tony Hicks. It was released as a single in September 1967 in anticipation of the band's album ''Butterfly''. Musica ...

." Rickenbacker 4000 In the early 1970s Calvert acquired an early model Rickenbacker 4000, which was a single-pickup model that Calvert used throughout the 1970s in recording and performing. Though he would perform more often with the Precision, his Rickenbacker would be heard the most in 1970s recordings such as the Distant Light album. Calvert would use this bass until his departure from the band.

Honors

On 24 September 2009, the Hollies were nominated for induction to the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and othe ...

, and on 18 December 2009 were announced as inductees, to be inducted on 15 March 2010. They were represented at the RRHOF ceremony by Clarke, Nash, Sylvester, Eric Haydock and Calvert. Although all of these members had left the band at various times, Bobby Elliott (drums) and Tony Hicks (guitar) kept the band going but were unable to attend because they had a prior booking. The two of them still lead the band, as of May 2020.

References

1942 births Living people English rock bass guitarists Male bass guitarists English songwriters People from Brierfield, Lancashire The Hollies members English rock keyboardists {{UK-bass-guitarist-stub

Career

Bass Guitars

Honors

See also

References