Elton John made contributions to traditional rock earlier than he was well-known. For instance, he performed an instrument on The Hollies’ “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother.” Subsequently, John’s work on the track was overlaid by a harmonica.
The Hollies’ Bobby Elliot recalled working with Elton John earlier than he was referred to as Elton John
Bobby Elliot is the drummer of The Hollies. In his 2020 e-book It Ain’t Heavy, It’s My Story: My Life in The Hollies, Elliot stated a sure piano participant labored on “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother.” “Hollies music publisher Dick James had signed a guy called Reg Dwight who we’d heard was a fine piano player,” Elliot wrote. “He was booked for the session and arrived in the control room of Studio Two, eager to get to work.”
The piano participant would later take on a stage title. “Not much was said as Reg, Bernie and I made our way down the wooden stairs to the parquet floor of the famous old studio,” Elliot recalled. “I set my drums by the grand piano at which Reg, who told us he was changing his name to Elton John, was seated.”
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Bobby Elliot revealed what it was like working with Elton John on The Hollies’ ‘He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother’
The Hollies’ Bernie Calvert additionally labored on the track. “Bernie plugged his Fender bass into an amp and sat on a spare piano stool,” Elliot wrote. “We were set to go. The red studio light lit up and Reg/Elton counted: ‘One, two, three…’”
Elliot praised John. “Playing alongside the lad was a breeze,” he opined. “His rhythmic piano style would later be overlaid by [Allan Clarke’s] haunting harmonica introduction. We nailed the track first or second take.” Elliot stated the track raised the band’s profile. He felt “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother” grew to become The Hollies’ anthem over time.
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‘He’s Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother’ grew to become a large hit in the UK throughout the Nineteen Sixties and the Eighties
In response to The Official Charts Company, The Hollies’ “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother” grew to become a large hit in the UK. In 1969, the track reached No. 3, staying on the chart for 14 weeks. Later that 12 months, “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother” charted at No. 35 for a single week.
Within the late Eighties, “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother” reached its peak of recognition within the U.Ok. It recharted at No. 1 for 2 weeks, staying on the chart for 14 weeks in complete. The monitor appeared on the album Hollies’ Biggest, which reached No. 1 for seven weeks. It stayed on the chart for 27 weeks altogether.
“He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother” grew to become an enormous success and it has an attention-grabbing connection to John.
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