Eric Haydock obit

Eric Haydock, original Hollies bassist who helped to lay down their tight rock sound but was sacked by the band – obituary

 

He was not on the list.

Eric Haydock, the bassist who co-founded the British band The Hollies in 1962 and remained in the lineup until 1966, died January 5, 2019. The cause of death was not disclosed but Haydock was known to have been in ill health for some time. He was 75.

Haydock’s death was confirmed by Bobby Elliott, who replaced original drummer Don Rathbone in the group, in a social media post. Elliott noted that the musician died at his home in the U.K.

Elliott wrote, “Along with Tony [Hicks], Eric and I were the rhythm section that created the springboard for [Allan] Clarke, Hicks and [Graham] Nash to launch that famous three-way Hollies harmony…On the early package tours, Dave Clark, the Kinks and artists of the period would watch from the wings as we effortlessly rocked the screaming theatre audiences into a frenzy…Although Eric left the Hollies in 1966, I occasionally listen enthralled by our BBC and Abbey Road recording sessions and dear Eric masterfully playing his six string bass.”

All four of the other original band members–Clarke, Nash, Hicks and Elliott–survive Haydock.

Eric John Haydock was born on February 3, 1943 [some biographies say 1942], in Stockport, Cheshire, U.K. Haydock, one of the first British musicians to play a six-string Fender bass, was a member of the Deltas when he heard Allan Clarke and Graham Nash singing together as Ricky and Dane Young. Haydock invited them to join the Deltas, which soon became the Dominators of Rhythm and then the Hollies.

Clarke once said of Haydock, “Eric was a great guy; he lifted our spirits when we were down, he was the joker. But he was also very deep. As one of our sleeve notes (from Bus Stop) said, Eric Haydock is an enigma. He never wanted to say anything to anybody. He just wanted to get up and play bass.”

Haydock appeared on all of the Hollies’ earliest singles and albums, including “Just One Look,” “Look Through Any Window,” “I’m Alive” and others.