DRUMMER Bobby Elliott was working down a Burnley coal pit when he got the break which put him on the road to the top of the charts.

Bobby, drummer with '60s popsters The Hollies, was born and bred in Nelson, as was lead guitarist and vocalist Tony Hicks.

Having left Nelson Grammar School, Bobby went to to work as an apprentice engineer at Bank Hall pit. His boss kindly agreed to keep his job open for him when he became a professional musician in 1963 - but Bobby never looked back.

The band notched up a staggering 29 Top 40 singles - hitting number one with I'm Alive in 1965 and claiming the top spot again in 1988 with a re-release of their 1969 hit He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother.

Maybe it's be the air that he breathes, but his love of the area has kept Bobby in his beloved Pendle throughout more than 30 years of rock stardom. "There's something about the north that I like," said Bobby, who lives on the outskirts of Colne. It may be colder up here but the people are somehow warmer."

Both he and Tony have also survived the line-up changes which the band has undergone in a career boasting the equivalent of six years in the charts.

Another reason for staying put in Pendle has been Bobby's wife Maureen, who is also Tony Hicks' sister.

The band last played in East Lancashire three years ago, when they performed at King George's Hall, Blackburn.

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