The Entertainers: The Hollies' Bobby Elliott

IT could be the air that he breathes that has kept Hollies' drummer Bobby Elliott in his beloved Pendle throughout 36 years of rock stardom.

While other band members needed "Just One Look" at the sunnier southern climate, Bobby decided to "Stay" in the area of East Lancashire where he was born.

"There's something about the North that I like," said Bobby at his home on the outskirts of Colne.

"It may be colder up here but the people are somehow warmer." Bobby and Tony Hicks, The Hollies' lead guitarist and vocalist, both grew up in Nelson and had each embarked on apprenticeships before taking up music full time.

Both have also survived the line-up changes which the band has undergone in a career boasting the equivalent of six years in the charts and a string of massive-selling singles and albums.

Bobby, 55, still remembers the name of the boss who kindly agreed to keep his job open for him when he became a professional musician in 1963. He said: "After leaving Nelson Grammar School I went to to work as an apprentice engineer at Bank Hall pit in Burnley.

"I was also working five nights a week in different bands and decided to become a full-time musician.

"I always remember walking into my manager's office. His name was Bill Walton. He laughed and said 'We'll keep your job open for a fortnight in case you change your mind.'

In those days people from around here didn't do things like that."

Another reason for staying put in Pendle has been Bobby's wife Maureen, who is also Tony Hicks' sister. The couple travel regularly to see him at his home in Oxfordshire.

Maureen is likely to be one of the local fans who flock to King George's Hall, Blackburn, when Bobby and Tony are again reunited in East Lancashire as part of a 40-date tour tomorrow night.

"We always enjoy playing at King George's Hall," Bobby added. "In fact we enjoy playing anywhere.

"No-one forces us to do it. We do it for the love of it.

"It started as a hobby and hobbies are hard to shake off. We love to go on stage and perform."

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