The Dream Lives On

GRAHAM NASH RETURNS TO TANGLEWOOD WITH EMMYLOU HARRIS

By Benjamin Lerner

On Tuesday, July 29, Graham Nash will return to Tanglewood with Emmylou Harris for a double bill at the Koussevitzky Music Shed. Their show will take place 50 years after they each took the stage in the summer of 1975 at the storied Lenox venue during the Popular Artists Series. (Emmylou Harris was on the same bill as James Taylor on July 22, 1975, and Graham Nash performed with David Crosby on August 29, 1975.) Harris and Nash’s upcoming performance at Tanglewood promises to rekindle a pivotal moment in music history. For some concertgoers, it will be a throwback to the golden age of 1970s Americana, folk, rock, and singer-songwriter music. 

From his early, formative years with The Hollies to his essential role in shaping the harmony-driven, socially conscious sound of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (CSNY), Nash has penned some of the most enduring songs in the modern American songbook. With CSNY, his compositions—such as “Marrakesh Express,” “Pre-Road Downs,” “Lady of the Island,” “Our House,” and the generation-defining anthem “Teach Your Children”—helped define a cultural moment and continue to resonate today. As a solo artist, Nash’s albums Songs for Beginners (1971) and Wild Tales (1974) delivered introspective and politically charged standouts like “Military Madness,” “Chicago,” and “Simple Man,” all of which underscored his singular voice as both a lyricist and a messenger. Across decades of solo work, duo collaborations with David Crosby, and iconic CSNY reunions, Nash’s music has remained rooted in truth, clarity, and conviction. 

His Tanglewood performance comes on the heels of his most recent solo album, Now (2023), a deeply personal, fiercely honest, and sonically expansive record that underscores his undiminished creative brilliance. In addition to his music, Nash’s lifelong passion for photography has earned him international acclaim. His images—captured with the same clarity and emotional truth as his songs—have been featured in galleries and museums around the world, most recently culminating in his 2021 book A Life in Focus. Whether holding a guitar or camera, Nash remains committed to chronicling the human condition with honesty and hope. In the weeks before his return to the Berkshires, I talked with him for a wide-ranging conversation about his memories of Tanglewood, his newest album, the magic of songwriting and photography, the evolution of music in the modern era, and the enduring connection between his artistry and his audience.

Lerner: There have been a handful of significant 50th anniversaries at Tanglewood over the past year—James Taylor just celebrated the 50th anniversary of his first Tanglewood performance, Bonnie Raitt has hers coming up, and you and Emmylou Harris performed in the same summer series 50 years ago with James. When you reflect on that original concert in 1975 and your return to the same stage five decades later, what does it mean to you?

Nash: It means a great deal to me. It means that I’m still alive. It means that I’m still rocking. It means that I’m still passionate about what I do. And I’ve always loved Tanglewood. It’s always been a beautiful place to play, and I’m really looking forward to the show with Emmylou.

Lerner: You both have such incredible discographies. What does sharing the bill with her mean to you in terms of how your music complements hers?

Nash: It’s been a long, long time since I played with Emmylou. Obviously, she’s a very beautiful woman, a great artist, and a great performer. Maybe I could invite her to sing “Teach Your Children” with me.

Lerner: That would be an incredible collaboration! What does that specific song mean to you now? Has it taken on new meaning over the years?

Nash: No, it means exactly the same. One of the things about my music that I love—but I’m horrified by at the same time—is that songs I wrote 50 years ago, like “Teach Your Children,” “Military Madness,” “Chicago,” “We Can Change the World,” and “Immigration Man,” are still incredibly relevant today.

Lerner: You’ve returned to Tanglewood over the years, including several performances with CSNY. This year, Tanglewood’s pop performance programming really emphasizes the intersection of country, rock, blues, folk, and Americana—some of which are musical traditions that you’ve helped shape. Your new album, Now, is such a vulnerable and timely record that integrates many of those musical traditions. How did making the album help you process the world and your own inner life at this stage?

Nash: That album, to me, still retains the fact that I’m alive—that I’m always looking 360 degrees, not only with my music, but with my camera. And it keeps me mindful that even at 83, I can still rock. Some of the shows I’ve been playing have been absolutely incredible for me. I have three other people working with me: Todd Caldwell, my dear friend for about 15 years, on all keyboards. I have Adam Minkoff, who plays guitar, bass, and drums—and sometimes Adam plays drums and bass and sings at the same time! I also have Zach Djanikian on guitars, mandolin, and tenor sax. These kids—well, I call them kids because they’re half my age—keep kicking me in the backside every single night. I have to bring my A-game, especially vocally. And at this point in my life, my voice hasn’t changed at all. I still sing with the same power and range as I did when I was young. [There’s a tinge of incredulity to his voice.]

A flyer advertising the 1975 Popular Artists concerts, with Graham Nash in the impressive lineup.

Lerner: What’s your secret for that? Do you have any vocal training secrets a pre-performance regimen or ritual?

Nash: I don’t have a secret. I wish I knew. I don’t have a vocal coach. I don’t train. I just warm up by singing a couple of songs to myself before a show.

Lerner: That’s a beautiful gift—for both you and the audience. And whether it’s through music or photography, you’ve spent your life capturing both fleeting moments and eternal truths. How do those two art forms speak to each other in your creative process?

Nash: Music and photography have been part of my life since I was ten years old. I released a book a couple of years ago called A Life in Focus, my book of photographs—and I’m working on a new one right now. But in that first one, the picture of my mother I took when I was eleven.

Lerner: What inspired you to pick up a camera?

Nash: My father introduced me to the power of photography. We lived very humbly—we were a poor family in the north of England. He’d take my bed blanket and put it up against the window to block the light. Then he’d put what looked like a blank piece of paper into a tray of liquid and say, “Wait, wait…” And there it was—an image came floating out of the universe. I don’t know where it came from, but that moment of magic never left me.

Lerner: Do you feel like that same magic drew you to music?

Nash: Definitely. Listening to American Top 40 when I was young, I got turned on to Buddy Holly, the Everly Brothers, Elvis, Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran, Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino, the Platters—I loved it all. That’s when I got a guitar for my 13th birthday.

Lerner: “Buddy’s Back” on Now feels like a full-circle moment in that regard—especially considering your work early on with The Hollies. Today, many artists cite you as a direct influence. In this era where musicians are expected to be content creators, you were one of the first full-spectrum musical and visual artists. What do you make of the current state of music and how people are still using their songs to speak truth?

Graham Nash, opposite, and the cover art for his most recent album, Now (2023). (Amy Grantham)

Nash: I like to write simple songs. If I can move your heart with just my guitar or a piano, then I’m still in this business. What I don’t like about a lot of modern music is the spectacle—the 20 dancers, the food throwing in slow motion, the lights, the haze—rather than just giving people a good song.

Lerner: Yet, it’s encouraging to see that simple and honest songwriting with emotional weight is making a comeback. Where do you find yourself artistically on this tour? And if you could share a message from your heart to the audience ahead of your Tanglewood show, what would it be?

Nash: If you come to a Graham Nash concert, you’re going to experience at least two and a half hours of relative peace. That’s a simple statement, but it’s true. I want them to understand that we can have moments of peace. And I want to create that at Tanglewood—and every night, in every concert. I love when people sing with me. It means they’re invested in the music—that they feel it enough to learn the words and sing it back to me. Particularly with songs like “Our House” or “Teach Your Children”—come on, man, I don’t mind you singing! I’ve been in groups where audience singing was banned. That’s not me. I love when people sing along.