Graham Nash's work appeals to the ear, and the eye

Graham Nash was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, for his work with The Hollies and Crosby, Stills & Nash — and into the Songwriters Hall of Fame twice, for his writing for CSN and in his solo career.

Over the course of six decades, he has won over concert audiences with his tenor voice, his ear for harmony and his storytelling flair. At the same time, he has honed an award-winning talent for photography.

When Nash performs Friday at the Paramount Theater in “Sixty Years of Songs & Stories,” audience members will get a glimpse of the elements he relies on for a good song. The tour, which marks the 60th anniversary of the songwriter’s first single with The Hollies, will include hits fans love, plus music from “Now,” the new album Nash released in May.

“You have to write a good melody that’ll stick in people’s heads,” said the writer of “Our House,” “Teach Your Children,” “Marrakesh Express” and “On a Carousel,” among many others. “I love music. I love friends. No amount of technology can turn a bad song into a good song.”

Nash and longtime collaborator and keyboardist Todd Caldwell, who produced “Now,” will lead a quartet through a setlist of songs spanning Nash’s career.

Nash also has a longtime passion for photography. His most recent book is “A Life in Focus: The Photography of Graham Nash,” which explores the artistic discipline he embraced at age 10.

“The first portrait of my mother in the book, I took when I was 11,” he said.

Nash has been enjoying digital photography for years. “It’s astonishing, isn’t it?” Nash said. “I don’t particularly care what camera I’m using. I only care what I’m looking at.”

And just as there always are new songs on the horizon, “I’m always working on the next photography book,” Nash said.

Tickets for the 8 p.m. Friday range include several VIP options, as well as seats for $80, $60 and $45.

VIP options are available for $325, $295 and $175. There also is a $250 ticket that benefits the Guacamole Fund, which raises funds and awareness for nonprofit organizations that support the environment, wildlife, social change, peace with justice, energy and a non-nuclear future.

Source: www.dailyprogress.com