Doncaster rock star Graham Oliver reveals Parkinson's disease diagnosis

The 71-year-old guitarist, a founding member of British heavy metal legends Saxon and who lives in Mexborough, spoke candidly about his health battle in a podcast and confirmed that he was diagnosed with the disease earlier this year.

Speaking to The Classic Rock Podcast, Oliver said that he first thought that it was just a bit of old age, maybe a trapped nerve or arthritis.

“I’ve had this complaint since lockdown and thought it was a trapped nerve,” he said. “I didn’t know what to put it down to. I just put it down to inactivity, a bit of old age or arthritis, or a trapped nerve.”

Oliver says the condition’s progress has been slow, and he is taking medication to combat its impact.

His diagnosis follows those of other heavy rockers, Ozzy Osbourne and Judas Priest’s Glenn Tipton who have also been diagnosed with Parkinson’s.

But it is not the first time the musician has faced adversity when it comes to his career.

He told the podcast: “I mean, in ’76, I cut my finger off and was told I’d never play a guitar again.

“When I was 59 I had a mini-stroke, and that paralyzed my left side, and I thought I’d never play again. So I have overcome them and I’ve got another battle on my hands. I’ve done it three times, so it’ll be the third time lucky. It’s not going to beat me as yet. I’m just going to keep going till I can’t.”

He split from the band in 1995, undertaking a series of different musical projects and now fronts rock band Graham Oliver’s Army.

He told Tim Caple, the host of The Classic Rock Podcast: “I am on medication, and I went to jam night.

“I did a gig in Lancaster with Oliver’s Army, which is the band name] we’re using now, and I did really well. Because before I had to concentrate on my left hand to make it work properly, whereas was playing things I hadn’t played for a couple of years.”