SCARBOROUGH — Heidi and Hannah Rosengren stood at the front of the line at the Bull Moose music store waiting for singer-songwriter Graham Nash to sit down at the table in front of them.
The mother and daughter from South Portland had been waiting for five hours Saturday and were first in line to have their freshly purchased albums signed by the rock ‘n’ roll icon.
A member of rock-folk group Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and the English pop group The Hollies, Nash, 74, was the featured attraction on Record Store Day at the Scarborough Bull Moose. He was appearing the day after his first solo album in 14 years, “This Path Tonight,” was released.
“We just love Graham Nash and I couldn’t believe he was coming this close,” said Heidi Rosengren, who has seen Nash perform more than a dozen times.
Chris Brown, marketing manager for Bull Moose, a chain of a dozen music stores in Maine and New Hampshire, said talks to get Nash to Record Store Day began a year ago. Brown said it was convenient for Nash, who lives in New York, to make the trip to Maine and launch his new album.
Brown is credited with hatching the idea of Record Store Day, which was launched in 2007. The now worldwide event falls on the third Saturday of April to celebrate independent record stores.
The day features the release of special recordings, appearances by musicians and other events at participating independent record shops.
Nash was at Bull Moose to exclusively sign his new album, although he promised at least one fan that he would sign his guitar if he waited until the end.
Nash, whose numerous hits include “Our House” and “Teach Your Children,” said in an interview with NPR that the album was inspired by the breakup of his 38-year marriage last year and relationship with his new girlfriend.
The girlfriend, Amy Grantham, an artist, was on hand Saturday sitting by Nash’s side as he signed albums. She was spotted giving Nash a big embrace and kiss between interviews with local and national media outlets as fans in line for an autograph looked on.
Those in the autograph line – which stretched around the entire store – appeared happy to wait.
“I did this for my niece. She just lost her dad,” said Jim Hiltonsmith of Westbrook, who stood in line for 2½ hours.
Members of Hilton Park, a folk group trio out of Berwick, also stood for hours in line, entertaining those close by with their renditions of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young songs.
“We don’t sound just like them but we smell just identical,” joked Bruce Hilton, a member of the trio.
After clinching the autograph and some banter with the star, the members said the experience was worth the drive and the wait.
“It was great,” said band member Gregg Pannier.
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