Larry Graham, Jr. (born August 14, 1946 in
Beaumont, TexasBeaumont is a city in and county seat of Jefferson County, Texas, United States, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's population was 113,866 at the 2000 census. With Port Arthur and Orange, it forms the Golden Triangle, a major industrial area on the Gulf...
) is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
baritoneBaritone is a type of classical male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek βαρύτονος, meaning 'deep sounding', music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second G below middle C to the F above...
singer,
musicianA musician is a person who performs or writes music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music:* An instrumentalist plays a musical instrument.* A singer uses his or her voice as an instrument....
,
songwriterA songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics, as well as the musical composition or melody to songs. One who writes only lyrics is a lyricist, while one who writes only music is a composer.-History and background of songwriters:...
, and
record producerIn the music industry, a record producer has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes...
. He is best known as both the
bass guitarThe electric bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a plectrum....
player in the popular and influential
psychedelic soulPsychedelic soul is a concept used to categorize music that features elements of psychedelic rock and soul/funk music. This kind of music thrived during the late 1960s and early 1970s....
/
funkFunk is an American music genre that originated in the late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, soul jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
band
Sly & the Family StoneSly & the Family Stone is an American funk, soul and rock band from San Francisco, California. Originally active from 1966 to 1983, with varied lineups, the band was pivotal in the development of soul, funk, and psychedelic music...
, and as the founder and frontman of
Graham Central StationGraham Central Station was a funk band named after founder Larry Graham . The name is a pun on New York City's Grand Central Station....
. He is credited with the invention of the
slappingIn music, the term slapping is often used to refer to two different playing techniques used on the double bass and on the bass guitar.-Double bass:...
technique, which radically expanded the tonal palette of the bass, although he himself refers to the technique as "Thumpin' and Pluckin'."
Graham played bass in the highly successful and influential
funkFunk is an American music genre that originated in the late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, soul jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
band
Sly & the Family StoneSly & the Family Stone is an American funk, soul and rock band from San Francisco, California. Originally active from 1966 to 1983, with varied lineups, the band was pivotal in the development of soul, funk, and psychedelic music...
from 1967 to 1972.
Larry Graham, Jr. (born August 14, 1946 in
Beaumont, TexasBeaumont is a city in and county seat of Jefferson County, Texas, United States, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's population was 113,866 at the 2000 census. With Port Arthur and Orange, it forms the Golden Triangle, a major industrial area on the Gulf...
) is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
baritoneBaritone is a type of classical male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek βαρύτονος, meaning 'deep sounding', music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second G below middle C to the F above...
singer,
musicianA musician is a person who performs or writes music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music:* An instrumentalist plays a musical instrument.* A singer uses his or her voice as an instrument....
,
songwriterA songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics, as well as the musical composition or melody to songs. One who writes only lyrics is a lyricist, while one who writes only music is a composer.-History and background of songwriters:...
, and
record producerIn the music industry, a record producer has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes...
. He is best known as both the
bass guitarThe electric bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a plectrum....
player in the popular and influential
psychedelic soulPsychedelic soul is a concept used to categorize music that features elements of psychedelic rock and soul/funk music. This kind of music thrived during the late 1960s and early 1970s....
/
funkFunk is an American music genre that originated in the late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, soul jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
band
Sly & the Family StoneSly & the Family Stone is an American funk, soul and rock band from San Francisco, California. Originally active from 1966 to 1983, with varied lineups, the band was pivotal in the development of soul, funk, and psychedelic music...
, and as the founder and frontman of
Graham Central StationGraham Central Station was a funk band named after founder Larry Graham . The name is a pun on New York City's Grand Central Station....
. He is credited with the invention of the
slappingIn music, the term slapping is often used to refer to two different playing techniques used on the double bass and on the bass guitar.-Double bass:...
technique, which radically expanded the tonal palette of the bass, although he himself refers to the technique as "Thumpin' and Pluckin'."
Biography
Graham played bass in the highly successful and influential
funkFunk is an American music genre that originated in the late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, soul jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
band
Sly & the Family StoneSly & the Family Stone is an American funk, soul and rock band from San Francisco, California. Originally active from 1966 to 1983, with varied lineups, the band was pivotal in the development of soul, funk, and psychedelic music...
from 1967 to 1972. It is said that he pioneered the art of slap-pop playing on the electric bass, in part to provide percussive and rhythmic elements in addition to the notes of the bass line when his mother's band lacked a drummer; the slap of the thumb being used to emulate a
bass drumA bass drum is a relatively large drum that produces a note of low definite or indefinite pitch. The bass drums are of variable sizes and are used in several musical genres . Three major types of bass drums can be distinguished: the large orchestral bass drum, the smaller kick' drum, and the...
and the pop of the index or middle finger as a
snare drumThe snare drum is a drum with strands of snares made of curled metal wire, metal cable, plastic cable, or gut cords stretched across the drumhead, typically the bottom...
. This style has become archetypal of modern funk. Slap-pop playing couples a percussive thumb-slapping technique of the lower strings with an aggressive finger-snap of the higher strings, often in rhythmic alternation. The slap and pop technique incorporates a large ratio of muted (or 'ghost' tones) to normal notes, which adds to the rhythmic effect.
This "Slap" bass style was later used by such artists as
Les ClaypoolLeslie Edward "Les" Claypool is a musician, best known as the bassist in the band Primus. Claypool's funky, creative playing style on the electric bass mixes finger-tapping, flamenco-like strumming, a Larry Graham-like slap technique, and Geddy Lee influences...
,
Bootsy CollinsWilliam "Bootsy" Collins is a funk bassist, singer, and songwriter.Rising to prominence with James Brown in the late 1960s, and with Parliament-Funkadelic in the '70s, Collins's driving bass guitar and humorous vocals established him as one of the leading names in funk...
,
Louis JohnsonLouis Johnson is an American bass guitarist.Johnson is best known for his group The Brothers Johnson and his session playing on several hit albums of the 1970s and '80s including the "best selling album of all time" Thriller...
,
Mark KingMark King is an English musician. He is most famous for being the lead singer and bassist of the band, Level 42...
,
FleaMichael Peter Balzary , more commonly known by the stage name Flea, is an Australian bassist, trumpet player, and occasional actor. He is best known as the bassist and founding member of the alternative rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers...
,
Peter HookPeter "Hooky" Hook is an English bass player.He was a co-founder of the post-punk band Joy Division along with Bernard Sumner in the mid-1970s. Following the death of lead singer Ian Curtis, the band reformed as New Order, and Hook played bass with them throughout their career until his departure...
,
Jeff BerlinJeff Berlin is an American electric bass player. Since the mid-1970s, he has been known for his virtuosic jazz fusion and progressive rock bass playing....
,
Victor WootenVictor Lemonte Wooten is an American bass player, composer and author.Wooten has won the "Bass Player of the Year" award from Bass Player magazine three times in a row, and was the first person to win the award more than once...
,
Geddy LeeGeddy Lee OC is a Canadian musician best known as the lead vocalist, bassist, and keyboardist for the Canadian rock group Rush...
,
Marcus MillerMarcus Miller is a multiple Grammy Award-winning jazz musician, composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist....
,
Stanley ClarkeStanley Clarke is an American jazz musician and composer known for his innovative and influential work on double bass and bass guitar as well as for his numerous film and television scores. He is best known for his work with the fusion band Return to Forever.- Early life and education :Clarke was...
,
John Norwood FisherJohn Norwood Fisher is the bass player for the funk/punk/rock/ska/metal/soul band Fishbone. Fisher has played bass in the band throughout its history, even as other members have come, gone, and returned...
,
P-NutAaron Charles Wills , is an American musician, bassist for band 311, and music producer / bassist for band Hollows Follow.- Background :...
,
Danny McCormackDanny McCormack is a British singer and bassist.-Biography:He became the bass player in The Wildhearts in 1991 and soon relocated to London with the band, enjoying success during their commercial peak, before splitting up in 1998...
,
Matt NoveskeyWilliam Matthew "Matt" Noveskey is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, guitarist, and bassist, best known for his work with the bands Blue October and machines.-Early life:...
, Dirk Lance, and
Kenny FranklinKenneth E. Franklin is a world renowned Bass Guitarist, producer, composer, songwriter, singer and multi-instrumentalist....
(of San Mateo).
Upon the Family Stone's disintegration due to lead singer
Sly StoneSly Stone is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer, most famous for his role as frontman for Sly & the Family Stone, a band which played a critical role in the development of soul, funk and psychedelia in the 1960s and 1970s...
's drug addiction, Graham formed his own band,
Graham Central StationGraham Central Station was a funk band named after founder Larry Graham . The name is a pun on New York City's Grand Central Station....
. The name is a pun on
Grand Central StationGrand Central Terminal — often popularly called Grand Central Station or simply Grand Central — is a terminal station at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City...
, the train station located in the
ManhattanManhattan is one of the five boroughs of New York City, located primarily on Manhattan Island at the mouth of the Hudson River.New York County, which has the same boundaries as the Borough of Manhattan , is the most densely populated county in the United States, with a 2008 population of 1,634,795...
borough of New York City. Graham Central Station had several hits in the 1970s, including "Hair."
In the mid-1970s, Larry Graham worked with
Betty DavisBetty Davis is an American funk, rock and soul singer. She was also Miles Davis's second wife.- Background :She worked as a model, appearing in photo spreads in Seventeen, Ebony and Glamour...
, the former second wife of jazz legend
Miles DavisMiles Davis III was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer.Widely considered one of the most influential jazz musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music including cool jazz, hard bop, free jazz...
. Betty Davis' band included members of the
Tower of PowerTower of Power is an American soul and funk based horn section and band, originating from Oakland, California. For over 40 years.-History:In the mid-1960s, 17-year-old tenor saxophonist Emilio Castillo moved from Detroit, Michigan to Fremont, California. He started a band called 'The Gotham City...
horns and the
Pointer SistersThe Pointer Sisters are an American Pop/R&B recording act from Oakland, California that achieved mainstream success during the 1970s and 1980s...
, and she recorded three albums to critical acclaim but limited commercial success.
In 1975, Graham became one of
Jehovah's WitnessesJehovah's Witnesses is a restorationist, millenarian Christian denomination. The religion reports worldwide membership of over 7 million adherents involved in evangelism; they report convention attendance of over 12 million, and annual Memorial attendance of over 17 million...
. In the early 1980s, Graham recorded five solo albums and had several solo hits on the R&B charts. His biggest hit was "
One in a Million YouOne In A Million Youis a 1980 single by Larry Graham, former bass player for Sly & the Family Stone, and frontman for Graham Central Station. The ballad crossed over to the top ten pop charts, peaking at number nine, in the summer of 1980 and hit number one on the R&B charts for two weeks...
", a cross over hit, which reached number 9 on the Billboard chart in 1980.
He reformed Graham Central Station in the early 1990s and performed with the band for several years during which they released 2 live albums. One was recorded in
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in 1992, and the other, recorded in
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
in 1996, had only 1000 copies printed and was exclusively sold at concerts.
In 1998, he recorded another solo album under the name Graham Central Station. The album, called GCS 2000, was actually a collaboration between Larry Graham &
PrincePrince Rogers Nelson is an American singer, songwriter, musician and actor. He performs under the mononym Prince but has also been known by various other names, most notably the unpronounceable symbol which he used as his stage name between 1993 and 2000...
. While Graham wrote all the songs except one cowritten by Prince, the album was coarranged and coproduced by Prince, and most of the instruments and vocals were recorded by both Graham & Prince. Graham also toured with Prince as his bassist in 1997-2000. He appeared in Prince's 1998 VHS Beautiful Strange and Prince's 1999 DVD
Rave Un2 the Year 2000Rave Un2 the Year 2000 is a 2000 direct to video film of Prince in concert. Although taped earlier in December, 1999, the concert was originally broadcast via Pay-per-view on New Year's Eve, 1999 The concert features several notable cover versions, and some Prince's biggest hits...
.
In 2007 he was invited to play in Minneapolis with the reformed
Sly & the Family StoneSly & the Family Stone is an American funk, soul and rock band from San Francisco, California. Originally active from 1966 to 1983, with varied lineups, the band was pivotal in the development of soul, funk, and psychedelic music...
, but declined because he was out of town. He did however, appear onstage in Minneapolis on July 8, 2007 with
PrincePrince Rogers Nelson is an American singer, songwriter, musician and actor. He performs under the mononym Prince but has also been known by various other names, most notably the unpronounceable symbol which he used as his stage name between 1993 and 2000...
at
First AvenueFirst Avenue and 7th Street Entry are two music venues housed in the same building in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The names are derived from the building's location: the corner of First Avenue and 7th Street in downtown Minneapolis. They are considered to be a cornerstone of the Midwest music scene,...
.
Graham is the uncle of Canadian rapper and actor Aubrey Graham.
with Graham Central Station
- Graham Central Station 1974, Warner Bros.
- Release Yourself 1974, Warner Bros.
- Ain't No 'Bout-A-Doubt It 1975, Warner Bros.
- Mirror 1976, Warner Bros.
- Now Do U Wanta Dance 1977, Warner Bros.
- My Radio Sure Sounds Good to Me 1978, WEA
- Star Walk 1979, Warner Bros.
- Live In Japan, 1992
- Live In London, 1996
- Back By Popular Demand 1998
- The Best of Larry Graham and Graham Central Station, Vol. 1 1996, Warner Bros.
- The Jam: The Larry Graham & Graham Central Station Anthology 2001, Rhino Greatest Hits 2003, Rhino Flashback
Solo albums
All
Warner Bros.Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label that operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Warner Music Group. It is also affectionately known as Warners or the Bunny, based on the Bugs Bunny cartoons released by Warner Bros. Pictures.-History:...
releases.
- 1980: One in a Million You
- 1981: Just Be My Lady
- 1982: Sooner or Later
- 1983: Victory
- 1985: Fired Up
NPG RecordsNPG Records is the current active record label owned by Prince, founded in 1993 to release his music after Paisley Park Records. Paisley Park was shut down by Warner Bros. Records in 1993. Warner Bros. distributed one NPG release in 1995, The Gold Experience. "NPG" is short for "New Power...
release:
Singles
| Year |
Title |
Album |
U.S. Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday; while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
|
U.S. R&B R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, formerly the Black Singles Chart, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues...
|
UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record industry. The full chart contains the top 200 singles based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 of this list...
|
| 1980 |
"One in a Million You" |
One in a Million You |
9 |
1 |
|
| 1980 |
"When We Get Married" |
One in a Million You |
76 |
9 |
|
| 1981 |
"Guess Who" |
Just Be My Lady |
|
69 |
|
| 1981 |
"Just Be My Lady" |
Just Be My Lady |
67 |
4 |
|
| 1982 |
"Sooner or Later"/
"Don't Stop When You're Hot" |
Sooner or Later |
|
27
16 |
54
|
| 1983 |
"I Never Forget Your Eyes" |
Victory |
|
34 |
|
External links