Larry Graham

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Larry Graham
Larry Graham.jpg
Graham in 2011
Background information
Birth nameLarry Graham Jr.
Born (1946-08-14) August 14, 1946 (age 78)
Beaumont, Texas, U.S.
Genres Funk, soul, R&B
Occupation(s)Musician, songwriter, producer
Instrument(s)Vocals, bass guitar
Years active1961–present
Labels Epic, Warner Bros., NPG, Rhino, Sphinx
Website larrygraham.com

Larry Graham Jr. (born August 14, 1946) is an American bassist and baritone singer, with the psychedelic soul/funk band Sly and the Family Stone and as the founder and frontman of Graham Central Station. [1] In 1980, he released the single "One in a Million You", which reached the top ten on the US Billboard Hot 100. He is credited with the invention of the slapping technique on the electric bass guitar, which radically expanded the tonal palette of the bass, although he himself refers to the technique as "thumpin' and pluckin'". [2]

Contents

In 1993, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Sly and the Family Stone. [3] He is also the uncle of rapper Drake.

Early life

Graham was born August 14, 1946, in Beaumont, Texas, U.S., to parents who were successful musicians. [1] [4]

Career

Sly and the Family Stone

Graham played bass in the funk band Sly and the Family Stone from 1967 to 1972. [4] The band was the first major American rock group to have a racially integrated, mixed-gender lineup. [5] They had a series of influential tracks during the 1960s that entered the Billboard Hot 100 such as "Dance to the Music" (1968), "Everyday People" (1968), and "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" (1969), as well as critically acclaimed albums such as Stand! (1969), which combined pop sensibility with social commentary. [6]

After many years of tension between Graham and frontman Sly Stone, Larry Graham left Sly and the Family Stone in 1972, after a post-concert brawl broke out between Graham and Sly, and rumours also spread that Larry had hired a hit man to kill Sly. [7] Graham and his wife climbed out of a hotel window to escape, and Pat Rizzo gave them a ride to safety. [8] Unable to continue working with Sly, Graham immediately quit. In 1993, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Sly and the Family Stone. [3]

1970s

After Sly and the Family Stone, Graham formed his own band, Graham Central Station. [4] The name is a pun on Grand Central Station, the train station located in Manhattan, New York City. Graham Central Station had several hits in the 1970s, as well as the album track "Hair"[ citation needed ].

In the mid-1970s, Larry Graham worked with Betty Davis, the second ex-wife of jazz musician Miles Davis. Betty Davis' band included members of the Tower of Power horns and the Pointer Sisters, and she recorded three albums to critical acclaim but limited commercial success.

In 1975, Graham became one of Jehovah's Witnesses. [9] Eventually, he was credited with introducing Prince to the faith. In the early 1980s, Graham recorded five solo albums and had several solo hits on the R&B chart. [4] His biggest hit was "One in a Million You", a crossover hit that reached No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1980. [4]

1990s–present

He reformed Graham Central Station in the early 1990s and performed with the band for several years during which they released two live albums. One was recorded in Japan in 1992, and the other, recorded in London in 1996, had only 1000 copies printed and was exclusively sold at concerts.

In 1998, he recorded a solo album under the name Graham Central Station GCS 2000 . It was a collaboration between Larry Graham and Prince. While Graham wrote all the songs, except one co-written by Prince, the album was co-arranged and co-produced by Prince, and most of the instruments and vocals were recorded by both Graham and Prince. Graham also played bass on tours with Prince from 1997 to 2000. He appeared in Prince's 1998 VHS Beautiful Strange and 1999 DVD Rave Un2 the Year 2000 . He has since appeared with Prince at various international venues.

Graham performing in 2013 Larry Graham (10398937003).jpg
Graham performing in 2013

Graham and Graham Central Station performed internationally with a world tour in 2010 and the "Funk Around the World" international tour in 2011. He appeared with Andre Beeka as a special guest at Jim James' "Rock N' Soul Dance Party Superjam" at the 2013 Bonnaroo Music Festival.[ citation needed ]

Personal life

Graham is the half-brother of Dennis Graham, and the uncle of Canadian rapper and actor Drake. [10]

Slap bass technique

It is said that Graham 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 decided to no longer have a drummer in her band, while Graham also admits in a BBC documentary on funk music that he is unsure if it was done on economic grounds; [11] the slap of the thumb being used to emulate a bass drum and the pop of the index or middle finger as a snare drum. [2]

This style has become the archetype 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 "dead" notes to normal notes, which adds to the rhythmic effect.

He is credited with the invention of the slapping technique on the electric bass guitar, which radically expanded the tonal palette of the bass, although he refers to the technique as "thumpin' and pluckin'". [2]

This "slap" bass style was later used by such artists as Bootsy Collins (P-Funk), Les Claypool (Primus), Bernard Edwards (Chic), Louis Johnson, [12] Mark King, Keni Burke, Victor Wooten, Kim Clarke of Defunkt, Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Marcus Miller, and Stanley Clarke.

Discography

Solo albums

YearAlbumPeak chart positions
US
[13]
US R&B
[14]
1980One in a Million You262
1981 Just Be My Lady 468
1982Sooner or Later14215
1983Victory17352
1985Fired Up
2019Chillin'
"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

Singles

YearSingleAlbumPeak chart positions
US
[15]
US R&B
[16]
US Dance
[17]
US A/C
[18]
UK
[19]
1980"One in a Million You"One in a Million You9137
"When We Get Married"769
1981"Guess Who"Just Be My Lady69
"Just Be My Lady"674
1982"Don't Stop When You're Hot"/
"Sooner or Later"
Sooner or Later102
110
16
27
1754
1983"I Never Forget Your Eyes"Victory34
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

With Sly and the Family Stone

With Graham Central Station

Albums

Studio

Live

  • Live in Japan (1992)
  • Live in London (1996)

Compilation

  • The Best of Larry Graham and Graham Central Station, Vol. 1 (Warner Bros., 1996)

Singles

YearSingleAlbumPeak chart positions
US
[15]
1974"Can You Handle It?" Graham Central Station 49
1975"Your Love" Ain't No 'Bout-A-Doubt It 38
"It's Alright"92
1976"The Jam"63

With Prince

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References

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  2. 1 2 3 "Larry Graham: Trunk of the Funk Tree". Bass Player . April 2007. Archived from the original on October 13, 2007.
  3. 1 2 "Sly and the family Stone | Rock & Roll Hall of Fame". www.rockhall.com. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Colin Larkin, ed. (1993). The Guinness Who's Who of Soul Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 105. ISBN   0-85112-733-9.
  5. "Sly & the Family Stone Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
  6. Sly & the Family Stone - Stand! Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic , retrieved January 6, 2024
  7. Selvin, Joel (1998), pp. 150–154
  8. Selvin, Joel (1998), pp. 150–154
  9. Awake! magazine, February 22, 1989, p. 15.
  10. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine : A.J. Miller (June 17, 2011). "Larry Graham Talks about his family ties to Drake with Lenny Green" via YouTube.
  11. "The History of Funk Music - YouTube". YouTube . Archived from the original on February 26, 2020. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  12. "George Johnson". Andresmusictalk.wordpress.com. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  13. "Larry Graham – Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  14. "Larry Graham – TOP R&B/HIP-HOP ALBUMS". Billboard. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  15. 1 2 "Larry Graham – Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  16. "Larry Graham – Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard.
  17. "Larry Graham – Dance Club Songs". Billboard.
  18. "Larry Graham – Dance Club Songs". Billboard.
  19. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 233. ISBN   1-904994-10-5.
  20. Larry Graham & Graham Central Station - By Popular Demand, September 26, 1997, retrieved April 29, 2023