| Larry Graham | |
| Background: | solo_singer |
| Birth Name: | Larry Graham, Jr. |
| Born: | 14 August 1946 Beaumont, Texas, U.S. |
| Instrument: | Bass Vocals |
| Genre: | Funk Soul |
| Occupation: | Musician Songwriter Producer |
| Years Active: | 1967 - Present |
| Label: | Epic Warner Bros. NPG Rhino Entertainment |
| Associated Acts: | Sly & the Family Stone Prince Graham Central Station |
| Url: | www.slystonebook.com |
| Notable Instruments: | Fender Jazz Bass |
Larry Graham, Jr. (born August 14, 1946 in Beaumont, Texas) is an American baritone singer, musician, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as both the bass guitar player in the popular and influential psychedelic soul/funk band Sly & the Family Stone, and as the founder and frontman of Graham Central Station. He is credited with the invention of the slapping 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 funk band Sly & the Family Stone 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 bassline when his mother's band lacked a drummer (*see below); 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. This style has become archetypical 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 Claypool, Bootsy Collins, Louis Johnson, Mark King, Flea, Victor Wooten, Marcus Miller, Stanley Clarke, John Norwood Fisher, P-Nut, Danny McCormack, Matt Noveskey, Dirk Lance, and Kenny Franklin (of San Mateo).
Upon the Family Stone's disintegration due to lead singer Sly Stone's drug addiction, Graham formed his own band, Graham Central Station. The name is a pun on Grand Central Station, the train station located in the Manhattan 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 Davis, the former second wife of jazz legend 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[1] . In the early 1980s, Graham recorded five solo albums and had several solo hits. His biggest hit was "One in a Million, You", 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 Japan in 1992 and the other was recorded in London in 1996 (this last one 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 & Prince: while Graham wrote all the songs (except for one which was 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 & 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 2000.
In 2007 he was invited to play in Minneapolis with the reformed Sly & the Family Stone, but declined because he was out of town. He did, however, appear onstage in Minneapolis on July 8th, 2007 with Prince at First Avenue.
| Year | Title | Album | US Hot 100 | US R&B | UK Chart |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | ||
| 1983 | "I Never Forget Your Eyes" | Victory | 34 |