Graham Dee
Encyclopedia
Graham Dee is an English
musician
.
in 1943. Davidson has lived his life with a neuromuscular disorder
that results in a series of ticks, twitches and spasms which has created a weakness in his neck.
He attended boarding school
in Hertfordshire
, where he started playing guitar
after hearing Lonnie Donegan
’s landmark Rock Island Line
. He then went on to a college for the disabled where he qualified in gardening
but kept up his guitar playing, forming an ad hoc group and playing for scrumpy
in the cider pubs of Leatherhead
.
, John Lee Hooker
and Kenny Lynch
and his band appeared in Michael Winner
's 1964 'The System
' which starred Oliver Reed
.
He formed a group called The Quotations and ended up on tour with The Animals
and Tommy Tucker. Then played in a band called Bobcats who were the house band at the Scotch of St James
club.
Graham was a session musician
in the 1960s working alongside the likes of future Led Zeppelin
members Jimmy Page
and John Paul Jones (musician)
.
Phoebe's Flower Shoppe - The Cortinas - Polydor single, 1968 - he was gaining a reputation as a songwriter
, producer and musician Graham Dee is responsible for other songs including co-writing credits on John Bromley’s “Weatherman” and novelty songs like “My Daddie is a Baddie.” The Cortinas, according to the reissue of Restless Night, were formed by the brothers Nigel
and Paul Griggs
in 1963 and morphed into Penny Farthing’s own Octopus in 1968.
Graham also supported John Lee Hooker on the legendary bluesman’s first British shows, produced Les Fleur de Lys
(whose line-up included Bournemouth rock alumni Gordon Haskell
and Tony Head), backed Elkie Brooks
, The Walker Brothers
and Carl Perkins
, was twice hired by Van Morrison
to join Them
, filled in for Syd Barrett
in Pink Floyd
.
During the 1970s he was diagnosed with Tourette’s Syndrome. In the early 70s he went to America with his Japanese wife where he visited the legendary Muscle Shoals
studios in Memphis
. He also lived in Nashville and Los Angeles
.
In 2004 Big Beat Records
released You Gotta Believe It's... Sharon Tandy and the tracks 'Daughter Of The Sun', 'The Way She Looks At You , 'He'll Hurt Me', 'Somebody Speaks Your Name' and 'Two Can Make It Together' were co-written by Dee and lyricist Brian Potter. It also included 'Love Is Not A Simple Affair' co-written by Graham Dee and John Bromley.
David Castle
co-wrote with Graham a song called 'The Loneliest Man On The Moon' in the late 70s. This appeared on Graham's 1977 solo album Make The Most Of Every Moment.
Some of Graham’s production work has been reissued by cult record label
Acid Jazz
.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
.
Early life
Davidson was born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1943. Davidson has lived his life with a neuromuscular disorder
Neuromuscular disease
Neuromuscular disease is a very broad term that encompasses many diseases and ailments that either directly, via intrinsic muscle pathology, or indirectly, via nerve pathology, impair the functioning of the muscles....
that results in a series of ticks, twitches and spasms which has created a weakness in his neck.
He attended boarding school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
in Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, where he started playing guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
after hearing Lonnie Donegan
Lonnie Donegan
Anthony James "Lonnie" Donegan MBE was a skiffle musician, with more than 20 UK Top 30 hits to his name. He is known as the "King of Skiffle" and is often cited as a large influence on the generation of British musicians who became famous in the 1960s...
’s landmark Rock Island Line
Rock Island Line (song)
"Rock Island Line" is an American blues/folk song first recorded by John Lomax in 1934 as sung by inmates in an Arkansas State Prison, and later popularized by Lead Belly. Many versions have been recorded by other artists, most significantly the world-wide hit version in the mid-1950s by Lonnie...
. He then went on to a college for the disabled where he qualified in gardening
Gardening
Gardening is the practice of growing and cultivating plants. Ornamental plants are normally grown for their flowers, foliage, or overall appearance; useful plants are grown for consumption , for their dyes, or for medicinal or cosmetic use...
but kept up his guitar playing, forming an ad hoc group and playing for scrumpy
Scrumpy
Scrumpy is a term often used for strong ciders made in West Country of England. The term is especially used to distinguish those made locally in smaller quantities and using traditional methods from mass produced branded ciders....
in the cider pubs of Leatherhead
Leatherhead
Leatherhead is a town in the County of Surrey, England, on the River Mole, part of Mole Valley district. It is thought to be of Saxon origin...
.
Career
While working as a gardener Graham started playing bass semi-pro with a band called The Planets and then returned to the guitar and got a gig backing a crooner called Steve Arlen. Eventually, he joined the Laurie Jay Combo who backed the likes of Gary US Bonds, Memphis SlimMemphis Slim
Memphis Slim was an American blues pianist, singer, and composer. He led a series of bands that, reflecting the popular appeal of jump blues, included saxophones, bass, drums, and piano. A song he first cut in 1947, "Every Day I Have the Blues", has become a blues standard, recorded by many other...
, John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker was an American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist.Hooker began his life as the son of a sharecropper, William Hooker, and rose to prominence performing his own unique style of what was originally closest to Delta blues. He developed a 'talking blues' style that was his trademark...
and Kenny Lynch
Kenny Lynch
Kenny Lynch, OBE is an English singer, songwriter, entertainer and actor from London. Lynch appeared in many variety shows in the 1960s...
and his band appeared in Michael Winner
Michael Winner
Michael Robert Winner is a British film director and producer, active in both Europe and the United States, also known as a food critic for the Sunday Times.-Early life and early career :...
's 1964 'The System
The System (film)
The System is a 1964 British drama film directed by Michael Winner and starring Oliver Reed, Jane Merrow and Barbara Ferris...
' which starred Oliver Reed
Oliver Reed
Oliver Reed was an English actor known for his burly screen presence. Reed exemplified his real-life macho image in "tough guy" roles...
.
He formed a group called The Quotations and ended up on tour with The Animals
The Animals
The Animals were an English music group of the 1960s formed in Newcastle upon Tyne during the early part of the decade, and later relocated to London...
and Tommy Tucker. Then played in a band called Bobcats who were the house band at the Scotch of St James
Scotch of St James
The Scotch of St James club was a popular meeting place for rock musicians during the mid 1960s situated at 13 Masons Yard, Westminster, London SW1...
club.
Graham was a session musician
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
in the 1960s working alongside the likes of future Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
members Jimmy Page
Jimmy Page
James Patrick "Jimmy" Page, OBE is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a studio session guitarist in London and was subsequently a member of The Yardbirds from 1966 to 1968, after which he founded the English rock band Led Zeppelin.Jimmy Page...
and John Paul Jones (musician)
John Paul Jones (musician)
John Paul Jones is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, composer, arranger and record producer. Best known as the bassist, mandolinist, and keyboardist for English rock band Led Zeppelin, Jones has since developed a solo career and has gained even more respect as both a musician and a...
.
Phoebe's Flower Shoppe - The Cortinas - Polydor single, 1968 - he was gaining a reputation as a songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, producer and musician Graham Dee is responsible for other songs including co-writing credits on John Bromley’s “Weatherman” and novelty songs like “My Daddie is a Baddie.” The Cortinas, according to the reissue of Restless Night, were formed by the brothers Nigel
Nigel Griggs
Nigel Griggs is a musician who played bass guitar in Split Enz. He is the brother of Paul Griggs from the 1970s vocal group Guys 'n' Dolls...
and Paul Griggs
Paul Griggs
Paul Griggs is a British musician born on 20 November 1944 in St. Albans, Hertfordshire. He first played professionally in the band The Cortinas, formed in 1963...
in 1963 and morphed into Penny Farthing’s own Octopus in 1968.
Graham also supported John Lee Hooker on the legendary bluesman’s first British shows, produced Les Fleur de Lys
Les Fleur de Lys
The Fleur de Lys were a British band originally formed in late 1964, in Southampton, Hampshire, England. They recorded singles beginning in 1965 in the transitional Beat to psychedelic music genre, later known as freakbeat. The band had varied line-ups; only drummer Keith Guster was a member...
(whose line-up included Bournemouth rock alumni Gordon Haskell
Gordon Haskell
Gordon Haskell is a Pop, Rock & Blues music vocalist, songwriter, and bassist. He first gained recognition as a member of the British band Les Fleur de Lys. He sang on one of the songs of King Crimson's second album, then played bass and sang on their third album...
and Tony Head), backed Elkie Brooks
Elkie Brooks
Elkie Brooks is an English singer, formerly a vocalist with Vinegar Joe, and later a solo artist. Elkie has been nominated twice for Brit Awards' top female singer. She is known for her powerful husky voice...
, The Walker Brothers
The Walker Brothers
The Walker Brothers were an American 1960s and 1970s pop group, comprising Scott Engel , John Walker , and Gary Leeds...
and Carl Perkins
Carl Perkins
Carl Lee Perkins was an American rockabilly musician who recorded most notably at Sun Records Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, beginning during 1954...
, was twice hired by Van Morrison
Van Morrison
Van Morrison, OBE is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician. His live performances at their best are regarded as transcendental and inspired; while some of his recordings, such as the studio albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, and the live album It's Too Late to Stop Now, are widely...
to join Them
Them (band)
Them were a Northern Irish band formed in Belfast in April 1964, most prominently known for the garage rock standard "Gloria" and launching singer Van Morrison's musical career...
, filled in for Syd Barrett
Syd Barrett
Syd Barrett , born Roger Keith Barrett, was an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and painter, best remembered as a founding member of the band Pink Floyd. He was the lead vocalist, guitarist and primary songwriter during the band's psychedelic years, providing major musical and stylistic...
in Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
.
During the 1970s he was diagnosed with Tourette’s Syndrome. In the early 70s he went to America with his Japanese wife where he visited the legendary Muscle Shoals
Muscle Shoals Sound Studio
The Muscle Shoals Sound Studio was formed in Muscle Shoals, Alabama,in 1969 when musicians Barry Beckett , Roger Hawkins , Jimmy Johnson and David Hood left FAME Studios to create their own studio...
studios in Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
. He also lived in Nashville and Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
.
In 2004 Big Beat Records
Big Beat Records
Big Beat Records is an East Coast hip hop and dance-music record label that operates as a subsidiary of Atlantic Records.-History:Founded as an indie label in 1987 by 22-year-old New York deejay Craig Kallman, the company initially operated out of Kallman's parents' apartment...
released You Gotta Believe It's... Sharon Tandy and the tracks 'Daughter Of The Sun', 'The Way She Looks At You , 'He'll Hurt Me', 'Somebody Speaks Your Name' and 'Two Can Make It Together' were co-written by Dee and lyricist Brian Potter. It also included 'Love Is Not A Simple Affair' co-written by Graham Dee and John Bromley.
David Castle
David Castle
David Castle is a Canadian philosopher and bioethicist. He is currently Professor and Chair of Innovations in the Life Sciences at University of Edinburgh. From 20062010 he served as Canada Research Chair in Science and Society at the University of Ottawa.He received his B.Sc. and B.A. from the...
co-wrote with Graham a song called 'The Loneliest Man On The Moon' in the late 70s. This appeared on Graham's 1977 solo album Make The Most Of Every Moment.
Some of Graham’s production work has been reissued by cult record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
Acid Jazz
Acid Jazz Records
Acid Jazz is a record label based in east London. It takes its name from acid jazz, a genre of jazz music. Alternative version states that the genre itself was named after the record label...
.
External links
- http://www.discogs.com/artist/Graham+Dee Graham Dee's Discography