Biography

Graham started playing the guitar when he was 13 years old, having half-a-dozen lessons,which got him started. From this time he was completely self-taught with the odd ‘sit-in’ with some of the best musicians around at the time.

The first band was formed at Bethany School in Goudhurst, Kent, playing Stones/Deep Purple tunes etc. The first gig he remembers was at Cranbrook School as a support act to Deke Leonard’s band, Man. Exalted company, the saturday before had seen Focus (doing Hocus Pocus!), the following saturday featured Steve Hillage’s band, Khan. Heady days for a 15 year old fledgling guitarist!

After leaving school, he joined Johann Sebastian Smith, pretending to be Greg Lake, singing and playing bass and guitar. The band had Mark Harrison on key-boards with a set-list including Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, CPE Bach, ELP and King Crimson material; it was at this time that he started to compose and perform his own music. A year of that and on to Time and a Half with a brass section and a life-long love of Chicago. 25 or 6 to 4 has never sounded so cool! Playing bass in this band was Andy Rose who went on to produce Supertramp and run The Rolling Stones Mobile; yes, the studio that Deep Purple were recording in, when the casino at Montreux burnt down….Smoke On The Water and Fire In The Sky!!! The young 2nd guitarist in the band, Robert Pinnock became a firm friend and they have both been major influences in each others careers to this day. They were to team up later playing with The Eric Burdon Band and Ofo (formerly The Black Company) and have performed together many times since.

Whilst living in Walterton Road, Westbourne Park, Graham jammed with the band next door at 101, but when asked to join had just met Lari and so declined the offer. This band became the 101ers and metamorphosed into The Clash!

The next musical outing was with Lari and Johnny Ifedi(orama) in Ofo, starting in 1975 and things started to hot up. Ofo The Black Company had been started in Nigeria in 1972 and quickly became the heroes of African ‘high-life’ music, recording a million selling single, Allah Wakbarr (the Imman’s call to prayer for the muslim faith heard over many cities in Africa and the middle east every day) for Decca West Africa. They played at many events and venues in Nigeria, attracting the attention of Fela Ransome-Kuti (he was the Messiah of African music and culture). Lari and he became friends and on his suggestion and that of Decca, it was decided to move the band to London. Osibisa were just making a name for themselves and opening up the european market for African music. On the way over, they were invited to play at the youth festival in Berlin. On an interesting note, during the gig, a chap at the side of the stage asked Lari if he could sit in on a few tunes; Lari reluctantly agreed and the guitar- toting fellow played a couple of numbers with them. When Lari showed Graham a photograph of this sometime later, he realised that it was Carlos Santana! On arrival in London, it appeared that Decca didn’t know what to do with the band and rapidly running out of money, the guys started to pursue other interests. Jo the guitarist went to college, the bass player wanted to go home etc. Lari eventually decided that new blood was needed and recruited Graham and a new bass player, Greg Mclean for the band. The last gig that The Black Company played was at Goldsmiths College, New Cross in SE London around August 1975. Serious rehearsals were commenced at the Lots Road studios in Fulham. Other artists using the facility at the time were Mott The Hoople, Andy Frazers new band (ex bass player with Free), Osibisa and Tiger ( Big Jim Sullivan’s new outfit). Years later Graham played with Jim in Barry Packmans Changing Faces and ‘depped’ for him (in his band with Duncan McKenzie) when an urgent tour with Van Morrison called Jim abroad.

Ofo became a much heavier sounding outfit with the addition of the 2 white guys and much of their influence rubbed off on Lari, he seemed to revel in the hippy atmosphere even deciding to move in with the guys in Orsett Terrace. Musically, they played all day and every day, composing and arranging the most incredible Afro-rock fusion around. Decca finally took notice again and the band followed The Rolling Stones into Deccas West Hampstead studios to commence recording again. A new version of Allah Wakbarr, Yi-Yi-Yi, Clitty, We will Rock You and Let’s Go were recorded together with a few un-named tracks. The album was produced by Eddie Grant (from the Equals and later to become a million seller himself). During this time, the band were still playing gigs, usually in salubrious Afro-Carribean night clubs, Clouds in Brixton, Anabelles in Carnaby Street or anonymous pubs like the Western Counties in Paddington. One gig stood out though. The Greyhound in Fulham Palace Road was ‘the’ pub to play. One dark tuesday night, the band played there; Lari on drums, Johnny, who could make congas sing, Keith playing all kinds of ‘things you hit’, Rob Pinnock and Graham on guitars, Greg playing his old battered Fender Precission. The poster printer got the spelling wrong and over 7000 people turned up to see UFO ! The queue was reportedly over a mile long.  They used to piss on your head from the gallery if you weren’t any good………instead they were chucking the band spliffs! Ofo were fantastic, Johnny was actually smiling, Lari was his most ‘dandified’ and elegant self. They played an accapella centre section to Allah Wakbarr with their bare hands on the stage and foreheads of the people at the front. There were some pretty knocked out people in west London that night, literally. The band thought they’d ‘arrived’. Within a week Decca said that they weren’t willing to release the album as it was too ‘ethnic’. None of these recordings have been forthcoming despite many requests. More recording followed plus some more minor gigs but with Lari insisting on managing the group without any real experience, the band started to fragment again. Keith and Greg left. Graham departed for a brief flirtation with the Eric Burdon Band which hardly lasted long enough for a few gigs and finally,disillusioned, removed himself to the cold north and the Manchester club scene.