Bobby Graham (musician)
| Bobby Graham | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Robert Francis Neate |
| Born |
11 March 1940 Edmonton, North London, England |
| Died | 14 September 2009 (aged 69) Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England |
| Occupation(s) | Session musician, drummer |
| Instruments | Drums |
| Years active | 1960s–2009 |
| Website | www |
Bobby Graham (11 March 1940 – 14 September 2009) was an English session drummer, composer, arranger and record producer. Shel Talmy, who produced The Kinks, David Bowie and The Who, described Graham as "the greatest drummer the UK has ever produced."
Born Robert Francis Neate at North Middlesex Hospital, Edmonton, North London, England, Graham became a member of The Outlaws and worked with Joe Meek. He left to join work with Joe Brown in 1961. Graham was approached by Brian Epstein when it was decided to remove Pete Best from The Beatles. Graham turned Epstein down as he was then the drummer for a much more successful band, Joe Brown and The Bruvvers, and so Epstein instead chose Ringo Starr. Graham was a part of the British elite session team (comparable to the American "Wrecking Crew") made up of artists such as Big Jim Sullivan, Vic Flick and Jimmy Page.
Graham played on 13 number one singles, including those by The Dave Clark Five, Englebert Humperdinck, John Leyton, Peter and Gordon, Jackie Trent, The Kinks, Tom Jones and Dusty Springfield, and appeared on a total of 40 UK top five hits (10 number two hits; 4 number 3 hits; 6 number 4 hits; 7 number five hits; 107 top 50 hits - 1155 days in the charts). In a discography that counts approximately 15,000 titles, he played on hits by The Animals, John Barry, Shirley Bassey, Joe Cocker, Billy Fury, Herman's Hermits, Benny Hill, Rod Stewart, Dave Berry, Joe Brown and The Bruvvers, Chubby Checker, Petula Clark, Brenda Lee, Lulu, Brian Poole & The Tremeloes, The Pretty Things, PJ Proby, Van Morrison, Them, The Walker Brothers, and Marianne Faithfull.
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