Jaki Graham
| Jaki Graham | |
|---|---|
Graham in 2014
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Jacqueline Maureen Graham |
| Born |
15 September 1956 Birmingham, England |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
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| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1977–present |
| Labels | EMI / Avex International / JNT Music Ltd |
| Associated acts | David Grant |
Jacqueline Maureen "Jaki" Graham (born 15 September 1956) is a three-time Grammy-nominated British R&B singer-songwriter. Following her hit version of "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love" with David Grant in 1985, Graham scored a further five UK Top 20 hits over a two-year period. In 1994, her cover version of Chaka Khan's hit "Ain't Nobody" reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Dance Chart.
Graham was born in Birmingham to Nigerian immigrants. In 1983 after recording a session for a jazz funk band called ‘Medium Heat Wave’, Jaki was spotted by a talent scout and signed to EMI Records. Soon after signing with the company "What’s the Name of Your Game" was released and this gave Jaki her first TV appearance on the highly rated BBC children’s programme Crackerjack in 1984. Two further solo singles followed that year "Heaven Knows" (the title of her first album) and "Once More With the Feeling".
The duet with David Grant, a cover version of the Detroit Spinners track "Could It be I’m Falling in Love", was released in early 1985 reaching No. 5 in March of that year. Jaki’s fourth, and probably best known, solo single "Round and Around" saw her return to the UK top 10 a few months later. As her first album reached completion in the summer of that year, "Heaven Knows" was re-released and Jaki toured the UK for the first time. A new song was recorded and released to end the year entitled "Mated". The song received wide critical acclaim gaining significant airplay.
Her hit single "Set Me Free" was released in early 1986 and reached No. 7 in the UK, also seeing the success repeated throughout Europe. Her second album "Breaking Away" and follow up single to "Set Me Free" was released in August reaching No. 14 in the UK charts. "Breaking Away" proved to be a surprise hit in Asia and to this date it remains one of Jaki’s most popular songs in this territory. Later in 1986 her hit "Step Right Up" was remixed and released also making the UK top 20.
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