HITTING HARDER

Friday, September 18, 2009

British session drummer Bobby Graham has died at age 69.

Perhaps you are familiar with his work:

















I would keep going but this post would be simply too long with FIFTEEN THOUSAND YouTubes. He played on THAT MANY RECORDS. Oh, and let's not forget he played drums on almost every single Dave Clark Five hit you can think of, except Dave Clark is a egotistical creep who refuses to admit it. Who cares at this point, Dave, huh? Bobby Graham's hard-hitting drumming style gave YOU your trademark sound, made YOU lots and lots of money, but HE was "just" a session man, and YOU are a fool to not give him his due, so long after it ever would have mattered to your career. Even if you were doubling Bobby's track, SAY THAT. LAME.

Bobby, a class act all the way around and so well-liked by his peers in music, never put the Dave Clark Five records he played on up on his website. That is the nature of the session man -- his work wasn't about him or fame, it was about working with whomever and whatever he was handed to make a damn good recording.

Ray Davies, from his autobiography, X-Ray:

"I had heard Bobby Graham playing on other records and was bowled over by his style & power, he added a tidiness and a dimension to our sound. On the session for 'You Really Got Me' when Dave played the opening chords, Bobby Graham forgot the complicated introduction he had planned, and just thumped one beat on the snare drum with as much power as he could muster, and for the next three minutes he was one of us. After the take Graham smiled and started to pack up his kit so that he would be out of the way when we did the vocals. He knew that we had done something special."
I have often said that Keith Moon of the Who is my favorite drummer of all time. But Bobby Graham, it occurs to me now, is the person who inspired me to play the drums. His sound, that WHAP! on the snare, the sound of hitting harder, strong, aggressive and controlled, well. MAN. That's the drum sound and feel that I love, that is in my heart, that makes me want to RAWK.

Bobby Graham's talent and joy came through, uncredited by name, but heard around the world. Thank you so so so so so much, Bobby. I wish I could have told you that to your face, and given you a hard-hittin' hug.