Graham Central Station

Updated on Dec 07, 2023

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Years active 1973–1979, 1998		Associated acts Sly & the Family Stone

Labels Warner Bros., WEA, Star Maker, P-Vine, Rhino Past members Larry Graham David Vega Hershall Kennedy Willie Sparks Patryce "Chocolate" Banks Origin Oakland, California, United States (1972) Members Larry Graham, Cynthia Robinson, Jerry Martini Genres Rhythm and blues, Funk, Soul music Albums Release Yourself, Ain't No 'Bout‑A‑Doubt It, My Radio Sure Sounds G, GCS 2000, Now Do U Wanta Dance

Graham Central Station is an American funk band named after founder Larry Graham (formerly of Sly & the Family Stone). The name is a pun on New York City's Grand Central Terminal, often colloquially called Grand Central Station.

Graham central station the jam 1975

Origins

The band's origins date from when Santana guitarist Neal Schon formed the band Azteca in 1972 along with Larry Graham (bass guitar) and Gregg Errico (drums), both from Sly & the Family Stone, and Pete Sears (keyboards), from Hot Tuna and Jefferson Starship. Santana bass guitar player Tom Rutley would move into the bass spot with Azteca. That band, like Santana with heavy Latin influences, would eventually morph into Graham Central Station, while Schon would form Journey. The invention of electric slap bass is attributed by many (including Victor Wooten and Bootsy Collins) to Graham, which influenced many musical genres, such as funk, R&B and disco.

Highlights

Graham Central Station's biggest hit was "Your Love", which charted at number 9 in 1975. The group also integrated gospel music into their repertoire, and played with the dichotomy between the funk/rock star image and the "sanctified" gospel group image. Some of their recordings feature the Tower of Power horn section.

In 2011, Graham Central Station opened for Prince on Prince's "Welcome 2 America" tour.

Members

Larry Graham – vocals, bass, guitar, clavinet, organ, piano, drums, percussion

Lenny Williams – vocals

Patryce Banks – vocals, electric funk box, tambourine

Ashling Cole – vocals, electric funk box

Tina Graham – vocals, electric funk box

David Vega – vocals, guitar

Gail Muldrow – vocals, guitar, electric funk box

George Johnson – vocals, guitar

Wilton Rabb – guitar

Freddie Stone – guitar

Gemi Taylor – guitar

Hershall Kennedy – vocals, clavinet, trumpet

Robert "Butch" Sam – vocals, piano, organ

David Council – vocals, keyboards

Jimi McKinney Jr. – vocals, keyboards

Rose Stone – vocals, organ, electric funk box

Cynthia Robinson – trumpet

P. CaboOse – tenor saxophone

Jerry Martini – saxophone

Dennis Marcellino – saxophone

Willie Sparks – vocals, drums

Manuel Kellough – drums

Noel T. Closson – drums

Gaylord Birch – drums

Brian Braziel – drums

Milt Holland – percussion

Studio albums

1974 – Graham Central Station, Warner Bros.

1974 – Release Yourself, Warner Bros.

1975 – Ain't No 'Bout-A-Doubt It, Warner Bros.

1976 – Mirror, Warner Bros.

1977 – Now Do U Wanta Dance, Warner Bros.

1978 – My Radio Sure Sounds Good to Me, WEA

1979 – Star Walk, Warner Bros.

1997 – By Popular Demand, P-Vine (Japan Only)

1998 – GCS 2000, NPG – produced with Prince

2012 – Raise Up, Moosicus Records

Live albums

1992 – Live in Japan '92', Star Maker – manufactured by PIA Corporation & Edoya Records Inc. (Tokyo, Japan)

1996 – Live in London, Funk24 (London, England)

2003 – Can You Handle This? – Kezar Stadium – 1975, Big Fro Discs (Japan)

Compilation albums

1996 – The Best of Larry Graham and Graham Central Station, Vol. 1, Warner Bros.

2001 – The Jam: The Larry Graham & Graham Central Station Anthology, Rhino

2003 – Greatest Hits, Rhino Flashback

Songs

The JamAin't No 'Bout-A-Doubt It · 1975
Can You Handle It?Graham Central Station · 1974
It Ain't No Fun to MeGraham Central Station · 1974

References

Graham Central Station Wikipedia

(Text) CC BY-SA

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