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Bobby Graham

1940 – 2009

English drummer

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About Bobby Graham

Lived 1940 – 2009 (aged 69). Bobby Graham was a British composer, jazz musician, drummer and session musician.

Bobby Graham (born Robert Francis Neate, 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."

Biography Born 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 played on 13 number one singles, including those by the Dave Clark Five, Engelbert Humperdinck, 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 John Barry, Shirley Bassey, Joe Cocker, Billy Fury, Herman's Hermits, Benny Hill, Rod Stewart, Dave Berry, Joe Brown and the Bruvvers, Chubby Checker, the Kinks, Petula Clark, Brenda Lee, Lulu, Brian Poole & the Tremeloes, the Pretty Things, PJ Proby, Van Morrison, Them, the Walker Brothers, and Marianne Faithfull.

Graham also toured the UK as drummer in his own jazz band.

Death On 14 September 2009, Bobby Graham died at the Isabel Hospice in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England after battling stomach cancer for five months. He was 69.

Recording credits Graham played on over 15,000 titles, including: "You Really Got Me", "All Day And All Of The Night" and "Tired of Waiting For You" by the Kinks "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl" by Rod Stewart "Downtown" and "I Know A Place" by Petula Clark "Green Green Grass of Home" by Tom Jones "Gloria" and "Baby, Please Don't Go" by Them (ft. Van Morrison) "I Only Want to Be with You" by Dusty Springfield "I Believe" by the Bachelors "Is It True" by Brenda Lee. Produced by Mickie Most in 1964. "Glad All Over" and "Bits and Pieces" by the Dave Clark Five

Recordings as a leader The Bobby Graham Band: The Session Man liner notes by Patrick Harrington, (Broom House Publishing Ltd., 12 Nov 2004) -

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Important facts

People in Bobby Graham's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Bobby Graham's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Bobby Graham?

English drummer (1940–2009)

When was Bobby Graham born?

Bobby Graham was born on 11 March 1940 in Edmonton.

When did Bobby Graham die?

Bobby Graham died on 14 September 2009 in Welwyn Garden City.

What was Bobby Graham's occupation?

Bobby Graham was a composer, jazz musician, drummer and session musician.

What nationality was Bobby Graham?

Bobby Graham was British.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Bobby Graham

· Wikidata: Q2326239

· DBpedia: Bobby Graham (musician)

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Bobby Graham. https://biography.guide/bobby-graham-composer/

MLA: "Bobby Graham." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/bobby-graham-composer/.

Chicago: "Bobby Graham." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/bobby-graham-composer/.

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