NEWS: Graham Dee: Carnaby Street Soul & West Coast Vibes

NEWS: Graham Dee: Carnaby Street Soul & West Coast Vibes

This album, released on 31st January 2020 via Acid Jazz records, is our tribute to an eccentric, a charmer, an unsung sixties hero…..who still has soul. The character that is Graham Dee has lived one hell of a life,  from surviving the blitzing of East London during WW2 to playing with Pink Floyd & Jimmy Page – Graham has done it all and this compilation will look back at the story of his life through music.

Dee was the A&R at Atlantic Records signing artists and producing their songs plus playing on sessions that included pre-Zeppelin Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones. One of his tracks A Love I Believe In narrowly missed being a number 1 after Tony Blackburn proclaimed the single as his record of the week only for Blackburn to be playing the flip side, The Bitter With The Sweet. Around this period Graham was working with the likes of Georgie Fame, Elkie Brooks, Mike Berry to name just a few and even filled in for the absent Syd Barrett on some Pink Floyd shows. He eventually parted company with Atlantic after he damaged studio equipment whilst practising pistol fast draws and purchasing a hunting bow, accidentally firing it flooding the office and terrifying the staff. 

A lot of the tracks signal specific moments in Graham’s life that involve a lot of these stories. The stories provide the context for the tracks and this breads a certain spirit throughout the compilation.

Now in his seventies, Graham Dee is still writing, recording, performing and releasing solo records.

Tracklist

  1. Graham Dee – Another Night Alone
  2. Graham Dee – Sampaguita
  3. Maxine – A Love I Believe In (Horn Version)
  4. Mike Berry – Soul Ride (Ascete Mix)
  5. Graham Dee – Carrie
  6. Graham Dee – Cheatin’ On Love
  7. Graham Dee – As Long As I’m Close To You
  8. Lenny White – Can’t Stop Thinking About Girls
  9. Mick’s Bunch – I Just Wanna BE Your Friend
  10. Tony Rivers – Tomorrow’s Children
  11. Razor – It’s A Hard Way But It’s My Way
  12. Graham Dee – Somethin’ Else

Acid Jazz records can be found via their own website

Matt Mead

Matt Mead

Freelance writer who likes anything with heart and soul