RIP Davey Graham

Bob-Dubery

The Guardian: "Folk legend Davy Graham dies"
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/dec/16/folk-legend-davey-graham-dies
"The virtuoso guitarist, who invested folk music with influences from a wider world of inspiration, has died aged 68."

A couple of quotes from my current reading - "Guitar Man" by Will Hodgkinson. These from the chapter which records how he managed to track down the reclusive Graham and the evening that he spent with him.

"I wondered if Davey Graham contacted any of his wives or girlfirends as he headed eastwards for months on end to study secular monody in Indian ragas. It seemed unlikely, but then in his devotion to his art Davey Graham had a chosen a life that, in excluding the concerns of other people, could be seen as the ultimate act of self-indulgence or the noblest pursuit of all."

"I saw the rest of his flat on numerous visits to the toilet over the next hour, and it was simplicity itself: a bare minimum of what a man needs to live.... In my time I had met rock stars with mansions that had their own pub in the basement, a full-size pool table in the dining room and a multitrack recording studio in the barn. In his dark little flat, Davey Graham was occupying an infititely more exotic world than the millionaire, middle-aged rockers in their gilded wombs."

Squonk

I have only discovered Davey Graham more recently after researching great acoustic guitarists, especially the Folk scene that was quite huge.
He inspired many of the great acoustic guitarists of the 60's ; Bert Jansh, Renborne, John Martyn, I think even Jimmy Page cited that Graham had a huge influence on his playing. I am sure there are many more that he influenced.
He also used alternate tunings like DADGAD which I am busy experimenting with.
A sad loss.

Bob-Dubery

Squonk wrote I have only discovered Davey Graham more recently after researching great acoustic guitarists, especially the Folk scene that was quite huge.
He inspired many of the great acoustic guitarists of the 60's ; Bert Jansh, Renborne, John Martyn, I think even Jimmy Page cited that Graham had a huge influence on his playing. I am sure there are many more that he influenced.

Page was certainly heavily influenced by Jansch (some would say that the influence extended to plagiary). And Jansch was certainly influenced by Graham.

Graham was massively influential. I suppose that the impact of his early recordings can be likened to the impact that Hendrix made - the bar got raised by a significant amount.

In the book I'm reading at present there is a dizzying interview with Graham. Dizzying because he clearly has several thoughts a second, and would rather expound on those than actually answer questions. Several people, including Martin Carthy, gave Graham the credit for "inventing" DADGAD, but Graham says that all he did was take the old tuning for the Oud that was used in North Africa and transpose that to the guitar.

If you're interested in players who use unconventional tunings then give Nick Drake a listen.

Bob-Dubery

Squonk wrote
A sad loss.

In a way he's long gone. 40 years ago his behaviour was already getting erratic, and he might turn up for a gig or might not. And if he did turn up he might be brilliant or he might play the same note over and over for 20 minutes and then call it a night.

He made very little money from his records. And with him behaving the way he did people were reluctant to book him.

He was living on the dole for some time. Playing gigs where he could and when he could be bothered to turn up. Reports of recent gigs where he did go through with it suggest that he played superbly.