Bobby Graham UK’s Greatest Drummer
© Mike Konopka
While working for Ray Davies, I had the opportunity to record one of the world’s greatest drummers. It was during 1997 in North London at the Kinks’ 
Konk Studios. His name was Bobby Graham and he played on an astounding 15000 songs, including “We Gotta Get Out Of This Place” by the Animals, “Downtown” by Pet Clark, “It’s Not Unusual” by Tom Jones, “Baby Please Don’t Go” by Van Morrison & Them, all the Dave Clark 5 hits, and the breakthrough Kinks hits “You Really Got Me”, “All Day & All Of The Night” along with more Kinks classics.
The British Invasion likely never would have happened without Bobby’s amazing drumming.
Bobby’s Early Start in North London
Born in 1940 in Edmonton (a scones throw from Konk actually) , little Bobby was soon bashing away at biscuit tins and dinner plates. To maintain peace in the household, his dad built him his first small drum kit. Very soon after, young Master Graham was taking lessons at Ted Warren’s Drumshop in London’s East End.
Bobby Graham UK’s Greatest Drummer
Bobby traded his schoolbooks for the drum throne full time at age 15 when he quit school. He was already playing gigs with local skiffle groups and jazz bands. Bobby considered himself a “jazz cat” at this point in time as Rock & Roll was just around the corner. But despite Bobby’s personal jazz street cred, the lure of cool club scenes, the birds, booze, and 20 pounds a week salary quickly converted Bobby into the Rock & Roller. His first serious band stint was with Billy Gray & The Stormers the summer of 1960 in Yorkshire.
The Outlaws & Joe Meek
Later in 1960, Graham joined up with The Outlaws to become the house band for notorious studio legend Joe Meek at 304 Holloway Road. Studio whiz Meek broke all recording rules with his outlandish “Telstar” techniques, but also frequently stole writing credits from The Outlaws and other musicians.
Bobby never got along with Meek and soon left to join up with Brit singing sensation Joe Brown & The Bruvvers. Later, the mentally ill Joe Meek killed his landlady and himself in 1967.
Bobby Graham UK’s Greatest Drummer
While gigging with Joe Brown, a young toft named Brian Epstein asked Bobby to take Pete Best’s place with the Beatles. Bobby turned him down flat saying, “Why would 
I want to join a band in Liverpool that nobody’s heard of?”
Bobby later sat at the drum stool for Marty Wilde and Davy Graham which led to his first studio session work at the famed Pye Records on Oxford Street. As a new husband and father, Bobby decided that session work was where he should now focus his drumming skills. He soon played in the UK “wrecking crew” that included Big Jim Sullivan, John McLaughlin, Rod Argent, Vic Flick, and a young guitarist named Jimmy Page. It was 1962 and Bobby was typically drumming three sessions a day.
Bobby Graham Meets The Kinks
Kinks’ front man Ray Davies was a favorite song writer of Bobby’s because Davies wasn’t just penning typical 12 bar blues tunes. Ray told of early Kinks sessions in his Storyteller album and show. He explained that the record companies of that era didn’t take chances on valuable studio time with unknown drummers. Kinks’ drummer Mick Avory is a fabulous drummer and I know because I’ve recorded him too. He has a great touch, buoyant phasing, and he knows how to hit the drums just right.
Yet Pye records still wasn’t taking any risks on these early Kinks sessions. So the proven Bobby Graham sat at the drums for the Kinks’ first breakthrough hit “You Really Got Me.” And as Ray explains, Mick ended up playing tambourine on YRGM instead.
Ray also tells how his upstart brother Dave was warming up at Pye Studios that day. Dave cranked his guitar amp to eleven and sneered about the tracking room. Amidst the noise and mayhem, Bobby cracked one God Almighty hit on the snare that jerked the whole room to attention, as if Bobby was thinking, “You lil’ wanker Dave, I can play just as loud as you can and I’ve gotta big stick!”
After that, they all got down to the business of recording the song that made Rock & Roll history. And one of the things the Davies brothers can certainly agree on was Bobby’s fine contributions to the Kinks’ early records.
Bobby Graham UK’s Greatest Drummer
The God Almighty Snare Hit
So now it’s 1997 back at Konk in North London. And I’ve heard this YRGM tale dozens of times as Ray’s FOH (front of house) and recording engineer for his Storyteller project. Ray decides that for Storyteller’s bluesy call-back album version of YRGM, who better to call back than Bobby Graham himself? And Mick’s coming in to Konk to play tambourine too!
Konks’ studio A is a lovely old wood faced live room. A rectangular room with the control room at one end, and an isolation booth at the rear of the room that is up a few steps. Bobby loaded into the live room and setup his kit.
As I was setting mics on his drums, the then 57 year old Bobby Graham rears back and cracks that God Almighty snare hit! Holy Shit my heart jumped! I’d never heard anything so rousing in all my years in audio!
Just that one snare smack created such incredible excitement that I suddenly understood a small part of what the British Invasion was all about. It was like all the chaos, mad rushes of kids, the smell of stale booze, smokes and tube amps, broken down transit vans, and crazed cultural energy was unleashed once again. Thirty plus years later. (You can hear Bobby reprise this snare approach on the Kinks smash follow up single “All Day & All Of The Night.”)
Graham & Avery Show Respect
I’ll also never forget when Mick Avery came into Konk and shook Bobby Graham’s hand warmly. They hadn’t seen each other for many years and now the two journeymen musicians genuinely appreciated each other. A smiling Ray and I were off to the side of the room. It wasn’t about us. That moment was about two drummers. Looking on, I thought of the thousands of times Mick Avery must have played “You Really Got Me” or “All Day & All Of The Night,” wondering, “Am I grooving this like Bobby Graham?” A tall order to be sure.
Bobby Graham passed away in Hertfordshire at the age of 69. But not before he drummed on much of the music that changed the world, including 13 number one singles. He certainly cracked the snare shot heard ’round the world!
Famed Bowie, Who, and Kinks producer Shel Talmy said, “For me Bobby Graham was the greatest drummer the UK has ever produced.”
Bobby Graham UK’s Greatest Drummer
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