Larry Graham

Larry Graham is genuinely one of the most influential musicians in funk history, and I don't think he gets nearly enough credit outside of bass-player circles. He practically invented the slap bass technique — that percussive, thumb-thumping style that defined funk and basically became the DNA of modern bass playing — while anchoring Sly and the Family Stone in the late 1960s and early 70s. Then he went ahead and formed Graham Central Station, proving he wasn't just a sideman but a frontman with serious star power. His 1980 hit "One in a Million You" showed off that smooth baritone voice and reached the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100, which is wild when you think about how versatile the man is. Prince was famously a close friend and collaborator, which tells you everything about the caliber of musician we're talking about. Pure legend.

Name (English)

Larry Graham

Name (Japanese)

ラリー・グラハム

Reading

らりー・ぐらはむ

Born

August 14, 1946 (age 79)

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Leo / Dog

Origin

Beaumont, Texas, United States

Occupation

singer / bassist / songwriter / composer / musician

High school

Castlemont High School

Motto

Private

• Official sitehttps://www.larrygraham.com
• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%A9%E3%83%AA%E3%83%BC%E3%83%BB%E3%82%B0%E3%83%A9%E3%83%8F%E3%83%A0

Tags

• Texas
• singer
• bassist
• songwriter

Last updated

2026-06-02

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.