That same year GCS was nominated for a Grammy for the “Best New Artist of 1974”. The first album released in early 1974 was named “Graham Central Station” and it included the hit "Can You Handle It." Later in 1974 the next album “Release Yourself” yielded the hit "Feel the Need". The group included guitarist David "Dynamite" Vega on guitar, Robert "Butch" Sam on organ, Hershall "Happiness" Kennedy on keyboard, Patrice "Chocolate" Banks vocalist/ percussionist, and Willie "Wild" Sparks on drums. In the early70s, Larry left Sly and the Family Stone and started to produce a band named Hot Chocolate, which he eventually joined and renamed it Graham Central Station. As it turned out, it was beyond repair… and the rest is history! He wasn’t concerned with playing the so called “correct” over hand style method of playing the bass since this was only temporary until the organ could be repaired. So Larry compensated for not having a bass drum by “thumping” the strings and made up for not having a snare drum by “plucking” them. Larry’s mother decided to change their trio into a duo, just bass and piano. George bass from Music Unlimited in San Leandro CA.
One night the organ broke down leaving the band without the bass sound they had become used to. Larry taught himself to play the bass pedals while playing the guitar & singing, all at the same time. His mother played piano, with him on guitar and Ruben Kerr on drums (a member of his first band).Īt age 15, one of the nightclubs where they performed regularly had a house organ available that had bass pedals on it. At 15 he joined his mother’s band – “The Dell Graham Trio”. By his teens he was playing a number of instruments including the drums, piano, guitar, bass and harmonica. Larry then taught himself to play and that same year he began his professional music career playing in his first band. However at the age of 11 his father gave him his own personal guitar since his father decided he wasn’t going to perform anymore. In Junior high he joined the school band playing drums which he continued to do all the way through high school. At the age of 5 he began preparing for his life course as a performer by learning to tap dance and shortly thereafter began to take piano lessons. was born on Augin Beaumont, Texas but he was raised in Oakland, California.
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