Born Robert Francis Neate, he left school at 15 and became a trainee projectionist at the Regal Cinema in the London borough of Edmonton. Although films fascinated him, it was the Sunday night concerts which really captured his imagination when he saw the likes of Stan Kenton and Ted Heath.
Graham’s first major musical experiences came though working at Butlins. At the end of the season, he found little musical work until asked to form a band to back Mike Berry. He was with The Outlaws, Joe Meek’s house band, from 1960 to late 1961, when he became one of Joe Brown’s Bruvvers.
It was during this time that he was allegedly approached by Brian Epstein to join an up and coming Liverpool band.
Graham declined and went on to Marty Wilde’s Wildcats and briefly The John Barry Seven. This took him into session work but, whereas most of the established session drummers came from a jazz or big band background, it was Graham’s experience in rock ’n’ roll which made him an in-demand player.
He moved into production for Fontana, with The Pretty Things, and even co-wrote several of their tracks. By the mid-seventies Graham had dropped out of the music business but he rekindled his interest in the nineties, producing a CD entitled ‘The session man’ to accompany the autobiography of the same title. He also recorded an album Diamonds are Trumps with ex-Shadow Jet Harris.
He died at a hospice in Welwyn Garden City and is survived by wife Belinda, son Shawn and brother Ian.
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