Graham Central Station
American band From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
American band From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Graham Central Station was an American funk band named after founder Larry Graham (formerly of Sly and the Family Stone).[1][5] The name is a pun on New York City's Grand Central Terminal, often colloquially called Grand Central Station.
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Graham Central Station | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Oakland, California, United States |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1973–1979, 1997–1998, 2012 |
| Labels | Warner Bros., WEA, Star Maker, P-Vine, Rhino |
| Past members | Larry Graham David Vega Hershall Kennedy Willie Sparks[3] Patryce "Chocolate" Banks[4] |
 | This section's factual accuracy is disputed. (August 2023) |
The band's origins[4][6][7] date from when Santana guitarist Neal Schon formed the band Azteca in 1972 along with Larry Graham (bass guitar) and Gregg Errico (drums), both from Sly and the Family Stone, and Pete Sears (keyboards), from Hot Tuna and Jefferson Starship. Santana bass guitar player Tom Rutley moved into the bass spot with Azteca. That band, like Santana with heavy Latin influences, eventually morphed into Graham Central Station, while Schon formed Journey.[citation needed] The invention of electric slap bass is attributed by many (including Victor Wooten and Bootsy Collins) to Graham, which influenced many musical genres, such as funk, R&B and disco.[4]
In 1974, they released the single "Can You Handle It?". It peaked at number 9 on the R&B charts[1] and number 49 on the Billboard Hot 100. Graham Central Station's biggest hit was "Your Love", which charted at number 1 on the R&B charts in 1975.[1] The same year they issued a cover version of the Detroit Emeralds 1972 hit "Feel the Need in Me".[7] It reached number 18 on the R&B charts and this would be the bands only hit in the UK peaking at number 53.[8] The group also integrated gospel music into their repertoire, and played with the dichotomy between the funk/rock star image and the "sanctified" gospel group image. Some of their recordings feature the Tower of Power horn section.
In 2011, Graham Central Station opened for Prince on Prince's "Welcome 2 America" tour.[9]
| Year | Album | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Label | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [12] |
US R&B [13] | ||||
| 1974 | Graham Central Station | 48 | 20 | Warner Bros | |
| Release Yourself | 51 | 22 | |||
| 1975 | Ain't No 'Bout-A-Doubt It | 22 | 4 | ||
| 1976 | Mirror | 46 | 7 | ||
| 1977 | Now Do U Wanta Dance | 67 | 12 | ||
| 1978 | My Radio Sure Sounds Good to Me | 105 | 18 | WEA | |
| 1979 | Star Walk | 136 | 44 | Warner Bros | |
| 1997 | By Popular Demand | — | — | P-Vine | |
| 1998 | GCS 2000 (produced with Prince) | — | — | NPG | |
| 2012 | Raise Up | — | 65 | Moosicus Records | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | |||||
| Year | Title | Chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US R&B [8] |
US Pop [8] |
UK [8] | ||
| 1974 | "Release Yourself" | 56 | ― | — |
| "Can You Handle It?" | 9 | 49 | ― | |
| 1975 | "Feel the Need" | 18 | ― | 53 |
| "Your Love" | 1 | 38 | ― | |
| "It's Alright" | 19 | 92 | ― | |
| 1976 | "Entrow (Part 1)" | 21 | — | ― |
| "Love" | 14 | — | ― | |
| "The Jam" | 15 | 63 | ― | |
| 1977 | "Now Do-U-Wanta Dance" | 10 | — | ― |
| "Stomped Beat-Up and Whooped" | 25 | ― | ― | |
| 1978 | "Is It Love? | 65 | ― | ― |
| "My Radio Sure Sounds Good to Me" | 18 | ― | ― | |
| "Star Walk" | 85 | — | — | |
| 1979 | "(You're a) Foxy Lady" | 37 | — | — |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | ||||
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