DADGAD & Davy Graham

Davey Graham

Source: Rate Your Music

Born in Leicestershire on 26 November 1940, British jazz, blues and folk guitarist, Davey Graham (originally Davy and also used), also studied musical forms from about the Mediterranean and India. Graham had left school in 1958 at age eighteen to busk his way through places like Paris, Italy, Greece and Tangiers, Morocco. He would become fluent in several Mediterranean languages. That adventure was fairly descriptive of his career to come as a highly regarded performer of multiple styles, particularly the popularization of what is often called Celtic tuning or, DADGAD (standard guitar tuning being EADGBE), which he devised to better play the oud with Moroccan musicians. A good example of such tuning is 'She Moved Through the Bizarre' ('She Moved Through the Fair') in 1963 and 1967 below. Rock guitarist, Jimmy Page, was also fond of DADGAD tuning.

Graham was first recorded in 1959 by the BBC for a television series titled 'Monitior':

'Cry Me a River'   Davey Graham on the BBC telecast 'Monitor'   1959

Composition: Arthur Hamilton

Graham's first record release wasn't until early 1962 on an EP (extended play) titled '3/4 AD' (Topic 70) containing 'Angi', 'Davy's Train Blues' and '3/4 AD'. 'Angi' and 'Davy's Train Blues' were guitar solos composed by Graham. Alexis Korner contributed guitar to their mutual composition, '3/4 AD'.

'Anji'   Davey Graham from the album '3/4 A.D.' 1962

Composition: Davey Graham

'3/4 A.D.'   Davey Graham from the album '3/4 A.D.' 1962

Composition: Davey Graham / Alexis Korner

Graham released his first LP, 'The Guitar Player', in 1963, that containing his composition, 'Blues for Betty'. 'She Moved Thro' The Fair' first appeared on the EP, 'From A London Hootenanny' issued the same year on Decca DFD 8538. The telecast below of the same year illustrates DADGAD tuning:

'She Moved Thru' the Fair'  DADGAD tuning by Davey Graham   Unidentified telecast   UK 1963

Composition: Irish traditional first published 1909 by Boosey & Hawkes

Arranged by Davey Graham

Graham issued 'Folk, Blues and Beyond' in January of 1965 containing his composition, 'Maajun ('A Taste of Tangier)' along with a number of blues tunes.

'My Babe'   Davey Graham   Album: 'Folk, Blues and Beyond'   1965

Composition: Willie Dixon

In 1966 Graham released the album 'Midnight Man' containing his composition, 'No Preacher Blues'.

'No Preacher Blues'   Davey Graham   Album: 'Midnight Man'   1966

Composition: Davey Graham

'She Moved Thru' the Fair' w 'Blue Raga'  Davey Graham   Unidentified telecast   UK 1967

Arrangement / composition: Davey Graham

'Midnight Man' was followed by 'Large as Life and Twice as Natural' in 1968 containing several compositions such as 'Tristano'. Rate Your Music has Graham issuing 14 albums to as late as 'Broken Biscuits' in 2007. Among those was his notable 'The Complete Guitarist' in 1977 on which he studied multiple styles including blues, Celtic and classical.

'The Road to Lisdoonvana'  Davey Graham   Album: 'The Complete Guitarist'   1977

Composition: Traditional

'The Gold Ring'   Davey Graham   Album: 'The Complete Guitarist'   1977

Composition: Traditional

'All of Me'   Davey Graham   Unidentified telecast   1981

Composition: Gerald Marks / Seymour Simons   1931

'City and Suburban Blues'   Davey Graham   Unidentified telecast   1981

'Fakir'   Davey Graham   Album: 'Fire In the Soul'  1999

Composition: Lalo Schifrin

'Grooveyard'   Davey Graham   Live performance 2007

Composition: Carl Perkins

Graham's skill with guitar might have made him a load of money, but he didn't pursue commercial success. Nor did he ever visit the United States to develop an audience there. He'd made an attempt in 1970 but couldn't obtain a visa due to a marijuana conviction. He had also been fond of heroin during his earlier career. Graham died on December 15, 2008, of lung cancer [obit]. Four years later in 2012 Les Cousins issued 'Anthology 1961-2007 Lost Tapes' in the UK on LC016. That saw release in Netherlands on Music On Vinyl MOVLP486.