FUTURE RELEASES (SUTTON/DEE)
NEWS
FROM THE DEPTHS OF DORSET LOCKDOWN
- Released - 17 July 2020
At the age of 77, veteran music man Graham Dee has transformed the loneliness of coronavirus self-isolation into a creative and productive new era.
Experimenting for the first time with the unfamiliar world of online technology, he has thrown all his energy into songwriting, recording and producing new tracks from his home during lockdown.
In a career that spans some 60 years Graham has recorded and toured with the likes of the Walker Brothers, Carl Perkins, John Lee Hooker and Tom Jones. He hung out with The Beatles, listened as the pre-fame David Bowie hatched his plans, and briefly lived with the Allman Brothers.
Working over the internet across a distance of some 250 miles with fellow songwriter Richard Sutton, he has now recorded two songs with accompanying videos, and there are more releases in the pipeline.
‘VACCINE (For the World)’ is a groove-driven pop plea to the people of the world to come together and save the planet for the good of us all… and our children to come.
'Ballad of Old Covid', by contrast, is a toe tapping outlaw-style country song with hints of Johnny Cash, bringing humour and warmth to the unique challenges of our times.
Available for streaming and download from 17 July 2020
CARNABY STREET SOUL WEST COAST VIBES
- Acid Jazz - 31 January 2020
Moving tribute to Graham's life in music
The long awaited album, a unique collection of Graham Dee songs from the 60s and 70s, is being released on CD and vinyl by indie record company Acid Jazz on 31 January.
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Available from all the usual online stores and streaming sites as well as specialist vinyl retailers, the album celebrates the breadth and depth of Graham's contribution to music during this iconic era.
According to Acid Jazz: "This album is our tribute to an eccentric, a charmer, an unsung sixties hero.....who still has soul. The character that is Graham Dee has lived one hell of a life, from surviving the blitzing of East London during WW2 to playing with Pink Floyd & Jimmy Page – Graham has done it all and this compilation will look back at the story of his life through music."
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An entertaining biography and collection of Graham's anecdotes, penned by Richard Searle, accompanies the album.
Sampaguita features on collector's vinyl -
Acid Jazz - 29 November 2019
Well respected Indie label, Acid Jazz, is celebrating a major milestone in its 32-year history with the release of a special edition vinyl, AJX500.
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The ten-track album showcases Acid Jazz in 2019 and indicates its future direction for 2020.
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A serious collector’s item, the vinyl is the label’s 500th release, and only 500 copies have been pressed.
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Graham's track Sampaguita (read more) has been chosen for inclusion on the album. The song will be on the new vinyl, Carnaby Street Soul, West Coast Vibes, due for release with Acid Jazz in 2020.
AJX500 - In Acid Jazz's own words
An exclusive new track by Matt Berry’s Music previews the long awaited follow up to his Top 40 album TV Themes, which will arrive next year. There are exclusive-to-vinyl remixes of the The Brand New Heavies by Fouk, the Disco Freaks radio edition of This City by Laville and a Corduroy remix by their drummer Ben Addison.
The album opens with two blistering debut releases: the afro-funky psychedelic bootyshake of Theme by Lightning Orchestra and newly christened Soul Revivers with their Ethiopiques meets Kingston groove on Harder which features 87-year-old reggae legend Ernest Ranglin’s shimmering guitar hooks. Argentinian mega-producer Kevin Fingier takes time out of the Aggrotones to launch his soul/jazz project with Sunglasses After Dark PT2. Our friends at Unique in Germany have lent us the cosmic garage of Suzan Kotcher.
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The oldies are courtesy of UK producer Graham Dee and the Orchestre Picoby Band D’Abomey – Dahomy. The later with a 1970s funky stew from Benin previously only available on a rare 7 inch from the Albarika Stores label from Benin. Dee’s Sampaguita is a take on a song that the UK based producer wrote for a Moacir Santos Blue Note album and is being released for the first time.
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AJX500 was a limited edition of 500 copies, only available from Acid Jazz.
PAPER PLANE - Co-produced by Graham Dee
15 Oct 2018
Graham Dee returns to his roots
The lure of the studio has proven too hard to resist for producer Graham Dee.
Travelling to London, Norwich and Cambridge on a regular basis, Graham has returned to his musical roots and been co-producing an album of songs by young Norwich-based singer songwriter Richard Sutton.
"We met years ago on a cabinet making course," Graham explains, "and even then I could see that he had something special."
It wasn't until Graham heard a demo of one of his songs, Nothing Matters Anymore, that he knew he had to become involved.
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In spite of living nearly 300 miles away in Dorset, Graham has been commuting regularly for recording and mixing sessions.
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The album, Paper Plane, was released on 15 October 2018.
LINKS
Having travelled in style from Dorset (Sophie was wise enough to take the bus) and set-up our stall (in the right place!), we sold the first record to Neil – a guy with a very dapper jacket. Then I discovered the beer…
Independent Label Market,
November 2014
Along with all the other brewers present, this was probably the reason sales dipped in the afternoon. Too many happy-but-skint punters…I’m not surprised, especially with the coffee stout on offer!
To enhance the mood, the media boys came round. If they use anything, I hope it makes sense.
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After a long and enjoyable day singing, signing and selling we packed up, drove back out through the West End and returned to the Dorset lair at ’round midnight.
Sofar, Bournemouth
Carrying especially borrowed acoustic guitars from Lindo Guitars, Callum and Graham climbed the stairs of a Bournemouth flat towards a very entertaining evening of music and chat.
Adding to the sense of expectation, Graham dropped his guitar pick…inside the guitar! A rattle or two later, he and Callum (who plays lead on The Thirteenth Man) were groovin’ again.
Lindo Guitars, Bristol
With engineer, co-producer and all round good egg Martin Smith.
The guys at Lingo Guitars filmed a few numbers, including this one from my new album:
Bashley Village Show, Saturday 19th July 2014
It was a charity gig and I was doing it as a favour for my old mate, Reg Squires. Callum Gibson (Guitar) and Pip Evans (Bass) came along to do their bit. Thanks guys! Weather-wise, it was ‘touch and go’ if we’d be able to perform on the day – with thunderstorms and downpours the night before and showers forecast.
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Luckily, the sun came out, the gig went ahead and everybody had a great time. They’ve asked us to do their festival next year, so look out for us on either Saturday 15th or Sunday 16th August 2015.
Maverick Festival, 4-6 July 2014
It was the 7th Maverick ‘Americana’ Festival in Woodbridge, Suffolk this past weekend (4-6th July) and as it turned out, lucky seven for me. Guesting on the bill was an old session mate, David Hood, that legendary ‘Swamper’ from Muscle Shoals, Alabama.
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It had been 43 years since I’d played with David and the guys at the Muscle Shoals Sound Studios in 1971 - so we had a lot to catch up on.The outcome is we are both up for getting together next Spring, in Alabama, to record a new album of my songs. So watch this space!
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Some of the other people I bumped into were Hannah Aldridge, a great singer-songwriter who hails from Muscle Shoals, now based in Nashville. The ‘House of Hats’ group from Brighton who have fantastic harmonies and were a great set of guys and gal. Danya Kurtz, a singer-songwriter with a terrific voice ( has dueted with Norah Jones amongst others) who was accompanied by Robert Mache, a top man on electric guitar. So much talent at the gig! Yeh, really glad I went!
