![]() ![]() A regular patron was so impressed that she telephoned a disc jockey, Sly Stone, and urged him to listen to me. In this way I developed my own distinctive thumping-and-plucking style of bass playing. To make up for the lack of a drummer, I thumped and plucked the bass strings of my guitar to accentuate the rhythm. At the age of 15, I began playing in nightclubs as part of the Dell Graham Trio, which was made up of my mother on piano, me on lead guitar, and a drummer. By the time I was 13, I had my own professional rock ’n’ roll band called The Five Riffs. Later, I learned to play the drums, the clarinet, and the saxophone. When I was 11, my father gave me his guitar and amplifier, and I eagerly set about learning this new instrument. Two years later, I learned the piano under the guidance of my grandmother, who cared for me in those early years. ![]() Soon afterward my family moved to Oakland, California, where I started tap dancing at the age of five. She was a pianist with the church choir, and my father was a jazz guitarist. In 1946 I was born into a musical family in Beaumont, Texas, my mother’s only son. However, before describing it, let me explain things that shaped my life. I have found a rare treasure, a ‘one in a million’ find. That was indeed a thrilling moment, but it is now far from the most memorable event of my life. A tremendous roar of approval came from the throats of half a million people as they called for an encore of our performance. It was awe-inspiring! I was the bass guitarist and singer with Sly and the Family Stone, one of the best-known music groups of the time. A sea of humanity stretched as far as the eye could see. THE New York Woodstock Music Festival in 1969 was the most thrilling moment of my musical career. ![]()
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