Larry Graham began his career as a bass player with Sly & The Family Stone before forming his own band Graham Central Station in 1973. He has proved invaluable to funk and has probably been the most important bass player for the genre. He is not a true virtuoso on his instrument, but was responsible for the invention of slap bass. This was caused by a lack of drummer, which meant that the bass
… player had to absorb the entire rhythm section. By hammering with the thumb on the lowest bass strings, the bass drum was imitated and the snare drum was imitated by pulling the higher strings with the index finger, creating a melody part in addition to a popping sound. Numerous bass players followed his example and the slapbass or plukbas became a household name. Naturally, this form of bass is extensively covered on Raise Up, which starts with the drum band sound with which Graham Central Station has been performing live for years. Raise Up also consists of polished old material and new pieces that he made with the help of Prince and Raphael Saadiq, among others. (AD)more
