Sunday Musical Magic Celebrating the 2022 Birthday of Don Raye and Drummer Bobby Graham

by Robert Wilkinson

Our Sunday early show features short sets from two obscure talents who have been heard by millions!

Don Raye (born Donald MacRae Wilhoite, Jr., March 16, 1909 – January 29, 1985) was a vaudevillian and songwriter. His biggest tunes were major hits for The Andrews Sisters, including "Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar", "The House of Blue Lights", "Just for a Thrill" and "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy." He also wrote "(That Place) Down the Road a Piece," a boogie woogie which became a rock and roll standard recorded by Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, the Stones, Foghat, and others.

Dig these boogie woogie classics!

From 1946, the original by Freddie Slack and Ella Mae Morse! “House of Blue Lights”

Merrill Moore made it a swing hit in 1952! “House of Blue Lights”

Here’s Chuck’s version of “House of Blue Lights”

Jerry Lee just loves to boogie! “House of Blue Lights”

Live on ACL, Asleep at the Wheel gives us their Texas swing version of “House of Blue Lights”

Live at the Capitol Theater in 1984, Thorogood checks in with his rocking version of “House of Blue Lights”

The Piano Man did a live vamped-up version at MSG in 2019! “House of Blue Lights.”

Our final version is one of my favorites, courtesy of the Flamin’ Groovies! This is some serious rock and roll! (Dig the cats. Dig the cats in the shades….) “House of Blue Lights”

From 78 years ago, a great war video, very live and real time film clip, where the Andrews Sisters deliver a rousing version of “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy”

A great video of the early Stones cranking out Don’s “Down The Road Apiece”

Chuck’s version! “Down The Road Apiece”

Another great version by Jerry Lee! “Down The Road Apiece”

We’ll close with another Don wrote, sung by Bob Mitchum, but never used in the movie. “The Ballad of Thunder Road” (no, this is not the Bruce Springsteen classic!)

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We now celebrate the birthday of Bobby Graham (11 March 1940 – 14 September 2009) was an English session drummer, composer, arranger and record producer. From wiki, “Shel Talmy, who produced The Kinks, David Bowie and The Who, described Graham as "the greatest drummer the UK has ever produced." It’s also legend that he got a call from Brian Epstein to be the drummer in “a certain group” but he turned down the gig, and the world got Ringo!

Graham played on 13 number one singles, including those by The Dave Clark Five, Englebert Humperdinck, Peter and Gordon, Jackie Trent, The Kinks, Tom Jones and Dusty Springfield, and appeared on a total of 40 UK top five hits (10 number two hits; 4 number 3 hits; 6 number 4 hits; 7 number five hits; 107 top 50 hits - 1155 days in the charts). In a discography that counts approximately 15,000 titles, he played on hits by John Barry, Shirley Bassey, Joe Cocker, Billy Fury, Herman's Hermits, Benny Hill, Rod Stewart, Dave Berry, Joe Brown and The Bruvvers, Chubby Checker, Petula Clark, Brenda Lee, Lulu, Brian Poole & The Tremeloes, The Pretty Things, PJ Proby, Van Morrison, Them, The Walker Brothers, and Marianne Faithfull.

He was part of the UK equivalent to the Wrecking Crew in Los Angeles, and played on some of the biggest hits of the 60s! For your enjoyment, the drumming of Bobby Graham!

He did these for the Kinks! He was on their first monster hit, "You Really Got Me," as well as their second "All Day And All Of The Night" and third "Tired of Waiting." He also got the call to play this Dave Davies classic! "Death of a Clown."

He was pounding on this hit for the Animals! “We Gotta Get Out of This Place”

Rod Stewart had him on “Good Morning Little Schoolgirl” and he played on Them’s “Baby Please Don’t Go” and “Gloria” (with Jimmy Page on guitar!)

He played on these three monster hits! For Petula Clark, “Downtown” and for Dusty, “I Only Want To Be With You.” The third was when Mickie Most brought Brenda Lee to the UK to record “Is It True” (with Jimmy Page on guitar!)

We complete this short set of hits by this remarkable drummer with two of the biggest of 1964 by the Dave Clark Five, “Glad All Over” and “Bits and Pieces”

Here's a great written interview with Bobby where he talks about his career, and why he turned down the Beatles. From the archive - Bobby Graham

© Copyright 2022 Robert Wilkinson

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