Carl Graves is a musician from Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He has been a member of various groups in his career and had a number of hits in the 1970s.
Early life and education
Graves is from Alberta, Canada, and has been in bands since high school. Graves studied at the
Royal Conservatory of Music
The Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM), branded as The Royal Conservatory, is a non-profit music education institution and performance venue headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 1886 by Edward Fisher (musician), Edward ...
in Toronto and completed his studies in
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
music.
Career
Achieving a degree of local fame in Canada, he was a member of the group Soul Unlimited.
He later played percussion for
Skylark
''Alauda'' is a genus of larks found across much of Europe, Asia and in the mountains of north Africa, and one of the species (the Raso lark) endemic to the islet of Raso in the Cape Verde Islands. Further, at least two additional species are ...
and was also their third lead singer.
His hits during the 1970s include "Baby Hang Up the Phone",
"
Heart Be Still"
and “Hey Radio.
"Heart Be Still", written by
Lee Garrett
Lee Garrett (born June 30, 1943, in Mississippi) is an American rhythm and blues singer-songwriter, most famous for co-writing the classic song "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours". He recorded a handful of solo singles during the 1960s, one of ...
and
Robert Taylor,
debuted at no. 84 on the
''Billboard'' Hot Soul Hits singles chart on January 3, 1976. At week eight, it reached its peak position of 26 on February 21.
It debuted on the ''
Cashbox'' Top 100 R&B chart at no. 83 for the week of January 17, 1976. It peaked at no. 33 on the chart for the week of February 28, 1976. He also recorded the single "Sad Girl", which eventually peaked at no. 46 in the ''
Record World
''Record World'' magazine was one of the three main music industry trade magazines in the United States, along with '' Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 under the name ''Music Vendor'', but in 1964 it was changed to ''Record Wo ...
'' R&B Singles chart on May 28, 1977.
From 1988 until 1994, he played keyboards and sang background vocals in the band
Oingo Boingo
Oingo Boingo () was an American new wave band formed by songwriter Danny Elfman in 1979. The band emerged from a surrealist musical theatre troupe, The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo, that Elfman had led and written material for in the ye ...
. He currently performs with the group Oingo Boingo Former Members.
Further reading
* Abbey, John. ''Blues & Soul''. ''B&S'' debut feature: Carl Graves. 27 May 1975.
References
External links
* Discogs â€
Carl Graves* ''Musician'' Bio â€
Carl Graves* Rob Frith channel â€
Carl Graves and Soul Unlimited (Video clip)* Dustyologist II channel â€
Baby Hang Up The Phone-Carl Graves-1974
{{DEFAULTSORT:Graves, Carl
Canadian soul singers
20th-century Black Canadian male singers
Skylark (Canadian band) members
Oingo Boingo members
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people