Graham Lear (born July 24, 1949) is an English-born Canadian rock drummer, best known for his time with

Gino Vannelli Gino Vannelli (born June 16, 1952) is a Canadian rock singer and songwriter who had several hit songs in the 1970s and 1980s. His best-known singles include "People Gotta Move" (1974), "I Just Wanna Stop" (1978), " Living Inside Myself" (1981) a ...

Santana Santana may refer to: Transportation * Volkswagen Santana, an automobile * Santana Cycles, manufacturer of tandem bicycles * Santana Motors, a former Spanish automobile manufacturer Boats * Santana 20, an American sailboat design by W. D. Sch ...

and

REO Speedwagon REO Speedwagon (originally stylized as R.E.O. Speedwagon) is an American rock band from Champaign, Illinois. Formed in 1967, the band cultivated a following during the 1970s and achieved significant commercial success throughout the 1980s. The ...

. He was born in

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

Background

In 1952 his family moved to

London, Ontario London (pronounced ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River, approximate ...

, Canada. He began his professional career at the age of 13 with the London (Ontario) Symphony Orchestra. During his teenage years he practised, played and toured with several bands in Canada and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

was the first major recording artist to recognize Graham’s talents and he recorded with Gino on some of his most important work ( The Gist of the Gemini,

Storm at Sunup ''Storm at Sunup'' is the third album and opening track of Italian-Canadian jazz-pop singer-songwriter, Gino Vannelli, and was produced by Vannelli and his brother Joe. Unlike his other albums, ''Storm at Sunup'' is a jazz fusion album with much ...

). He has toured and/or recorded worldwide with

Carlos Santana Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán (; born July 20, 1947) is an American guitarist who rose to fame in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band Santana, which pioneered a fusion of Rock and roll and Latin American jazz. Its sound featured ...

Paul Anka Paul Albert Anka (born July 30, 1941) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter and actor. He is best known for his signature hit songs including " Diana", " Lonely Boy", "Put Your Head on My Shoulder", and " (You're) Having My Baby". Anka also ...

and

Saga is a series of science fantasy role-playing video games by Square Enix. The series originated on the Game Boy in 1989 as the creation of Akitoshi Kawazu at Square (video game company), Square. It has since continued across multiple platforms, ...

. He has also worked with T.V./ Film composers

Henry Mancini Henry Mancini ( ; born Enrico Nicola Mancini, ; April 16, 1924 – June 14, 1994) was an American composer, conductor, arranger, pianist and flautist. Often cited as one of the greatest composers in the history of film, he won four Academy Award ...

Domenic Troiano Domenic Michele Antonio Troiano (January 17, 1946 – May 25, 2005) was a Canadian guitarist and songwriter, best known as a member of Mandala, Bush, James Gang, and The Guess Who. He also recorded music for film and television, often made guest a ...

Jimmy Dale Jimmy Dale may refer to: * Jimmy Dale (footballer) (1870–1948), Scottish footballer * Jimmy Dale (musician) Jimmy Dale (23 October 1935 – 20 May 2017) was a British-born Canadian arranger, composer, conductor, organist, and pianist. He w ...

(Pianist/arranger Boss Brass),

David Foster David Walter Foster (born November 1, 1949) is a Canadian musician, composer, arranger, record producer and music executive who chaired Verve Records from 2012 to 2016. He has won 16 Grammy Awards from 47 nominations. His music career spans mor ...

, Mexican jazz/fusion group Sacbe, and recorded jingles for

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine given ...

Molson The Molson Brewery is a Canadian based brewery company based in Montreal which was established in 1786 by the Molson family. In 2005, Molson merged with the Adolph Coors Company to become Molson Coors. Molson Coors maintains some of its Can ...

and

Avia Avia Motors s.r.o. is a Czech automotive manufacturer. It was founded in 1919 as an aircraft maker, and diversified into trucks after 1945. As an aircraft maker it was notable for producing biplane fighter aircraft, especially the B-534. Avia ...

. His recordings credits include ''Moonflower, Inner Secrets, Marathon, Zebop, Shango'' and ''Viva'' (Santana); ''Swing of Delight, Havana Moon'' and ''Blues for Salvador'' (Carlos Santana); ''The Gist of the Gemini, Powerful People, Storm at Sunup, Yonder Tree'', and ''Slow Love'' (Gino Vannelli); ''Second Decade'' (REO Speedwagon); ''Instinct'' (Tom Grant). ''

Modern Drummer ''Modern Drummer'' is a monthly publication targeting the interests of drummers and percussionists. The magazine features interviews, equipment reviews, and columns offering advice on technique, as well as information for the general public. ''Mo ...

'' interviewed Graham (July 82, Feb.99) The solo "Heads Hands and Feet" from Santana's ''Moonflower'' CD and the track "Where Am I Going?" from Gino Vannelli's ''Storm At Sunup'' CD were transcribed for Modern Drummer issues. Other publications include two cover features in the German publications ''Drums and Percussion'' (Jan '84) and Sticks (April '90). His sampling and loop CD, ''Latin Rock Drumscapes'' featuring Orestes Vilato on percussion, released by Northstar Productions, received a 4.5 (out of five) rating in the Dec.98 issue of Electronic Musician.

1960s to 1970s

Natural Gas

He was a member of the group

Natural Gas Natural gas (also called fossil gas or simply gas) is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbo ...

which released their self-titled album on the Firebird label in 1970. He co-arranged the track "Rameses I" with

Brian Wray Brian Wray was a veteran Canadian musician and musical arranger. He had been a member of three major Canadian bands, Natural Gas in the late 1960s, Motherlode and Truck in the early 1970s. He also worked with Lisa Hartt, Freedom North, Moe Kof ...

and

Carl Watral Natural Gas was a Canadian rock music group featuring a horn section. Consisting of eight members, it was formed by George Olliver. They released an album and a single in 1970. They had hit that year with "All Powerful Man". Their self-titled alb ...

Truck

He was drummer in the group Truck which had evolved out of the group, Sound Spectrum. The group Sound Spectrum came from Ingersoll, Ontario. Formed in 1966, the line up included Bill Caldwell, Sandy MacKay, Dave Borland, Rob Oliver and Bruce Fleming. In 1969, they changed their name to Truck. By May, 1972, they were signed to Sundog Productions. A celebration was held at Thunder Sound Studios to celebrate the acquisition of the group. Much of the organization and public relations to get key industry people to the April 19th event was handled by Michele Frank. Lighthouse's

Skip Prokop Ronald Harry "Skip" Prokop (December 13, 1943 – August 30, 2017) was a Canadian drummer, guitarist and keyboardist. He was also a band leader, was a founding member of the Canadian rock music groups the Paupers and Lighthouse. Early life Proko ...

also attended the event. The group's manager at the time was Peter Francey. When their 1972 album was released, the line-up included Lear on Drums and Percussion, Larry Ernewein on Bass and Backing Vocals,

Bill Usher Bill Usher is a Canadian drummer and percussionist. During the 1970s he was a member of the rock group Truck. Background He played on Bob McBride's ''Sea of Dreams'' album that was released in 1973. He produced artist Mark Rust, whose recording ...

on congas and bongos, Joey Miquelon (aka Joey Roberts) on guitar, Brian Wray on Keyboards, Flute, Backing Vocals, Michael Curtis on Lead Vocals, Flute, Acoustic Guitar and percussion and James Roberts on Tenor Saxophone, Flute and Organ. The group released two singles in 1972, "Canada" bw "Rain" on

Capitol A capitol, named after the Capitoline Hill in Rome, is usually a legislative building where a legislature meets and makes laws for its respective political entity. Specific capitols include: * United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. * Numerous ...

72679, and the Latin flavored "Get It Together" bw "Can’t Wait Until Tomorrow" on Capitol 72687. Their self-titled album was also released that year which included the track "Rollin's On My Mind" which he co-wrote with keyboardist

. During their time they opened up for

ELP Elp is a small village in the Dutch province of Drenthe. It is a part of the municipality of Midden-Drenthe, and lies about 15 km south of Assen. The village was first mentioned in 1362 as "in Elpe". The etymology is unclear. Elp was home t ...

Deep Purple Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal music, heavy metal and modern hard rock music, but their musical style has changed over the course of its existence. Ori ...

and

Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac are a British-American rock band, formed in London in 1967. Fleetwood Mac were founded by guitarist Peter Green, drummer Mick Fleetwood and guitarist Jeremy Spencer, before bassist John McVie joined the line-up for their epony ...

. The biggest gig they played was to 20,000 people at the Rockwood Music Festival in Orangeville, Ontario. After a series of line-up changes the group broke up in 1974.

Backing

1970s to 1990s

By 1974, he was a member of Gino Vannelli's backing band. Having played to crowds in clubs in Vancouver and Toronto etc., they returned to Montreal for a break in September. By late September, 1976, Lear and keyboard player Richard Baker had left Vanelli's band. It was suggested that this was due to the way that Vannelli took control of the music, how it should be played and creating a situation where musical freedom wasn't given to the musicians. Also in 1976 he was playing with

who was booked to play at the Colonial Dance Palace from November 1 to 6. He was also asked to do an album with guitarist Toriano. His association with

was sparked off when Santana heard him playing on Gino Vannelli's ''Storm at Sunup'' album and liked what he heard. It took some time for Santana to get hold of Lear who was previously at Los Angeles as he had moved back to Toronto. He was rehearsing there to do an album with Troiano. However he got a phone call to audition with Santana and flew to San Francisco to do it and ended up getting the job. He had to ring up Troiano with the words ''"maybe next time"''.''Modern Drummer'', July, 1982
Page 12 - 14 Forward Progression With Santana's Graham Lear ''by Susan Alexander''
/ref>

2000s

In 2007, Graham was touring internationally with Paul Anka, performing with ''

Menopause The Musical ''Menopause The Musical'' is a 2001 musical with book and lyrics by Jeanie Linders which premiered on March 28, 2001 in Orlando, Florida. The musical follows four mature women shopping for lingerie at a Bloomingdale's sale, with lyrics parodying p ...

'' in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

plus teaching, recording and performing in the Portland area with local artists.

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lear, Graham 1949 births Living people British rock drummers Canadian rock drummers Canadian male drummers English emigrants to Canada Santana (band) members REO Speedwagon members Musicians from London Natural Gas (musical group) members Truck (Canadian band) members