It is with great sadness that we have to announce that Davy died yesterday amongst friends and family from a massive seizure at home after a short battle with lung cancer. There will be a private family funeral held in the next few days and a public memorial in January; details of which will be available at www.lescousins.co.uk shortly. Davy will be missed by those of us who loved him. The many fans who came to see his last concerts gave him much joy and satisfaction and was something he drew great strength from. Messages of condolence can be sent via davygraham@lescousins.co.uk
www.lescousins.co.uk
Davy Graham was a guitarist, singer and arranger who revolutionised guitar playing in the early sixties and enjoyed a long career as England's greatest: if often over-looked, guitarist.
Revered by several generations of guitarists, he invented the Folk -Baroque style, invented a modal tuning system for the guitar called DADGAD and composed the signature tune of the sixties folk revival, Anji.
There is a danger of letting many gems slip through the gaps of rigidly imposed labels; it is unwise to think of Davy in terms of "Folk Music".
Davy demonstrated that folk music has as much right to be thought about and developed as art music or jazz. He has been influenced by these forms as well as by folk, Indian and Arabic and also Occidental.
His music, a blend of so much, is itself a minature universe, "I write my own complete music, resulting from a fusion of influences"
`I'm a traveller really, I would die as a person if I stayed in place for more than a year, I like to change my impressions and refresh my personality. My roots are in my music, and in my friends, that's enough…"
"A traveling man who had made the fabled journey down to Tangiers when the
rest of us still had our sights set on Brighton pier" JOHN RENBOURN
"He's my absolute hero, always will be" BERT JANSCH
"I wanted to be Davy Graham." JOHN MARTYN
"Davy was and is the Man"MARTIN CARTHY
"Probably England's greatest guitarist" PAUL SIMON
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