Graham Robinson

Graham Robinson

Graham Robinson is a blues guitarist and performer originally from Jarrow on Tyne and based in Colne, Lancashire. He takes inspiration from the blues traditions he begins exploring as a teenager, first through Peter Green’s playing with Fleetwood Mac, then through artists such as B.B. King, Freddie King, Otis Rush and T-Bone Walker, before moving on to earlier players including Blind Lemon Jefferson, Blind Willie Johnson, Blind Blake, Lonnie Johnson and Blind Boy Fuller.

Background and influences

Robinson’s interest in live acoustic blues deepens in 1972 when he attends The Honeysuckle Blues Club on Coatsworth Road in Gateshead. That club is the only one of its kind on Tyneside and presents entirely acoustic blues. It is run by Jim Murray, Ray Stubbs and Ronnie Johnson with their partners, and features regular performances from Murray, Stubbs and Johnson, both separately and as Pigmeat. Although the club closes less than two years later, the experience leaves a lasting mark on his playing.

His style reflects the east coast, syncopated approaches associated with Blind Boy Fuller and Blind Blake. Other major influences include Bo Carter, Lonnie Johnson, Rev. Gary Davis, Memphis Minnie and Kansas Joe, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Big Bill Broonzy, Fred McDowell, Sleepy John Estes, the Mississippi Sheiks, the Delmore Brothers and the Memphis Jug Band.

Performance style and activity

Robinson performs songs drawn from these blues traditions with energy and conviction, using a very old Stella and National resonator guitars. He appears at blues festivals and venues in northern England, and in 2008 plays at the Colne, Burnley, Dundee, Maryport and Upton-on-Severn Blues Festivals. He also supports acts including Paul Lamb & The King Snakes, The Spike Drivers, Steve James, The Cadillac Kings, Rag Mama Rag, Michael Roach & Johnny Mars, Olli Brown and Nine Below Zero at venues across the north west of England.