With 1977's Now Do U Wanta Dance, Graham Central Station scored another R&B smash with the title track by the release of 1978's My Radio Sure Sounds Good to Me, Graham's wife Tina had signed on as a vocalist, but pop crossover success remained elusive, and after Star Walk the following year, the group disbanded.
The debut Graham Central album, an eponymously titled effort released in 1974, proved highly successful, launching a minor pop hit with "Can You Handle It." Another hit, "Feel the Need," emerged from Release Yourself, issued later that same year the third GCS LP, 1975's Ain't No Bout-A-Doubt It, yielded the single "Your Love," a Top 40 pop hit which also topped the R&B charts. A propulsive, infectious funk ensemble, their original roster also included guitarist David "Dynamite" Vega, keyboardists Robert "Butch" Sam (formerly with Billy Preston), and Hershall "Happiness" Kennedy, percussionist Patryce "Chocolate" Banks, and drummer Willie "Wild" Sparks. In the wake of behind-the-scenes turmoil, Graham exited the group in late 1972 after initially agreeing to produce a band named Hot Chocolate (not the same act famed for hit singles like "Emma" and "You Sexy Thing"), he eventually joined their lineup, renaming the unit Graham Central Station. While attending college, he served as a supporting musician with the likes of John Lee Hooker, Jackie Wilson, Jimmy Reed, and the Drifters in 1968 he joined Sly & the Family Stone, appearing with the group during the halcyon period which gave rise to such classic albums as Stand! and There's a Riot Goin' On, as well as smash singles like "Dance to the Music" and "Everybody Is a Star," both of which prominently feature Graham's cavernous baritone in addition to his enormously influential thumping bass style. Born Augin Beaumont, Texas, Graham was raised in Oakland, California by his teens he was adept not only on bass but also guitar, harmonica, and drums, and at the age of 15 began performing with the Dell Graham Trio, his mother's lounge act. Graham Central Station was a showcase for the revolutionary pop-and-slap bass guitar of Larry Graham, an alumnus of Sly & the Family Stone largely responsible for originating the percussive groove which typified the progressive funk sound of the '70s.
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