Larry Graham

American musician

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June 17, 2026

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Larry Graham is an American musician, widely recognized as the inventor of the slap bass technique. He was a founding member of the influential funk and rock band Sly and the Family Stone, where he played bass and contributed to hits like "Dance to the Music" and "Thank You (Falletinme Be Mice Elf Agin)". Graham's innovative bass playing, characterized by "thumping" and "plucking," significantly impacted funk and subsequent genres like hip-hop. After leaving Sly and the Family Stone, he formed his own successful group, Graham Central Station, and continued a solo career.12

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bass
Larry Graham (b. 1946): Often credited with inventing the slap bass technique, Graham’s playing with Sly and the Family Stone and Graham Central Station helped define funk bass. Carol Kaye (b. 1935): Kaye is one of the most recorded bassists in history, having played on…
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Larry Graham (b. 1946): Often credited with inventing the slap bass technique, Graham’s playing with Sly and the Family Stone and Graham Central Station helped define funk bass. Carol Kaye (b. 1935): Kaye is one of the most recorded bassists in history, having played on…
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Sly and the Family Stone
Band dissolution and later albums
Graham, who had pioneered the funk bass style of “thumping” and “plucking,” left the band in 1972 to form his own successful group, Graham Central Station, and later to pursue a solo singing career. With a new bassist, Rusty Allen, Sly produced his final gold…
Read More
Graham, who had pioneered the funk bass style of “thumping” and “plucking,” left the band in 1972 to form his own successful group, Graham Central Station, and later to pursue a solo singing career. With a new bassist, Rusty Allen, Sly produced his final gold…
Read More