Davy Graham guitarist, singer and arranger who revolutionised guitar playing since the early 1960s, died on 15 December at his home in England after a long battle with lung cancer.
Revered by several generations of guitarists, he invented the folk-baroque style and a particular tuning of the instrument.
Davy has been able to demonstrate how folk music has the same right to be thought of and developed as jazz music, to whose forms he has always been attracted, as well as Western folk music, Indian music and Arabic music. His music, a mixture of all this, is in itself a universe in miniature: 'what I write is completely my own music, but it results from a fusion of influences'. Many of our best artists have felt him to be a master: Bert Jansch ('He has always been my hero, and he will be forever'), John Martyn ('I wanted to be Davy Graham'). As Paul Simon put it 'probably the best guitarist in England'.
"It was back in 1980, I had just under a year before taken my first steps in my career as an international promoter with my 'firm' Barley, and among the first to play for me on one of the Anglo-American fingerpicking tours was him: Davy Graham a genius and a milestone in music history.
Don't let him die twice: buy his music, listen to it and spread it.
I am sure it will make you feel better!
Goodbye Davy plays for the angels now
Claudio
