History and Background
Andy Graham has been a performing Musician and Music Tutor for well over 30 years, covering Piano, Keyboards, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar and Bass. Andy developed an interest in the performing arts at an early age and was always in school bands, choirs and theatrical productions. Andy’s grandfather had a big influence on him as a child, an instrumentally versatile jazz and skiffle musician who used to play with Billy Cotton, the famous big-band leader.
Andy performed his first paid gig at just 12 years of age, which was for the Bromley (Kent) Queen’s Silver Jubilee celebrations in 1977. As well as being a musician, over the years, Andy has also been a radio presenter for various local community radio stations, been heard as a vocalist on BBC Radio 3, and has had minor acting roles on television, including appearing in an episode of Coronation Street and on the Jerry Sadowitz Show, as well as in promotional videos.
Andy has played almost every style of music, but his main background is contemporary, including Pop, Rock, Jazz, Blues and Folk. He has performed at many different types of events, functions and venues. (Please see below for examples of actual venues where Andy has performed). He has also done studio session work, including offering advice on musical arrangements and production.
In its time, Andy was the keyboard player in the well-known UK Pink Floyd tribute band, “Us Not Them”. These days, Andy focuses more on teaching, but still plays in the popular blues band, “Off The Wall” (based around Burslem and Stoke-on-Trent) and “Amethyst”, a versatile cover band (based in Bromley, Kent). He also performs as a solo act for private events, being an accomplished keyboard-vocalist, guitar-vocalist and ‘cocktail’ pianist.
Over the years, Andy has played in various support bands and has, therefore, met and shared the same stage as many well-known bands and artists. These include Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Orchestra, The Pogues, Hawkwind, Doctor & The Medics, Mud, Amazulu, The John Miller Orchestra and Courtney Pine, to name just a few. He has also worked in bands with very prominent musicians, examples including The Sweet’s drummer, Bruce Bisland; Viv Prince, the drummer from the Pretty Things, and Phil Smith, Simply Red’s touring rhythm guitarist.
Andy has an MA from the University of Keele and a professional diploma in coaching (IIC&M). He is also an accredited music tutor with the Registry of Guitar Tutors (RGT) and London College of Music (LCM), which is part of the University of West London, as well as with the Musicians’ Union, of which he is a member. He is DBS checked.
During his time as a music teacher, Andy has helped many of his students go on to further or higher education in music, including the BRIT School, Trinity College London and Croydon College (Music Technology). He has seen a number of his students become professional musicians.
Actual venues where Andy has performed – a small sample of many and in no set order:
Theatres
Trinity Theatre, Tunbridge Wells, Kent; Rhoda McGaw Theatre, Woking, Surrey; The Komedia Theatre, Brighton, East Sussex; Westgate Pavilion, Westgate-on-Sea, Kent; The Old Post Office Theatre, Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent.
Popular Music Venues
The Rock Garden, Covent Garden, London; The Mick Jagger Centre, Dartford, Kent; Earls, Maidstone, Kent; The Brave New World (formerly The Bun Shop), Surbiton, Surrey; The Cartoon, Croydon, Surrey; The Bank Pub, Exmouth, Devon; The Grey Horse, Kingston upon Thames, London; The Studio, Beckenham, Kent; The Two Brewers, Covent Garden, London; Eastbourne Bandstand, Eastbourne, East Sussex.
Social Clubs
The New Circle Club, Elmers End, Beckenham, Kent; Sutton Football Club, Sutton, Surrey; Harrow British Legion Club, Harrow, Middlesex; Hayes (Kent) British Legion Club; The Bromley United Services Club, Bromley, Kent; Greenwich Town Social Club, Greenwich, SE London; Sidcup Working Men’s Club, Sidcup, SE London; Oakley House, Bromley Common, Kent; Cwmaman Workmen’s & Social Club, Aberdare, Wales; Bromley Conservative Club, Bromley, Kent.
Hotels and Restaurants
Scandic Crown Hotel, Rotherhithe, SE London; Burford Bridge Hotel, Box Hill, Surrey; Donnington Manor Hotel, Dunton Green, Kent; Bickley Manor Hotel, Bromley, Kent; Abode Hotel, Canterbury, Kent; The Laughing Buddha Chinese Restaurant, Bexley, South London; The CRU Restaurant (now Harpers), West Wickham, Kent; The Coney, West Wickham, Kent; Sabir Tandoori Restaurant, Bromley, Kent; Brassett Churrascaria (Brazilian Restaurant), Bromley, Kent.
Universities
University of Keele, Staffordshire; Staffordshire University, Stoke-on-Trent; Lancaster University, Lancashire; University of Exeter, Devon; Plymouth University, Devon.
Andy has also performed extensively overseas, not just in Europe, but also in the Canary Islands, and as far away as China and the Philippines.
