| Admin history | Alan Grahame (Walsingham) is a multi-instrumentalist with a long career on stage and screen. His father and mother, Percy and Stella Walsingham, were also entertainers, performing in 'The Bohemians' concert parties in Dawlish, Devon.
Grahame began his professional career with the Ralph Sharon sextet as a modern jazz vibraphonist at the time when the sextet was voted Britain’s number one small group. After becoming involved in freelance radio and recording sessions, he became a featured member of the Jerry Allen Trio, playing all the major theatres with concerts and radio and TV shows.
Grahame spent eight years with the trio on ATV’s midday show ‘Lunch Box’, and produced incidental music for numerous TV series including “Dotto”, “$64,000 Question”, The Carrol Levis Show, “Face the Mike”, Roy Castle’s Room”, “The'Benny Hill Show”, The Two Ronnies, Morecambe & Wise, Crackerjack and the Top of the Pops TV orchestra.
Grahame also worked freelance for major recording companies, the BBC and ITV, and has played on many commercial jingle sessions. He was regularly featured with the BBC Radio Orchestra and in their ‘Festival Hall’ Concerts, and with the orchestras of Neil Richardson, Alec Gould, David Francis, Ron Goodwin, Ian Butherland, Cy Payne, Andy Ross, Ray McVay, etc. Grahame worked extensively on BBC’s “Playschool” “Hokey Cokey” and “Playdays”.
Grahame has also worked on concert dates in this country and Europe with many popular singers in their backing band, including Tom Jones, Engelbert Humperdinck, Andy Williams, Tony Bennett, Peggy Lee, Howard Keel (who he joined on six of his nationwide tours), and Shirley
Bassey’s, as her percussionist.
His film work has included 'Star Wars — Return of the Jedi', 'Life of Brian', 'Morons from Outer Space', 'Elephant Man', 'Virgin Soldiers' and many more. On TV he has worked for drama 'King John', 'The Vorpal Blade', 'One by One', and 'Bluebell and The Ritz', for which his son Peter had composed the score.
Alan Grahame is now in his 90s, but still plays the vibraphone and performs on stage. He met his wife, Dulcie, herself a dancer and musician, when she came to work on 'Lunchbox'. They have three children, Lisa, Peter and Suzanne. His son, Peter Grahame, is a well-known comedy promoter and venue manager (including Downstairs at the King's Head), whose own collection is housed with the British Stand-Up Comedy Archive here at Kent. |