Rory Graham, better known by his stage name, Rag’n’Bone Man, is a Neo-blues & soul artist from Uckfield, England. Quite a peculiar stage moniker isn’t it? The name “Rag’n’Bone Man” came from his childhood memories of a British tv show he and his grandfather used to watch called Steptoe and Son. It was about a pair of dirt-poor street collectors who would go around gathering up trash in in hopes to find useful rags, bones, and scrap metal to sell – otherwise known as “rag-and-bone men.”
It’s hard to believe, but Graham actually had no musical training as a child. Before he discovered hip-hop, Graham grew up listening to early blues and soul in his father’s music collection, and taught himself to sing by mimicking Muddy Waters. As a young teenager, he started making his name as an MC at drum ’n’ bass raves and on pirate radio.
He also started doing hip-hop open-mike nights in nearby Brighton, where he later moved, teaming up with local hip-hop crew the Rum Committee. When he was 19, he took part in a blues open-mike night, and due to the amazing response, he began considering it as a career, rather than rapping.
His debut EP, Bluestown, was released in 2012. Below is one of the songs from that EP – “Way Too Long”
His early releases were more acoustic, but evolved toward a more electronic sound with hip-hop-styled beats, like in “Right Now” from his second EP, ‘Dog ‘N’ Bone’ – produced by Leaf Dog, and released in 2013.
Up until this point, Graham had been working as a caretaker for people with Asperger’s Syndrome, while creating music on the side. In 2013, he signed a publishing deal with Warner Chappell, and was able to quit his day job to pursue music full-time.
His EP Wolves came out in October of 2014, check out the video for “Reuben’s Trail” below!
In my opinion, “Hard Came the Rain” from the EP Disfigured (2015) is his most impressive song.
As his popularity continued to grow, Columbia Records took notice of him, and signed him in 2016. His debut single, “Human,” came out in September of 2016, and will be featured on his debut album, due out sometime in 2017.
As if that song isn’t already beautiful enough, and probably making each hair on the back of your neck stand on end… there’s THIS version… the piano and gutar accompaniment make it even more powerful and emotive than the one above – check out the Magic Gardens Sessions version of “Human” below!
