Calum Graham

Born in British Columbia, and raised in the small town of High River, AB, Calum Graham started playing the guitar at the age of 13. He attributes growing up in a talented family and always being surrounded by different forms of musical and artistic expression, in further influencing the development of his unique style of music. But Graham’s first foray into his own individual musical expression was not a result of his classically trained guitar work, it was teaching himself how to play finger-style guitar; a decision which he never looked back from.

Of his many admirers, now-legendary fingerstyle guitarist Don Ross counts himself a fan of Graham’s music. So much in fact, that in January 2013 Ross agreed to Co-write, Record and Feature on Graham’s Third studio album entitled “12:34”. The instrumental duet album was recorded at Canada’s top recording studio 'Metalworks' in Mississauga, and set for release through the online acoustic guitar label ‘Candyrat Records’ in late spring 2013. A beautiful full-circle story as Ross was Graham’s initial inspiration for learning how to fingerpick on the guitar.

The songs are punctuated with elements of acoustic blues and classical technique providing a combination of Graham’s exemplary guitar work, exquisite harmonies and a rhythmic undercurrent that bears testament to his impassioned playing.

In 2012, following a nationwide call for written submissions to capture the true essence of the Canadian spirit, Graham emerged as the Grand Prize Winner of Canada’s Walk of Fame’s 'A Song For Canada' competition, presented by RE/MAX. Selected by a panel of esteemed judges, several lines from Graham’s submission were included in the song “I’m Here, (A Song For Canada)” recorded & performed by Chantal Kreviazuk. Graham is featured on guitar in the song and worked alongside Raine Maida and Stephan Moccio in the recording studio to produce the original score; co-written, composed and arranged by Moccio (“I Believe”, 2010 Vancouver Olympics theme song).

“Calum’s entry resonated strongly among the judges. His poem celebrates the cultural mosaic that is Canada. He has captured the diversity of this country – something that we as a nation are renowned for and proud of”, said Moccio.

Working alongside the composer of the Canadian Olympic theme, last summer was undoubtedly a precursor for what was to come in Graham’s musical career. In August 2012, along with one other musician, Graham was invited to represent Alberta Culture at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London, England for the second time along with a select list of other musicians, Graham represented Alberta Culture for the 2010 Winter Olympics Games in Vancouver through the Alberta Foundation for the Arts.

If you’ve heard Graham play the guitar, it’s likely you’ve only heard him play the guitar. That is not to say that he finds himself restricted to this genre. In October 2012, Graham released his second studio album ‘Indivisibility’. The album underlies the changes that Graham has gone through; all of which have allowed him to develop as a person and in turn has profoundly aided his musical development. The album features Graham on both lead vocals and guitar.As his confidence grew and his style developed, Graham soon saw a loyal following begin to grow and he became a popular local hit in the Alberta Music scene. His natural talent of incorporating a variety of musical harmonies into his songs only added to his appeal. It wasn’t long before his unique fingerstyle sound with a modern-age twist started to find an appreciative audience.

In the summer of 2010, Graham would include another victory to his musical resume, only this time for his original instrumental compositions. In the summer of 2010, not only did Graham impress the judges of the 2010 Canadian Guitar Festival, he won their First Place title – a feat that no other teenager has ever accomplished in the festival’s entire history.

In 2009 and at only 17 years of age, Graham recorded his first instrumental studio album entitled “Sunny Side Up”. Later that year he was the Grand Prize Winner of the Calgary Stampede Talent Search, a success that entered him into the Canadian Youth Talent Competition in P.E.I that same year. A surprise to no one, Graham landed another First Place victory, whose past winners include Michael Buble’.

With that said, there’s no doubt about it that people are blown away by his guitar playing, but since Graham released “Indivisibility” and gave people a taste of his voice & songwriting talents, his fans want to hear more. After nearly every live performance, his fans request that he sing more at his live shows, and on his studio recordings. Blending his signature acoustic guitar sound with his lyrics & vocals proves to pack a powerful punch, and Graham is now in the process of writing a full collection of these songs for his fourth studio album. He is also exploring all the possibilities of songwriting by co-writing wi