Music
Press
We made a number of pleasant discoveries at Bravo! Bravo! this year, but none more gratifying than a certain young lady who played the guitar that particular evening. We asked Lesley-Anne Graham to keep in touch and she did. Furthermore, she was kind enough to let us know that she will be part of a concert at the Congregational Church in Birmingham this Saturday. Ms. Graham has an intuitive talent and the music she creates bespeaks a soulful maturity that belies her age. Check myspace.com/lesleyannegraham for more details. | RDW - Real Detroit Weekly
Discography
Gracious Grey - 2008
Lesley-Anne Graham Live at the Red Comma Cafe - 2007
Photos
Bio
According to Real Detroit Weekly, Lesley-Anne Graham possesses an "intuitive talent," for singing and "soulful” songwriting. Her musical style is unique; an amalgam of pop and folk style, with catchy melodies supported by her mellow, sweet-sounding vocals. A relative newcomer, Lesley-Anne started her musical career in 2006, playing at open mic venues and local festivals. She has since recorded and produced her first full-length studio album, "Gracious Grey.”
Lesley-Anne grew up in suburban Detroit, the youngest of three children. She spent a lot of time at the family piano figuring out songs by ear and singing with her sister, eventually teaching herself how to play. At 10, she began writing instrumental pieces and performing them at school talent shows and family gatherings.
After graduating from Central Kitsap High School in Silverdale, Washington, Lesley-Anne moved back to Michigan to study music at Oakland University in Rochester, where she graduated with a BA in Music in 2004.
It was during her freshman year at Oakland that she first heard vocalist Natalie Maines, lead singer of the country bluegrass group the Dixie Chicks. “I was captivated by the sound of her voice,” she remembers. “I bought their album and sang with it over and over.” One day, a friend heard her singing and complimented her on her voice. “I never even thought about singing; it was just something I liked to do. I didn’t think my voice was that good at all!”
Shortly afterward, on a whim, she bought a guitar. She taught herself a few chords, and began writing songs almost immediately. With the advent of the guitar came words. “I had never written songs with lyrics before, but whenever I played that guitar, words would start running through my head.” She sang her songs for friends who then encouraged her to play out at local venues.
Lesley-Anne's music has been featured in the Michigan Folk Live podcast and the local television show "Spit 'N", and she has performed at the Detroit Opera House, the Emerald Theatre, Red Comma Café Concert Series, the Arts, Beats, and Eats festival, and the Buxton Homecoming Celebration in North Buxton, Ontario, to name a few. Her songwriting ranges from simple love songs to the sulky indie folk-rock heard in “Eviction” ("It's too bad she won't understand/You love with tricks and sleight of hand/You'll leave the stage and take your bow/She'll wish she knew what I know now"). She started indie label Gracious Grey Records in 2006, and is in the process of writing her second studio album. When she isn’t playing or writing music, she works as an EMT in Detroit in addition to teaching guitar and vocal lessons in Grosse Pointe, Michigan.
Links
