It has been an eventful few years for Graham Gouldman. Not only is 10cc enjoying increasing success around the world, but recognition of his solo achievements has grown too.
Being invited by Ringo Starr to join his All Starr Band for tours of Europe in June 2018 and the USA that September, during which the band played three 10cc songs, elevated his profile yet further.
Another event, although not publicly known, gave Graham a further lift. It happened backstage at a festival when Robert Plant thanked him for writing one of the songs that got him through the audition to join Led Zeppelin. The song was For Your Love.
Graham’s status as one of the world’s leading songwriters was acknowledged in 2014 with his induction into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame – an arm of America’s National Academy of Music.
Previous inductees include Noel Coward, Irving Berlin, Burt Bacharach, Neil Sedaka, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, Leonard Cohen and Sting.
That was followed in 2015 by Broadcast Music Incorporated in the US anointed him an Icon of the Industry at a special ceremony in London, where he stunned the audience with an acoustic rendition of I’m Not In Love, accompanied by Lisa Stansfield on vocals.
When Graham formed what became Heart Full of Songs six years ago, it was purely for the pleasure of playing his songs in their simplest form, acoustically.
The format became so popular that the acoustic four-piece undertook its first concert tour in April-May 2013. The band now tours across Belgium, Germany, Holland and the UK and comprises Graham, Ciaran Jeremiah, Dave Cobby and either Iain Hornal, Nick Kendal or Andy Park, depending on their various commitments.