Calum Graham is a Canadian
fingerstyle
Fingerstyle guitar is the technique of guitar picking, playing the guitar or bass guitar by plucking the strings directly with the fingertips, fingernails, or picks attached to fingers, as opposed to flatpicking (plucking individual notes with ...
guitarist and singer-songwriter. He has classical guitar training, but uses a percussive technique. He has released four albums.
When he was 22 he was listed by ''
Acoustic Guitar
An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...
'' magazine as one of their 30 "great guitarists under 30".
Early life
At the early age of 12, Graham developed a passion for the guitar during occasional lessons with his father. After graduating from secondary school, Graham began studies in Classical Guitar at the
University of Calgary
The University of Calgary (U of C or UCalgary) is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The University of Calgary started in 1944 as the Calgary branch of the University of Alberta, founded in 1908, prior to being inst ...
and
Mount Royal University
Mount Royal University (MRU) is a public university in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
History
Mount Royal University was founded by Alberta provincial charter by the Arthur Sifton government on December 16, 1910 and officially opened on September 8 ...
. During an electric guitar lesson, he was exposed to the album "
Bearing Straight" by
fingerstyle
Fingerstyle guitar is the technique of guitar picking, playing the guitar or bass guitar by plucking the strings directly with the fingertips, fingernails, or picks attached to fingers, as opposed to flatpicking (plucking individual notes with ...
guitarist
Don Ross. At this point, he began informal studies within the same genre.
In 2009 Graham won the
Calgary Stampede
The Calgary Stampede is an annual rodeo, exhibition, and festival held every July in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The ten-day event, which bills itself as "The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth", attracts over one million visitors per year and feat ...
Talent Search, and also the ensuing national-level talent contest. He came second in the fingerstyle guitar competition at the 2009
Canadian Guitar Festival, and won it in 2010.
In 2011 he won the
Canada's Walk of Fame
Canada's Walk of Fame (french: link=no, Allée des célébrités canadiennes) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is a walk of fame that acknowledges the achievements and accomplishments of Canadians who have excelled in their respective fields. It is a ...
"A Song For Canada" song contest. The prize included C$25,000 in cash, and time in a recording studio.
Discography
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Graham, Calum
Living people
Canadian male singer-songwriters
1991 births
21st-century Canadian male singers
21st-century Canadian singers
21st-century Canadian guitarists
21st-century Canadian singer-songwriters