Interview: Rag’n’Bone Man

The Sussex-born and bred singer discusses his stratospheric rise, Brighton’s music community, and why he chose singing over rapping, with Jeff Hemmings

Inspired by watching Steptoe and Son, Rory Graham decided one day to call himself Rag’n’Bone Man, perhaps reflecting the disparate nature of his music making, taking influences here and there – soul, blues, gospel, rock, pop, hip-hop – to fashion a sound that is as ancient as the blues, but also thoroughly modern.

Like the practically extinct rag and bone men of yore, he was eking out a living (whilst still working as a carer) for a good few years. But good fortune is now smiling on this Sussex-born and bred singer and songwriter, a veritable bear of a man, possessor of some fine tattoos and a big and wiry beard.

But most importantly, it’s his powerful and versatile voice that really counts, one that sounds like vintage blues one minute, classic soul another, and big-lunged gospel the next. When I last spoke to him, prior to his Great Escape appearance in 2015, it was felt by many in the business that here was a man who, given the right songs, could easily be catapulted into the mainstream: into the hearts and minds of pure music lovers around the globe.

That is exactly what has happened. It’s perhaps taken a tad longer than hoped but the 32 year-old Rag’n’Bone Man is quickly becoming a household name. “Yeah, it’s really fast paced at the moment,” he says, reflecting on the big change in his life, in particular kick-started by the song ‘Human’, which went viral. “There’s been a lot of travelling around,” says Rory. “Which is great! It took off in Europe first and I got to travel everywhere, which I wanted to do anyway. Got to see different places and tried to understand people in different languages, you know. I love it.”

It’s much worse singing to about seven people, than being in front of a thousand!

He’s been around a few years now, including MCing for a drum’n’bass crew whilst still in his teens, before heading to Brighton in his early 20s, where he joined Rum Committee, a hip hop collective, and performed regularly at the semi-legendary Slip Jam:B. “I moved to Brighton when I was about 23, and lived there for six or seven years. Slip Jam:B was the first gig I did as a singer. I remember it well because there were about seven people there. It’s much worse doing that, than in front of a thousand or something,” he laughs.

“Rum Committee is the foundation,” he says about his musical upbringing. “They’re my family and the reason I’m doing what I’m doing now. The music community in Brighton is great, I’ve met lots of talented people over the years.” At the same time he was regularly performing at open mics around Brighton and Sussex, performing his own blues-inspired material, and deciding that it was the singing side, rather than rapping, that was where his heart really lay.

“I used to do a lot of rapping with Rum Committee. I think, by singing, it was a bit reactive. I would always sing a bit, but I saw the reaction of people when I would sing, as opposed to rapping. It definitely gave me that feeling that they like my singing more than my rapping,” he laughs. “It just felt more natural from then on.”

He’ll next be in Brighton for a headlining show at Brighton Dome, as part of this year’s Great Escape. “Every time I do a gig in Brighton it’s nice because it’s the place I love and I get to see people I haven’t seen for a long time.”

Brighton Dome Concert Hall,
20 May, 7.30pm, RETURNS ONLY