Graham Lee (musician)

{{Short description|Australian musician and record producer (born 1953)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2021}}

{{Use Australian English|date=November 2016}}

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Graham Lee

| image =

| caption =

| image_size = 150

| background = solo_singer

| birth_name = Graham Francis Lee

| alias = 'Evil' Graham Lee

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1953|12|11|df=yes}}

|birth_place = Kenilworth, Queensland, Australia

| death_date =

| origin =

| instrument =

| genre = Rock

| occupation = Musician, guitarist, singer

| years_active = 1983–present

| label =

| associated_acts = The Triffids, John Kennedy, The KLF, Blackeyed Susans, The Paradise Vendors, Truckasaurus (with Lisa Miller), David Chesworth, Essendon Airport, GB3, All India Radio, Red Ponies

}}

Graham Francis Lee (born 11 December 1953) is an Australian musician and record producer, best known as the steel guitar player of the 1980s band The Triffids,[http://www.smh.com.au/news/music/the-day-of-the-triffids-dawns/2006/06/25/1151174069667.html The day of the Triffids dawns] where he was nicknamed 'Evil Graham Lee'.Australian Rock Database entries:

• Graham Lee: {{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020109214155/http://hem.passagen.se/honga/database/l/leegraham.html |url=http://hem.passagen.se/honga/database/l/leegraham.html |title=Graham 'Evil' Lee |last1=Holmgren |first1=Magnus |work=Passagen.se |publisher=Australian Rock Database (Magnus Holmgren) |archive-date=9 January 2002 |access-date=18 May 2014 |url-status=usurped }}
• Lawson Square Infirmary 1984: {{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020225195703/http://hem.passagen.se/honga/database/l/lawsonsquareinfirmary.html |url=http://hem.passagen.se/honga/database/l/lawsonsquareinfirmary.html |title=Lawson Square Infirmary |last1=Holmgren |first1=Magnus |first2=Vince |last2=Simonetti |work=Passagen.se |publisher=Australian Rock Database (Magnus Holmgren) |archive-date=25 February 2002 |access-date=18 May 2014 |url-status=usurped }}
• Paul Kelly Band 1984–1985, 1994: {{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20001206044100/http://hem.passagen.se/honga/database/k/kellypaul.html |url=http://hem.passagen.se/honga/database/k/kellypaul.html |title=Paul Kelly |last1=Holmgren |first1=Magnus |work=Passagen.se |publisher=Australian Rock Database (Magnus Holmgren) |archive-date=6 December 2000 |access-date=18 May 2014 |url-status=usurped }}
• Love Gone Wrong 1984–1985 {{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120304184628/http://hem2.passagen.se/honga/database/k/kennedyjohn.html |url=http://hem2.passagen.se/honga/database/k/kennedyjohn.html |title=John Kennedy |last1=Holmgren |first1=Magnus |work=Passagen.se |publisher=Australian Rock Database (Magnus Holmgren) |archive-date=4 March 2012 |access-date=18 May 2014 |url-status=usurped }}
• The Triffids 1985–1989: {{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020728092009/http://hem.passagen.se/honga/database/t/triffids.html |url=http://hem.passagen.se/honga/database/t/triffids.html |title=The Triffids |last1=Holmgren |first1=Magnus |last2=Skjefte |first2=Morten |first3=Stefan |last3=Warnqvist |first4=Vince |last4=Simonetti |work=Passagen.se |publisher=Australian Rock Database (Magnus Holmgren) |archive-date=28 July 2002 |access-date=18 May 2014 |url-status=usurped }}
• Dave Graney and The White Buffalos 1990: {{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010118161300/http://hem.passagen.se/honga/database/g/graneydave.html |url=http://hem.passagen.se/honga/database/g/graneydave.html |title=Dave Graney |last1=Holmgren |first1=Magnus |work=Passagen.se |publisher=Australian Rock Database (Magnus Holmgren) |archive-date=18 January 2001 |access-date=18 May 2014 |url-status=usurped }}
• Crown of Thorns 1991: {{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20001206185300/http://hem.passagen.se/honga/database/c/crownofthorns.html |url=http://hem.passagen.se/honga/database/c/crownofthorns.html |title=Crown of Thorns |last1=Holmgren |first1=Magnus |work=Passagen.se |publisher=Australian Rock Database (Magnus Holmgren) |archive-date=6 December 2000 |access-date=18 May 2014 |url-status=usurped }}
• The Blackeyed Susans 1992–1993: {{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020212020637/http://hem.passagen.se/honga/database/b/blackeyedsusans.html |url=http://hem.passagen.se/honga/database/b/blackeyedsusans.html |title=The Blackeyed Susans |last1=Holmgren |first1=Magnus |first2=Morten |last2=Skjefte |work=Passagen.se |publisher=Australian Rock Database (Magnus Holmgren) |archive-date=12 February 2002 |access-date=18 May 2014 |url-status=usurped }}
• David McComb 1994: {{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020109220227/http://hem.passagen.se/honga/database/m/mccombdavid.html |url=http://hem.passagen.se/honga/database/m/mccombdavid.html |title=David McComb |last1=Holmgren |first1=Magnus |first2=Morten |last2=Skjefte |first3=David |last3=Nichols |first4=Vince |last4=Simonetti |first5=James |last5=Paterson |work=Passagen.se |publisher=Australian Rock Database (Magnus Holmgren) |archive-date=9 January 2002 |access-date=18 May 2014 |url-status=usurped }}

He was born and grew up in Kenilworth, Queensland, and graduated as a Primary School Teacher in Brisbane. Lee left Brisbane in 1980 and went travelling around Asia and Europe for three years. He moved back to Australia in 1983 and settled in Sydney where he met The Triffids. They'd heard his dobro work on Eric Bogle's first album which contained the legendary track, "And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda", and invited him to guest on a demo they were recording at the Sydney Opera House – a recording subsequently released as Lawson Square Infirmary.

The Triffids then returned to London but Lee stayed in Sydney and took up the pedal steel guitar. Work was scarce for everybody but occasionally something good came up – one session was for a young Melbourne singer songwriter called Paul Kelly who was making a record called 'Post'. He also played on the John Kennedy singles Forget / The End of the Affair (Waterfront Records, Sept 1984) and Miracle (In Marrickville) / Two People (Waterfront Records, March 1985).[http://www.discogs.com/artist/Evil+Graham+Lee Evil Graham Lee discography at Discogs]

When The Triffids returned to Sydney early in 1985, they asked Lee to join them full-time. Before the year was out the band moved back to London and this time Lee went too. For nearly five years they enjoyed success in Europe and released a number of records which are recognised as Australian classics – Born Sandy Devotional, The Black Swan and Calenture. However, life in London, the constant touring, and the incomprehensible nature of the record business eventually wore the band down and at the end of 1989 they decided to move back to Australia for a break, which became permanent and the band dissolved.

In 1990 Lee moved to Melbourne and took a room upstairs at the Standard Hotel, in Fitzroy the pub owned by Steve Miller (The Moodists), his old tour manager. Miller, in partnership with Dave Walsh (the brother of Chris Miller, the bass player for the Moodists) establishing an independent record label, W.Minc Records (Walsh Miller Incorporated) in 1994.{{cite magazine | author = Dino Scatena| title = Random Notes |magazine=Australian Rolling Stone |date=August 1994|page=10}}

During the first few years, after the break-up of The Triffids, Lee was happy to book the bands at the pub and stay focused on music. He produced three of the first four W.Minc records and worked as a session player or a hired hand in various bands, including John Kennedy, The KLF, Blackeyed Susans,{{cite magazine | author = Brett Woodward | title = The Art of Cool |magazine=Australian Rolling Stone |date=March 1994 |page=28}} The Paradise Vendors, Truckasaurus (with Lisa Miller), David Chesworth, Essendon Airport, GB3, and All India Radio. It wasn't until he was back in Europe, on tour with David McComb's solo outfit, The Red Ponies, that he decided he really wanted to get involved with W.Minc. In 1996 he officially joined the W.Minc Records as the label manager and since then he and Miller have guided the label together.

Lee also currently runs an official website for The Triffids and in June 2006 (in conjunction with the re-issue of Born Sandy Devotional) joined the other members of The Triffids to play three live performances, two concerts in Hasselt, Belgium and one in Amsterdam, Netherlands.