Larry Graham

Born in Beaumont, Texas on August 14, 1946, he developed the slap bass technique not as an aesthetic choice but out of necessity: when his mother's trio lost its drummer, he used his thumb to replicate kick-drum hits and his fingers to snap snare accents. That innovation transformed the bass's role in popular music. He played with Sly and the Family Stone from 1967 to 1972, appearing on landmark recordings including Stand! and There's a Riot Goin' On. He then formed Graham Central Station, scoring the R&B hit Can You Handle It in 1974. In 1993 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Sly and the Family Stone.