Career
Graham Gouldman began playing in Manchester bands in 1963. He started with the Whirlwinds that comprised of Gouldman, drummer Maurice Sperling, bassist Bernard Basso, and guitarist Stephen Jacobson. The band signed a contract with HMV and released ‘Look at Me’ and ‘Baby Not like You’.
In late 1964, he dissolved the Whirlwinds and went on to form the Mockingbirds alongside drummer Kevin Godley, Jacobson and Basso. The band signed with the Columbia label and released two singles titled ‘That's How’ and ‘I Can Feel We're Parting’, both of which were released in 1965.
The band switched to the Immediate label and came up with ‘You Stole My Love’. In 1966, it teamed up with the record label Decca for the songs ‘One By One’ and ‘How to Find a Lover’.
Gouldman launched his solo career in February 1966 with the single ‘Stop or I'll Be Gone’. In November, he joined Peter Cowap, Phil Dermys and other artists in the High Society and released ‘People Pass By’. This same team then evolved into the Manchester Mob and recorded ‘Bony Maroni at the Hop’ in March 1967.
Between 1965 and 1967, Graham Gouldman wrote a number of tracks, including ‘For Your Love’ for the Yardbirds, ‘Pamela, Pamela’ for Wayne Fontana, ‘Going Home’, and ‘Tallyman’.
In March 1968, he served as a temporary replacement for bassist Bob Lang in the band Mindbenders. He wrote two of the band's singles ‘Uncle Joe, the Ice Cream Man’ and ‘Schoolgirl’.
In 1968, he also released his debut solo album titled “The Graham Gouldman Thing’’ that featured 'No Milk Today', 'Upstairs, Downstairs', 'Chestnut', 'The Impossible Years' and ‘Bus Stop’.
Gouldman then teamed up with Jerry Kasenetz and Jeffry Katz of Super K Productions. His first single for them was ‘Sausalito’ which was released in July 1969.
He alongside Eric Stewart, Kevin Godley and Lol Crème joined the Strawberry Studios. In July 1972, their group was given a new name titled 10cc, after they were signed by recording artist Jonathan King.
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10cc released numerous songs over the course of the next 23 years, among which were three UK No.1 singles. Gouldman co-wrote some of the groups’ biggest hits such as "Rubber Bullets", "I'm Not in Love", "Art For Art's Sake" and "Dreadlock Holiday", to name a few.
Following Godley’s and Crème’s departure from the group in 1976, Gouldman continued recording with Stewart and other artists, including Rick Fenn and Stuart Tosh. The group’s last album was 1983's ‘Windows in the Jungle.’
In 1979, Gouldman released his single "Sunburn". He then produced the album ‘Pleasant Dreams.’
Between 1984 and 1990, he teamed with American vocalist Andrew Gold to form Wax. He produced four albums for the group.
After a nine-year break, he and Stewart resurrected 10cc for the 1992 album titled ‘Meanwhile’ that also featured performances by Godley and Creme. Three years later, 10cc came up with the album ‘Mirror Mirror’ that became its final one.
He began touring in the late 1990s as "10cc featuring Graham Gouldman and Friends". The band comprised of Gouldman, Rick Fenn, Mike Stevens, Paul Burgess, and Mick Wilson.
They first performed on stage in 1999, at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in Birmingham. The band toured UK in 2009 under the name ‘10cc’. In 2010, they performed at the Rhythm Festival.
In 2018, Gouldman performed with Ringo Starr & His All Starr Band. The following year, he announced a new album to be released in March 2020. The album, featuring Ringo Starr, will be released on British indie label Lojinx.
Family & Personal Life
Graham Gouldman married his first wife, Susan, in 1969. The couple had two kids, Sarah and Louis. They separated in 1979.
Following his divorce from Susan, Gouldman married Gill. Their first child, a daughter, was born in 1990. The couple had their second child, a son named Alex, in 1993.
Gouldman divorced his second wife in 2000, and then he went on to marry Ariella in 2012.
