Rag'n'Bone Man

Sussex-born Rory Graham grew up hearing his mum and dad play an assortment of blues, soul and jazz albums. When he attended his first raves as a teenager, he found himself drawn to ragga and jungle music, especially artists such as Congo Natty and Shy FX & The Ragga Twins.

Although Graham initially began MCing, he started to sing as well in his 20s and taught himself to play piano and guitar. Around that time, his tastes in music slipped back toward blues – particularly classic figures like Muddy Waters – which he began to fuse with elements of hip hop and grime. 

A prolific underground artist for several years, Graham honed a ferocious live reputation. In 2014, he released the EP Wolves followed by another called Disfigured in 2015.

Graham rose to prominence under the Rag’n’Bone Man moniker in 2016 with the release of the global smash hit Human, which would appear on his full-length debut of the same name the following year. Showcasing his characteristic blend of traditional blues and hip hop, and introducing the world to his powerfully deep vocals, the track peaked at No.2 on the official UK singles chart and spent one week shy of an entire year on the list.

At the 2017 BRITs, Rag’n’Bone Man was named the British Breakthrough Act and received the Critics’ Choice Award. That year, he also hit the road with his Human Tour and joined forces with the virtual band Gorillaz on their song The Apprentice.

Continuing to collaborate, Rag’n’Bone Man released a handful of tracks in 2018 and also embarked on his Sounds Of The City Tour, before teaming up with Calvin Harris in 2019 for the No.2-charting single Giant.

Rag’n’Bone Man has announced several outdoor gigs for summer 2021. In October 2020, he confirmed details for a London show at Kenwood House on 20 June 2021 and in November he added a special show in Ardingly on 16 July 2021 – both as part of the Heritage Live concert series.