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Oakham record shop owner Dave Graham heads back on tour with Showaddywaddy




A musician is going back on the road with the legendary seventies band Showaddywaddy.

Dave Graham first performed with the band between 2009 and 2011 before leaving to embark on other interests.

As a former music teacher at Oakham School, Dave set up his music agency DG Music.

Dave Graham. Photo: The Piano Café
Dave Graham. Photo: The Piano Café

With live events put on hold last year because of the pandemic, he changed his business focus again and set up a record shop in Oakham.

Several of his old Showaddywaddy bandmates paid Dave a visit at The Piano Café, and now he's joining them as saxophonist and guitarist for more than 100 gigs.

The tour starts next month and runs until the band's 50th anniversary in 2023.

Dave Graham is back on the road with Romeo Challenger and Showaddywaddy. Photo: The Piano Café
Dave Graham is back on the road with Romeo Challenger and Showaddywaddy. Photo: The Piano Café

Dave said: “It’s been fantastic to perform in front of audiences once again.”

The closest gigs to Rutland will take place at Loughborough Town Hall on Saturday, September 4, and the New Theatre in Peterborough on Friday, January 8, 2022.

Between touring, Dave will continue to manage his two businesses.

He hoped that setting up the record shop during the pandemic gave people the chance to enjoy music in their own homes while live gigs were on pause.

Dave Bartram of Showaddywaddy. Photo: The Piano Café
Dave Bartram of Showaddywaddy. Photo: The Piano Café

It became the town’s first vinyl shop for 30 years and has more than 4,000 records in stock with access to 100,000 more.

Dave said: “Vinyl has had such a massive resurgence and I think people were delighted to have the opportunity to browse in a record shop again.

“Oakham hadn’t had a record shop for 30 years or more – there used to be one in the Market Place, Tracks, and many people will remember it.”

The Piano Café has been keenly supported by the local community and quickly became a destination for music lovers, bringing visitors from elsewhere in Rutland and beyond.

More than 1,000 records have been sold since the shop opened last summer.

Dave said: “I would love to have another larger Piano Café with a wine bar, a record shop at the back, a piano and live music. That’s my dream.

“We live in a world of the playlist where we skip from one track to another. People don’t tend to listen to records that weren’t hits. When you listen to the whole album, you are listening to it as it was crafted and meant to be heard; it’s like a musical journey.”



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