Graham Patrick Colton (born
November 6,
1981) is the lead
singer of the
Graham Colton Band. He has toured with
John Mayer,
Counting Crows,
Maroon 5,
Dave Matthews Band,
Guster,
Kelly Clarkson and released first hit, "Don't Give Up on Me", in
2004. Now going solo, Graham Colton's newest CD,
Here Right Now, was released on
October 30,
2007.
Colton dated singer/songwriter
Kelly Clarkson, but they split because of time apart. The pair met while Clarkson was on tour in the
United States. The two remain good friends. His band opened for her
2005 tours.
Colton graduated from
Heritage Hall School, a small private PS-12 school in
Oklahoma City,
Oklahoma. While there, he was the quarterback of the football team. Together with his friend and teammate
Wes Welker,
[1] now a
wide receiver for the
New England Patriots, Colton led his team to a class 2A state championship in
1998 against the Tishomingo Indians. Colton also set a state playoff record for passing yards in a game (454).
After leaving his hometown of
Oklahoma City to attend
Southern Methodist University, Colton began writing and performing songs in and around the
Dallaspubs and coffee houses. It was there that fate and the internet took
Graham and his music to new heights. “I would return to my college dorm
room and have e-mails from kids across the country asking where to buy
the album,” says Colton. Quickly Colton began recording songs for his
ever-growing local fan-base and distant admirers. The self-titled demo
became a local favorite and began making waves outside the
Texas music scene. It wasn’t long before the CD fell into the hands of
Adam Duritz (
Counting Crows)
who quickly asked Graham to support them on their ’02 fall tour. It
would prove to be a friendship that would evolve over the next two
years of touring and recording. The month long tour put Graham and his
newly formed band in front of sold out audiences and fans they didn’t
know they had. After the fall stint with Counting Crows and a signed
record deal with Strummer Recordings/
Universal, dates with
John Mayer,
Maroon 5,
Train,
Dave Matthews Band,
Guster, and
Kelly Clarkson followed proving the band had the ability to connect with all types of listeners.