Rag'n'Bone Man

Rory Graham performs as Rag'n'Bone Man, a British singer rooted in neo-blues and soul who achieved widespread recognition during 2017. Raised in the countryside of East Sussex, he first immersed himself in Brighton's hip-hop circles before directing his commanding voice toward a string of independent EPs steeped in blues across the opening years of the 2010s. Once signed to Columbia, the track "Human" served as the flagship single from his 2017 self-titled debut album, which earned multi-platinum certification in the U.K., registered across European charts, and brought him several Brit Awards. The 2019 single "Giant," a collaboration with Calvin Harris, maintained his presence while he prepared the follow-up album Life by Misadventure, released in 2021.

Born and brought up in the modest settlement of Uckfield in southeast England, Graham absorbed early blues and soul recordings and honed his singing by copying Muddy Waters before encountering hip-hop. He began performing as an MC alongside a local drum'n'bass group at age 15, then advanced to hip-hop open-mike sessions in nearby Brighton after relocating there and joining the local crew the Rum Committee. Throughout this period he maintained private vocal practice, and at 19, prompted by his father, he performed at a blues open-mike night whose enthusiastic reception convinced him to pursue singing professionally instead of rapping.

The name Rag'n'Bone Man originated from childhood evenings spent with his grandfather viewing reruns of the British 1960s sitcom Steptoe and Son, which centered on two impoverished rag-and-bone men who collected discarded materials for resale. Despite his appearance—arms covered in tattoos, nose ring, shaved head, thick beard, and typical attire of hoodie and jeans—Graham astonished audiences the moment he sang, revealing a deep, commanding, soul-infused blues voice.

His first EP, Bluestown, appeared in 2012, followed by additional releases in subsequent years, among which 2014's Wolves and 2015's Disfigured received particular notice. The early material leaned acoustic before shifting toward electronic production and hip-hop beats. In 2013 a publishing agreement with Warner Chappell allowed him to leave his job caring for individuals with Asperger's syndrome. Growing attention led Columbia Records to sign him in 2016, after which the single "Human" was issued that September and achieved strong results in multiple European territories.

The full-length album Human followed in early 2017. That year he received Brit Awards for British Breakthrough Act and the Choice Award, plus a BBC Music Award for British Album of the Year. With his profile raised, he contributed a guest verse to Gorillaz on "The Apprentice" and later joined Calvin Harris on the 2019 single "Giant," another European success that reached number two on the U.K. Singles Chart. Early in 2021 Graham issued the singles "All You Ever Wanted" and "Anywhere Away from Here," both featured on his second album, Life by Misadventure, which arrived that May.