The Graham Bond Organization was a British jazz and rhythm and blues group formed in the early 1960s. The lineup featured Graham Bond on vocals, keyboards, and alto saxophone, alongside Jack Bruce on bass, Ginger Baker on drums, Dick Heckstall-Smith on saxophones, and John McLaughlin on guitar. The group rose to prominence during the British rhythm and blues boom with an aggressive style that blended jazz and blues elements. The band's first release under Decca Records in 1964 was a cover of "Long Tall Shorty" (1964) with the song "Long Legged Baby" (1964) on the B-side. The debut studio album, The Sound of '65 (1965), was released in February 1965 and featured the single "Tammy" (1965). The second album, There's a Bond Between Us (1965), was released in November 1965 and featured the single "Lease on Love" (1965), which marked the first pop recording to utilize a Mellotron. Personal conflicts, drug abuse, and the departure of Bruce in August 1965 weakened the group. Following subsequent lineup changes, including the addition of drummer Jon Hiseman, the band dissolved in late 1967. A compilation album, Solid Bond (1970), was released in 1970. Bond died in May 1974 after falling onto a subway track at Finsbury Park station in London.
