When 10cc co-founder Graham Gouldman formed what became Heart Full of Songs more than a decade ago, it was purely for the pleasure of laying the songs he wrote or co-wrote in their simplest form, acoustically.

It started as a three-piece supporting at 10cc concerts and quickly evolved into a stand-alone entity. These days Heart Full of Songs is a semi-acoustic/electric, four-piece with its next UK tour set for October 2026, comprising 18 concerts and culminating at London’s Cadogan Hall on 29 October.

Featuring material from across Graham’s catalogue, the set includes such classics as 10cc’s I’m Not In Love and Dreadlock Holiday; Bus Stop and Look Through Any Window, which were hits for The Hollies; For Your Love and Heart Full of Soul (the Yardbirds); No Milk Today (Herman’s Hermits); Bridge To Your Heart from his time with the late Andrew Gold as Wax, along with songs from film soundtracks and his solo albums.

 Acknowledgement of Graham’s achievements has been growing more widely too, with him awarded an MBE in the 2025 King’s Birthday Honours list, for services to music.

 Also underpinning his position as one of the world’s leading songwriters were the guest contributors on his latest album, I have Notes. They include Ringo Starr, Brian May, Hank Marvin an Albert Lee,

 “It is extremely gratifying to do what I love, performing the songs I’ve written or co written over the years, to audiences who really appreciate them in a semi-acoustic format,” says Graham. “With Keith Hayman, Andy Park and Ben Stone we have a fantastic band that presents the songs with passion and to the highest musical standards. I couldn’t ask for more.”

 The increasing success of Heart Full of Songs shows how ever more people are keen to share the magic of the music with its composer.

 How it all began …

Born on 10 May 1946 in Manchester, Graham was given his first guitar at the age of 11 and started playing with local bands at 15. He received early encouragement to develop his musical talent from his mother Betty and father Hymie, who also contributed with lyrics and song titles.

 Graham played with various Manchester bands before forming The Mockingbirds with Kevin Godley (later a fellow 10cc founding member) on drums, and when the record label Columbia rejected Graham’s first single composition for the band, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. That song, For Your Love, became a huge hit for the Yardbirds.

 Still in his teens, after working in an outfitters shop, Graham went on to write a string of hits, such as Pamela, Pamela for Wayne Fontana, For Your Love, Evil Hearted You and Heart Full of Soul (The Yardbirds), Bus Stop and Look Through Any Window (The Hollies), No Milk Today and Listen People (Herman’s Hermits), and Tallyman for Jeff Beck.

 In 1968, he recorded The Graham Gouldman Thing, featuring these songs and other compositions, working with session musician John Paul Jones (later of Led Zeppelin fame), who also did string and woodwind arrangements for the album.  “He is a great bass and keyboard player who had an important influence on my playing,” says Graham.

 During the late ‘60s Graham spent time in New York writing for so-called bubblegum pop kings Jerry Kazenetz and Jeff Katz, but got fed-up with being away from home and returned to the UK to work with his friends at Strawberry Studios in Stockport. 

 In 1972 Graham and the Strawberry team were introduced to Neil Sedaka, whose career was in decline. Working as his studio backing band and helping with arrangements, they delivered what became his hit comeback album Solitaire, co-produced by Graham, Eric Stewart, Kevin Godley and Lol Creme, with Stewart as engineer.

 Emerging as 10cc in 1972, and not long after their first single Donna reached No 2 in the UK charts, they worked with Sedaka again at Strawberry, producing, The Tra-La Days Are Over, and his career was given a further boost.

 10cc went on to enjoy a string of Top 10 hits, including three No 1s – Rubber Bullets, I’m Not In Love and Dreadlock Holiday – all co-written by Graham.
  Accolades awarded to Graham include being inducted into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame – an arm of America’s National Academy of Music – In 2014. Previous inductees include Noel Coward, Irving Berlin, Burt Bacharach, Neil Sedaka, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, Leonard Cohen and Sting.

 A year later, America’s Broadcast Music Incorporated declared him an Icon of the Industry at a awards ceremony in London, where he stunned the audience with an acoustic rendition of I’m Not In Love, accompanied by Lisa Stansfield on vocals. 

 In 2018 he was invited by Ringo Starr to join his All Starr Band for arena tours of Europe and the USA – during which the band played three 10cc songs each night – was “one of the most enjoyable things I’ve done”, says Graham.

 Another event, although not widely known, gave Graham a further lift. It happened backstage at a festival when Robert Plant thanked him for writing one of the songs that got him through the audition to join what became Led Zeppelin. The song was one of his early compositions, For Your Love.

 It’s the enduring popularity of Graham’s hit compositions, along with his work on film soundtracks, such as  the title song for the Joan Collins and Farrah Fawcett film Sunburn (1979) – which also featured Paul McCartney’s With A Little Luck and 10cc tracks The Things We Do For Love and I’m Mandy Fly Me – and animated movie Animalympics (1980) that makes a Heart Full of Songs concert such a special occasion, along with songs from his solo albums Love And Work, Modesty Forbids and I Have Notes.

The Heart Full of Songs band:

Graham Gouldman​​     –​   vocals, acoustic guitar, bass guitar, ukulele.

Keith Hayman​​          –    ​vocals, keyboards, acoustic guitar, bass guitar, Melodica.

Andy Park​​                –    ​vocals, acoustic guitar, bass guitar, ukulele. 

Ben Stone                ​​–    ​percussion, vocals.

10cc’s GRAHAM GOULDMAN ‘Heart Full of Songs’ – Summer / Autumn 2026 UK Shows include:

Tuesday 28^th July                      POOLE – St Peter’s Church

Saturday 10^th October                WHITLEY BAY – Playhouse

Sunday 11^th October                  SHEFFIELD – Memorial Hall

Sunday 18^th October                  COVENTRY – Warwick Arts Centre

Tuesday 20^th October                 LINCOLN – Drill

Monday 26^th October                 SHREWSBURY – Severn Theatre

&

Tuesday 27^th October                 BRISTOL – St Georges

Tickets available from – https://www.thegigcartel.com/Artists-profiles/10ccs-Graham-Gouldman.htm

For further information on GRAHAM GOULDMAN, check out the following website / social media links:

Website – https://grahamgouldman.info/

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/GrahamGouldman/

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/grahamgouldman/