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Shirley Griffith (April 26, 1907 – June 18, 1974)Allmusic.com
Accessed February 2010. was an American male
Accessed February 2010.
"Shirley Griffith Discography"
wirz.de. Retrieved 30 September 2016, wrote in the liner notes to ''Saturday Blues'': “I recall one August afternoon shortly after these recordings were made; Shirley sat in Scrapper Blackwell’s furnished room singing the Bye Bye Blues with such intensity that everyone present was deeply moved, though they had all heard him sing it many times before. Scrapper was playing, too, and the little room swelled with sound. When they finished there was a moment of awkward silence. Finally Shirley smiled and said, ‘The blues’ll kill you. And make you live, too.’"
Illustrated Shirley Griffith discography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Griffith, Shirley 1907 births 1974 deaths American blues singers American blues guitarists American male guitarists Songwriters from Mississippi 20th-century American guitarists African-American male songwriters African-American guitarists 20th-century African-American male singers
Shirley Griffith (April 26, 1907 – June 18, 1974)Allmusic.comAccessed February 2010. was an American male
blues
Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...
singer and guitarist, mainly based in Indianapolis
Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...
. He is best known for his recordings
A record, recording or records may refer to:
An item or collection of data Computing
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** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity
** Boot sector or boot record, r ...
"Walkin' Blues" and "Bad Luck Blues".Thedeadrockstarsclub.comAccessed February 2010.
Early life
Griffith was born in Brandon, Mississippi, the second child of Willie and Maggie Griffith. He had five sisters and three brothers. He learned to play the guitar at the age of 10.Music career
In the 1920s, his friend and mentor Tommy Johnson gave him further guitar instruction, and offered to help him get started in a music career, but, by Griffith's own account, he was too “wild and reckless” in those days. He settled in Indianapolis, where he lived for the rest of his life, working in automotive factories. While there he became friends with Scrapper Blackwell and Leroy Carr. In 1935, Carr offered to take Griffith to New York for a recording session, but Carr died suddenly, and the trip was never made. Griffith re-emerged as a musician in the 1960s to record with J. T. Adams, and play at festivals with Yank Rachell. He performed at the firstAnn Arbor Blues Festival
Ann Arbor Blues and Jazz Festival is a music festival in Ann Arbor, Michigan, that started in 1972 from the Ann Arbor Blues Festival, which itself began in 1969. Although the festival has had a tumultuous history and suspended operations in 200 ...
in 1969 and at the Notre Dame Blues Festival in 1971.
Recordings
Art Rosenbaum, who produced Griffith’s Bluesville albums,wirz.de. Retrieved 30 September 2016, wrote in the liner notes to ''Saturday Blues'': “I recall one August afternoon shortly after these recordings were made; Shirley sat in Scrapper Blackwell’s furnished room singing the Bye Bye Blues with such intensity that everyone present was deeply moved, though they had all heard him sing it many times before. Scrapper was playing, too, and the little room swelled with sound. When they finished there was a moment of awkward silence. Finally Shirley smiled and said, ‘The blues’ll kill you. And make you live, too.’"
Personal life
Griffith had four children: Elonza Griffith, Walter James Griffith, Freddie M. Proctor and Mary T. Griffith. His first wife was Addie B. McNeil, His second wife was Elizabeth. He died ofheart disease
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. CVD includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs include stroke, hea ...
in Indianapolis, at the age of 67.
Discography
;Studio albums * ''The Blues of J. T. Adams and Shirley Griffith: Indiana Ave. Blues'' (LP album), Prestige Bluesville BVLP 1077 (1964) * ''The Blues of Shirley Griffith: Saturday Blues'' (LP album), Prestige Bluesville BVLP 1087 (1965) * ''Mississippi Blues'' (LP album), Blue Goose Records BG-2011 (1973)References
External links
Illustrated Shirley Griffith discography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Griffith, Shirley 1907 births 1974 deaths American blues singers American blues guitarists American male guitarists Songwriters from Mississippi 20th-century American guitarists African-American male songwriters African-American guitarists 20th-century African-American male singers