 Continued from Page OneBread on the Radio – Why Play Just the Hits?
Among the joys of having done occasional "old rock" programs (at an alternative radio station in Madison, WI some 30+ years) has been playing selections from the first Bread LP and other relatively heavy and/or obscure Bread songs that don't fit the softer image fashionably and mindlessly perpetuated by the commercial oldies stations with their limited playlists. (I have had precious little time to play any hits by anyone.) When was the last time your favorite oldies station played "Fancy Dancer," "Why Do You Keep Me Waiting," "Down On My Knees," "Take Comfort," the original "It Don't Matter To Me" or even "Could I"? (Slade's cover of "Could I" is worth a listen.) Many of the solo Gates and Griffin singles included in the discography herein have also been featured on my shows as well as associated groups like The Pleasure Fair, The Beethoven Soul and The Travel Agency. Albums by the last two groups were among the many Griffin productions of the late 1960s, and they are classic period pieces; see the "red box" on the left for links to photos. During their heyday in the 1980s, the Madison band Chunky Pie was into the spirit of things and included "Truckin'" in their Bread Medley. When I had a classical music program on the same station (back in the 1900s) and found ways to link everything together, Moondog's 1956 recording of "To A Sea Horse" (an excerpt of which can be heard here) and David Gates' "Chain Me" (on the "Never Let Her Go" LP) made a most interesting double-play. Indeed, classical influences can be heard in a number of Bread-related recordings. Further examples: A fleeting motif in Howard Hanson's "Sinfonia Sacra" inspires the melody in The Pleasure Fair's "Today," and Anton Bruckner's ponderous influence is felt throughout James Griffin's "The Light Of Your Mind" which was arranged by Al Capps. Alas, my classical programs became a bit too diverse and alternative; even in such a community that so prides itself on its appreciation and promotion of diversity it appeared that the general listenership expected a more category-conscious, top-40 orientation when it came to classical music. Thank goodness for people like Peter Schickele who can make true alternative radio programming so appealing to so many. Some More Notes about James Griffin's Career
Qualified individuals have written extensively on the web about James Griffin's life and career, and it is not the intention here to provide a detailed biography. (Click here for one that is pretty good.) Hopefully the James Griffin Recording Legacy is in good hands and great things are planned. Perhaps some prominent use of his singing in movies could generate enough public interest in a compilation CD? One that would provide at least a representative sampling of his notable four decade-plus recording and writing career would be just the thing for a reissue label to put out. A comprehensive multi-CD set (such as what the renowned El Toro and Bear Family labels release) would probably be too much to ask for at this point, but the true fans of James Griffin and Bread can only hope for something new and significant to come along. A page on the Internet Movie Data Base (IMDB) summarizes some of his movie and TV-related work including "Something Else Altogether" (mentioned on Page One). Two more items which can be added to the list are "They Said It with Music: Yankee Doodle to Ragtime" (discussed below) and another songwriting effort – "Built For Blue Jeans" – a line-dance classic which is in the 2007 movie Camille. James Griffin does have a dedicated fan base, and significant get-togethers have been held over the years. While driving home from a gathering of some of his friends and fans in Memphis on his birthday in August, 2005, the idea of a roadside marker took shape in my mind. While an actual roadside marker probably won't materialize any time soon, a virtual one can be downloaded by clicking on the image on the right and then installed anywhere. As the sign would indicate, those who actually take the trouble to really seek out his work are indeed rewarded greatly. ----------------------------- On this website are discography pages which include (1) Griffin's solo and duo recordings and (2) his work as a member of groups other than Bread. Further involvement in studio work (more duets and supporting vocals, productions, etc.) is only hinted at by examining the very incomplete list on (3) this page which also includes some of his songs recorded by others.
There are a number of songs performed in movies and on TV which still have not seen the light of day on disc – a couple examples: Griffin performed "I'm Gonna Walk All Over This Land" in the 1964 film "For Those Who Think Young." He also sang (off-camera) "Yesterday's Love" on the "Programmed for Panic" episode of "Ironside" which aired September 28, 1972 (in Season 6, not yet released on DVD). Griffin played a significant singing role in the CBS-TV special "They Said It with Music: Yankee Doodle to Ragtime" which aired on July 4, 1977 and featured Tony Randall, Bernadette Peters, Jean Stapleton, Jason Robards and Flip Wilson. How well I remember stumbling upon this program and – to my great surprise and delight – seeing Griffin perform in the various routines and as a Civil War soldier in a very poignant solo spot with Ms. Stapleton portraying his mother. There might be some videotape copies of this special "out there," and the UCLA Music Library appears to have the music for this show in their collection under "They Said It with Music."
Three Bread songs appear on James Griffin solo albums. "Love You Till The Cows Come Home" and "She Knows" had their origin in Bread sessions before the first breakup of the group in early 1973, and these songs are found on the "Breakin' Up Is Easy" LP, a full-page ad for which is shown on the right. For session details, see footnote JJ on this page for photos of the LP's inner sleeve. The third of these "displaced" Bread songs – "That's All I Need" – was written by Robb Royer and recorded by Griffin, Gates, Botts and Knechtel in September, 1974 (quite the reunion!) and is found on the import-only "James Griffin" LP which was originally released in Germany in 1977. Also on this LP is "Blood From A Stone" – an "almost-Bread" track recorded in Dec., 1974 – produced by Griffin, Knechtel and Royer with Mike Botts on drums. This album may become reissued on CD once improved masters for some of the songs are obtained. See footnote L on this page for photos of the LP's covers which include the session details. Being quite a short album (but still full of substance), one would hope that some non-LP Polydor tracks can be added, such as the very interesting B-sides "Beachwood Band" and "Melody Maker."
In 1982, Griffin and Terry Sylvester collaborated on the album Griffin & Sylvester. The idea for this LP came during the recording of Terry Sylvester's 1976 "I Believe" album for which James participated in a duet of the Paul Williams/Roger Nichols song "Travellin' Boy." This duet is found only on the original U.K. LP; a punched-up solo version produced by Alan Parsons appears on the U.S. editions of the LP and all CD reissues, so the original duet has become somewhat of a rarity. A large number of musicians contributed to the legendary "Black Tie" LP of 1985 including James Griffin and Robb Royer, and the Black Tie group that emerged publicly had Griffin, Billy Swan and Randy Meisner as its core members. A 1990 revision of the album which became available on CD featured Griffin more predominantly on the tracks "Learning The Game" and "Chain Gang" – both of which were released on a 45 rpm single. Charlie Rich, Jr. joined Black Tie in 1992. As Griffin became involved with other projects, Black Tie was disbanded, and the group subsequently became known as Meisner, Swan & Rich. A related story or two is told here. James Griffin created great music wherever he worked – Memphis (his home town), Nashville, Los Angeles, etc. – and he ultimately centered his activities in Nashville. In the early 1990s, he achieved notable success in country music, co-writing the hits "You Can Depend On Me" for Restless Heart and "Who's Gonna Know" for Conway Twitty. (I still cannot think of the latter song as another one of those damnable country "cheatin' songs"! Think about the O'Neill/Carter relationship on Stargate SG-1 for an alternate scenario.) Griffin's group The Remingtons introduced some fresh and unique harmonies to country music, releasing two CDs and five singles in 1991-93 which are listed here. The recently-released "Sessions 1990-92" CD by The Finnigan Brothers (an authentic outlaw country band) includes a duet with Griffin; group and CD details are here. Griffin, Robb Royer and Larry Knechtel appeared as a trio in Nashville clubs in 1994 as Toast! (You can read about this in the Retrospective CD liner notes.) By late 2001, with the addition of singer and mandolin player Todd Cerney, Toast was renamed Radio Dixie. As the millennium turned, Griffin worked with Terry Sylvester and John Ford Coley as Soft Rock Cafe and also with Rick Yancey and Ronnie Guilbeau as GYG whose CD is available here. The GYG video, "Down In The Sunken Road" (which comprised the "News" section of the old jamesgriffinmusic.com site) is here. Griffin could be found in the recording studio making demos of a number of his own songs and providing backing vocals for such artists as Billy Burnette, Paul Burlison, Dobie Gray, Lorrie Morgan, Micky Newbury, Billy Joe Royal and Charlie Taylor. A list of some of the albums that resulted can be found on this page (although the Roy Brown and Nadine CDs in the list involve different Jimmy Griffins). You must hear the duet with Dobie Gray on the old Sam Cooke classic "Cupid"! Griffin and Rick Yancey can be heard as background vocalists on the "Nashville Sessions" CD by Edwin Lewis, released in 2005. ----------------------------- In his last year, James Griffin participated in a trio of notable Nashville recording sessions whose CDs emerged in the marketplace in 2005:
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Material on this page last modified on 5/6/10 at 7:15 PM, CDT. |
Life is far more important than what you do for a living. (Richard Dean Anderson)