Sid Griffin
| Sid Griffin | |
|---|---|
| Born |
September 18, 1955 Louisville, Kentucky, United states |
| Genres | Americana, alternative bluegrass |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, instrumentalist, bandleader, author |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, mandolin |
| Years active | 1980s-present |
| Labels | Prima Records, Island |
| Associated acts | The Long Ryders, The Coal Porters |
| Website | www |
Albert Sidney "Sid" Griffin (born September 18, 1955) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist-mandolinist, bandleader, and author who lives in London, England. He led the Long Ryders band in the 1980s, founded the Coal Porters group in the 1990s, has recorded several solo albums and is the author of volumes on Bob Dylan, Gram Parsons and bluegrass music.
Griffin was born in Louisville, Kentucky. He is an eighth-generation Kentuckian. After graduating from Ballard High School in eastern Louisville and playing in a band called The Frosties, Griffin attended the University of South Carolina, receiving a bachelor's degree in journalism in 1977. He then moved to Los Angeles, California, to launch a career as a musician.
He briefly played in the punk band Death Wish before joining Shelley Ganz to form the Unclaimed in 1979. Steeped in the garage band ethos of the 1960s, the Unclaimed released a self-titled four-track EP on the Moxie label in September 1980, which included the early Griffin compositions "Time to Time" and "Deposition Central."
Griffin left the Unclaimed in November 1981, along with band's bassist Barry Shank, to form the nascent Long Ryders, adding Greg Sowders on drums and, after a period of searching, guitarist Stephen McCarthy. Steve Wynn of Dream Syndicate was briefly a member also. Shank resigned from the band to pursue a doctoral degree after a year, and Australian Des Brewer took over on bass in time for the Long Ryders' debut EP, 10-5-60 (1983). Tom Stevens then replaced Brewer and joined Griffin, Sowders and McCarthy for the Long Ryders' Native Sons (1984), the band's first full-length album on Frontier Records, and two subsequent major label releases, State of Our Union (1985) and Two Fisted Tales (1987), on Island Records. The Long Ryders broke up in December 1987. For a lengthy oral history interview with its former members, visit the Perfect Sound Forever website. In January 2016, Cherry Red Records released a four-CD box set, Final Wild Songs, comprising the band's three full-length albums, their one EP, various rarities and demos, and a 15-song live Benelux radio performance.
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Wikipedia