The Griffin Brothers
| The Griffin Brothers | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | The Griffin Brothers Orchestra |
| Origin | Norfolk, Virginia, US |
| Genres | Rhythm and blues |
| Years active | 1940s–1954 |
| Labels | Ekko, Dot |
| Associated acts |
Margie Day Tommy Brown Buddy & Claudia |
| Past members | Jimmy Griffin "Buddy" Griffin Wilbur Dyer Virgil Wilson Jimmy Reeves Emmett "Nab" Shields Noble Watts Wilbur Little Belton Evans |
The Griffin Brothers were an American rhythm and blues band from Norfolk, Virginia, sometimes credited on record as the Griffin Brothers Orchestra. They made successful recordings with singer Margie Day, and had a no.1 hit on the Billboard R&B chart in 1951 with "Weepin' and Cryin'", featuring Tommy Brown.
The group was formed by brothers Jimmy (born James Rudolph Griffin, Norfolk, Virginia, November 26, 1921–November 14, 2000) and "Buddy" Griffin (born Edward Ernest Griffin, Elizabeth City, North Carolina, October 5, 1919–October 22, 1981).
By 1920, the family lived in Norfolk, Virginia. Both Jimmy and Buddy studied music at the Juilliard School. Jimmy played trombone, and Buddy played piano. The band was completed by Wilbur Dyer (alto saxophone), Virgil Wilson (tenor saxophone), Jimmy Reeves (bass), and Emmett "Nab" Shields (drums). In the late 1940s they played local clubs in Washington, DC, as well as Virginia and North Carolina, and added a singer, Margie Day. In early 1950 the band recorded as back-up to Roy Brown on the session for DeLuxe Records that yielded his no.1 R&B hit, "Hard Luck Blues".
Local music promoter Lillian Clairborne won them a recording contract with the newly formed Dot Records, established by Randy Wood. Their first record, credited to Margie Day with the Griffin Brothers Orchestra, "Street Walkin' Daddy" / "Riffin' With Griffin", became a no.7 hit on the Billboard R&B chart in late 1950, with sales reportedly reaching over 15 thousand a week. The follow-up record, "Little Red Rooster", not directly related to the Willie Dixon song but drawing on the same folk traditions, reached no.5 on the R&B chart in early 1951. Wilson, Reeves and Shields were replaced by Noble Watts (tenor sax), Wilbur Little (bass), and Belton Evans (drums). The Griffin Brothers toured widely in 1951 and 1952 with Amos Milburn, Paul Williams and others, and continued to record both with Margie Day, and with singer Tommy Brown. They had two R&B hits with Brown, "Tra-La-La" which reached no.7, and "Weepin' and Cryin'" which reached no.1 in January 1952.
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