Jimmy Griffin dies (Bread), Jimmy Griffin passed away (Bread)

Jimmy Griffin dies (Bread), Jimmy Griffin passed away (Bread). Jimmy Griffin (singer/songwriter) dies, aged 61 years old. Singer and songwriter Jimmy Griffin, the Bread alumnus who made his biggest impact on country music as a member of the Remingtons, died Tuesday (January 11) at his home in Nashville of complications from cancer. He was 61 and had been undergoing treatment for the past several months.

James Arthur Griffin was born in Cincinnati on Aug. 10, 1943. Soon after, his family moved to Memphis, where he grew up. When he was 7, his mother started him on accordion lessons at the Central Academy of Music. He continued to develop his musical talents and perform locally until he graduated from Kingsbury High School in 1962.

Living across the street from Griffin and serving as sources of musical inspiration were brothers Dorsey and Johnny Burnette, who were beginning to make names for themselves as rock 'n' roll musicians. The summer after he completed high school, Griffin visited the Burnettes who by then were living in California. They introduced him into the Los Angeles music community, and within a few months he signed a recording deal with Reprise Records. His first album, "Summer Holiday," a collection of cover tunes, was released in 1963.
His producer on this project was another rising talent, Jimmy Bowen, who would eventually go on to head the country divisions of Warner Bros., MCA and Capitol Records.

Jimmy Griffin also began developing as a songwriter, securing cuts by Rudy Vallee, Ed Ames, Lesley Gore, Bobby Vee and others. He ventured into acting as well and had small roles in the movies For Those Who Think Young (1964) and None But the Brave (1965).

In 1969, JImmy Griffin joined David Gates, Robb Royer and Jim Gordon to form Bread, a group distinguished by its rich, creamy melodies and yearning lyrics. The following year, the group's debut single, "Make It With You," went No. 1. Subsequent hits included "It Don't Matter to Me," "If," "Baby I'm-a Want You," "Everything I Own," "The Guitar Man," "Aubrey" and "Lost Without Your Love."

Still fascinated by the movies, Jimmy Griffin collaborated with Royer and Fred Karlin in 1970 to compose "For All We Know," which became the theme for the film Lovers and Other Strangers. The song won an Academy Award and was a No. 3 pop hit for the Carpenters in 1971.

Following the breakup of Bread in 1977, Jimmy Griffin returned to solo recording and songwriting. Polydor released the album James Griffin in Europe, and Shoe Records in Memphis issued a number of his singles. In the late '80s, Griffin teamed up with Randy Meisner (of the Eagles and Poco) and Billy Swan to form Black Tie, a country music trio. Their only charted single -- "Learning the Game," written by Buddy Holly -- came out in 1990 and made it to No. 59 on the country charts.

Then, in 1991, Griffin, Richard Mainegra and Rick Yancey (the latter two from the group Cymarron) formed the Remingtons and signed to the newly established RCA sublabel, BNA Records. The group's first single, "A Long Time Ago," was its most successful record, rising to No. 10 in early 1992. The last single, "Wall Around Her Heart" in 1993, topped out at No. 69.

Jimmy Griffin made occasional solo performances throughout the '90s and into the new century but mainly devoted himself to songwriting. He did his last studio work last year, pairing up with singer Lynn Bryant to record Todd Rundgren's pop classic, "Can We Still Be Friends."

Jimmy Griffin is survived by his wife, Marti, and three children.

Here is as a great souvenir: a letter of Neva Griffin speaking of his son Jimmy Griffin.

(photo by Ken Bank)

"You have taken the heart of me
And left just a part of me,
And look, look, look what you've done.
Well, you took all the best of me,
So come get the rest of me,
And look back, finish what you've begun.

There is some one you ought to meet;
It's me, mister incomplete.
Look, at what I've become.
For it's due to the lack of you
That I'm now only half of two.
Look back, finish what you"ve begun."

- Bread "Look What You've Done"
(Jimmy Griffin, Robb Royer) - 1969

"Love, look at the two of us
Strangers in many ways
Let's take a lifetime to say
I know you well
But only time will tell us so
And love may grow for all we know"

- Carpenters "For All We Know"
(Jimmy Griffin, Fred Karlin, Robb Wilson, Arthur James) - 1970

R.I.P.

Bread "Retrospective" (2 CD set): ORDER IT NOW.

Griffin & Sylvester CD (From two of the most successful bands in the history of modern music, The Hollies & Bread, Terry Sylvester & Jimmy Griffin capture the magic of Liverpool & Memphis, on this superb collection of songs, originally released in 1982): ORDER IT NOW.

Comments

[Tom Norlock]

I remember seeing Bread around 1997 at the Star Plaza in Merriville, Indiana. I was always a big fan of the band but never got to see them in their heyday. When I saw that they got back together again, I did not hesitate to get tickets for the show. I'll always remember how beautiful James' voice was at that show as he started it off with "Look What You've Done". I know James is up their now singing with Carl Wilson and the angels. Two beautiful voices taken from us all too soon. Rest in peace, James.

[george w. folia jr.]

i was crushed to hear of the news that such a great singer has left us so soon. i saw bread on their reunion tour in vegas and san diego. jimmy still had the greatest voice i had ever heard. i fell in love with a song that he introduced in the concert called "just say when." i ended up meeting him backstage and he was very cool. so cool, that he sent me a copy of his unreleased song. what a guy..... i wish his family well. rest in peace jimmy.

[Anita]

I saw Bread in August 1997 in Peachtree City, GA. I loved their music from the very first time I heard it. I was a teenager then and it seems all my memories from that time are set to a "Bread Soundtrack"
I am so sorry to hear of Jimmy's loss. He will be greatly missed by his loyal fans. I am so happy that I got to see him in person.
Anita - Chattanooga TN

[Georgetta McCloud]

I am so sorry to hear of the loss of Jimmy Griffin. I have many fond memeories tied to Bread's music. Such beautiful lyrics, such beautiful poetry. Its what is missing in today's music. God bless his family in friends in his passing. Georgetta, Upland, CA

[Lisa]

Thank you, Jimmy Griffin and Bread, for the music my memories are set to. I'm a dreamer at heart, and am whoefully in love with the rumor that ones joys are only as deep as their pain. The first time I heard Diary, I found a verse that knew what my 16 year old heart was drenched in. Now my four children have it bursting every second of every day with joy. I am certainly blessed by your having graced us with your beautiful feelings. Thank you for every word you shared. Its amazing how it helps to know your sentiments are shared by another soul somewhere. I pray for you and your family all of Gods blessing for eternity.

[warren bishop]

The music world does not know what a great talent that walked away from us. A man who God Almighty has blessed with a very good voice and with spiritual insights. Bread was a great group, and James was part of it. Remember the song For all we Know. what a Gift and what a talent. P.S. thank you for being a blessing for all of us Arthur James, I mean James Griffin.

[David]

Ever since I heard bread I always loved listening to their music. It made me feel relaxed all the time. Hearing news that one of the former band members(James Griffin) have passed away hurts me like crazy.

Farewell James Griffin R.I.P.

[Steve Harris]

I discovered Bread as a teenager in the 70s and like many was captivated most by David's great music. But as I've grown older my love for the group has moved to a greater appreciation of Jimmy Griffin's great talent. What a voice and such great songs! His music had an soulful edge that was never recognized enough. As a result, the band was always just categorized as soft rock and this limited its appeal. What a shame! What an oversight! James Griffin's passing is a great loss to the music world and I just hope that somehow his music can still be discovered by a larger audience. What a great tribute to him that would be!

[Drew Reid]

Hello-
I was manager of GYG aka Griffin, Yancey and Guilbeau, Jimmy Griffin's last studio and live project. They produced a CD, we played 2004 CRS convention in Nashville, as well as the Bluebird, Douglas Corner, etc. Jimmy was a huge talent, a great soul, and singing better at 60 than ever. GYG's CD is available for now in CDR form at my website for fans. We hope to get a distribution arrangement soon.
Thanks to all of Jimmy's fans and admirers. I know he loved his life. Keep Marti and the kids in your hearts and prayers.
Drew Reid

[Mario Gonzaga da Silva]

God bless his family all days of his life.I like his songs and I woul like to obtain " hanalei"Thanks"

[Anita Walls]

I ran across your postings and wanted to say something to everyone about Jimmy (James). Jimmy was a great man and a beautiful person. He never raised his voice and was always a true gentleman. He is truely missed. I worked with him and his friends in the studio several times over the years. He was in my studio singing backup for me 4 months before he passed away and he looked ill....he did not know at the time he was sick.... I found out a few years ago that my dad and Jimmy's dad played in a band together in the 1940s in Mississippi...its a small world... Jimmy will always be in my thoughts and prayers as will his friends and family he left behind. A truely great man.

[Sammy Marlar]

As a teenager, I recall listening to Jimmy singing "Too Much Love", on Bread's Manna album and it blew me away. Years later, in the summer of '78, I got to meet him in Memphis, and noticed he was driving a blue Rolls Royce. My friends and I wrote and recorded a song titled "Blue Rolls Royce" and mailed the tape to him. Later he sent me a personal letter saying how much he enjoyed it and he would like to keep the song. This blew me away again. What a man and what a talent. God Bless you James Griffin.

[mike]

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[Ron]

Ahhhhh Bread-has to be the best group in history! I was very shocked to just discover that James had died. I had never wanted to see a group succeed so bad in my life! So much so, that when I learned they had disbanded in 74 I wrote David a letter urging him and James and the rest to rejoin, as I'm sure a lot of others did also, but was very pleased to later learn they had reunited by watching an episode of the Hardy Boys on which they appeared. I believed then that they were the best and still do to this day! I have all of their music and it will always be a part of my collection. I have a taped interview that David Gates did with country singer Billy Dean also as a part of my collection. Though short it is very special to me because it was on that interview that I learned that David had written the song "Everything I Own" for his father. That had always been my favorite song since Bread released it but that gave it an even more special meaning to me because just months earlier I had lost my dad to Alzheimers. It totally blew me away-so much so that I immediately began to learn the song on the guitar myself. Then I bought a Remingtons tape on which James had reproduced the song and he did an excellent reproduction of it! I'm deeply saddened to learn of his demise but he and David and Larry and Mike-and Robb and Jim and Bread will never die as long as I'm alive! I play their songs regularly in chat rooms I go into because the world needs Bread-especially now! Rest in Peace my dear friend and know that the world appreciates you!

[june]

I've only just now found out that James has passed away. Words cannot express how shocked and profoundly saddened I am at learning this devastating news. I've been of fan of Jimmy's gorgeous voice since the very beginning, when I was only a young girl, upon first hearing "Friends and Lovers" on the first bread LP that my best friend's older sister had. I've been hooked ever since.

I've only had the opportunity and pleasure to see and experience bread twice - once in 1972 in Carnegie Hall and again in 1977 at Avery Fisher Hall in New York City, where I presented Jimmy with a hand-carved wooden plaque I made for him, with the bread logo on it. I remember walking right up near the stage, reached up to hand it to him, and he reached down and took it from me. I still have the photograph of him holding the plaque, which I will treasure forever - more so now.

I met him after that Avery Fisher Hall show,telling him how much I loved the show, to which he replied, "Why thank you, little lady" (I remember nearly fainting as well as swooning!) and took another photo of him with his perm (which I never quite got used to, but I forgave him, because it was Jimmy after all, and to me, he could do no wrong).

I've also had the great pleasure and honour of corresponding with Jimmy via e-mail in the past couple of years - he was very interested in my Celtic designs and I was in the process of designing a Celtic cross for him - preferably red and white, for he told me that those were the colours of his office as well as red being his favourite colour.

The last time I'd heard from Jimmy was when we discussed the final touches on the Celtic cross, and as a way of thanks, and because he was such a generous and kind soul by his very nature, he sent me a copy of the Griffin and Sylvester CD, which I love so much - even more so now, for these are the last memories I have of him.

My heart and heart-felt prayers go out to his family. This is such a terrible shock to me, that words just aren't enough.
I cannot fully take in the news that Jimmy is gone.

The music world can never fully and truly know what an amazing vocalist and songwriter James Griffin was - although I was always a huge fan of all of bread's music, it was always Jimmy's voice that I loved, and Jimmy's songs that I played over and over and over again, and Jimmy's songs that I learned to play on the guitar.

My God - this is just too sad to take in.

Judy D in California (Tiff's mum) - if you're out there and you're reading this, please, please get in touch with me.

James, you will always live on in my heart, in my memories, and in my ears, through the gorgeous music you gave us, and the beautiful voice you shared with us.

June S.
Ireland

[Hywel]

How terrible to just hear the news that James Griffin had died. I had the pleasure to see Bread on their reunion tour and managed to speak to James and get his autograph at the end of the gig. He appeared a very warm and gentle person. Like many of the other people on this thread I feel as if I grew up to a Bread soundtrack and am genuinely saddened to hear that he has left a relatively young family behind as well. I know that his music will always continue to play a part in my life.

[lisa boyd-oliver]

Well, this is a little bit of "too little too late", in that I have recently learned that Jimmy was my half uncle. It's really a shame that I never got the opportunity to meet him or speak with him while he was alive.
I will say that I was always a fan of his music, even though I had no idea that I was in any way related. I can tell from the comments of others how much he touched the lives of people he knew, and those he didn't, which is a great testament to the man he must have been. I wish I had known a little earlier!

Best wishes to the family...I can't imagine how hard it was to lose such a beautiful part of your lives.