Della Griffin

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Della Griffin (* 12. June 1925 in Newberry , South Carolina as Ardella Gilliam ) is an American jazz singer and drummer . Under the name Della Simpson , she was a member of two of the first female rhythm and blues groups, The Enchanters and The Dell Tones, in the 1950s .

Career

Griffin is the daughter of William and Mary Gilliam, she was the nineteenth of twenty children. She was born in Newberry, South Carolina and raised in New York City as a teenager .

She greatly admired Count Basie , Charlie Barnet, and especially Billie Holiday, and was artistically influenced by them. She started singing at the age of 12, but also played drums, alto saxophone and piano . She graduated from Jamaica High School in Queens, New York City in 1943 and began singing professionally a few years later.

In 1950 Della Griffin and Frances Kelley decided to form a vocal group. The two women knew each other from working together in a factory that made shoulder pads. The vocal group was complemented by Pearl Brice, Della's childhood friend, and Rachel Gist, a soloist from the Harlem clubs . Della's friend Chris Townes became her teacher, arranger, pianist and songwriter. The group played in small clubs whenever they could for about a year. In 1951, Della Griffin invited Jerry Blaine, owner of Jubilee Records , to listen to the group. Blaine was so impressed with the group that he signed a deal with them the very next day. The first songs they recorded were Today Is Your Birthday , How Could You Break My Heart , I've Lost , Housewife Blues, and You Know I'm Not in Love With You . In January 1952, The Enchanters released their first album on Jubilee Records . They began touring the United States and received positive feedback from the audience. From March 1952 they were represented by the Shaws Artist Corporation . In 1952, Jubilee Records released their second album. Shortly thereafter, Rachel Gist and Pearl Brice left the group.

Della Griffin and Frances Kelley replace Rachel Gist and Pearl Brice with Gloria Alleyne and Sherry Gary from the Dorsey Sisters . With the new members, the group also took on a new name. They named themselves after the first name of their lead singer and drummer The Dell-Tones . Griffin was the first female drummer in a well-known musical group. The first of Griffin's three husbands, Jimmy Simpson, managed the group and negotiated a recording deal with Brunswick Records . There they recorded Yours Alone and My Hearts on Fire in 1953 . Soon after, The Dell-Tones decided to leave the label and signed a record deal with Eddie Hellers Rainbow Records . There they recorded I'm Not in Love With You and Little Short Daddy . They then went on their Night Train Tour with Jimmy Forrest . Frances Kelley, Gloria Alleyne and Sherry Gary left The Dell-Tones and were replaced by Algie Willie, Shirley Bunnie Foy and Renee Stewart. The Dell-Tones signed a record deal with Baton Records and recorded Don't Be Long , Baby Say You Love Me , My Special Love and Believe It . In 1955 Stan Pat became the new manager of the Dell Tones and they toured Canada. After the tour, Gloria Bell and Chris Townes left the group. The Dell-Tones merged with Sonny Til and his group The Orioles , and the new band consisted of Della Griffin, Sonny Til, Della's second husband Paul Griffin, Diz Russell, Jerry Holeman, Aaron "Tex" Cornelius, Billy Adams, Shirley Bunnie Foy , Renee Stewart and Algie Willie. The new group performed in several New York clubs and recorded Voices of Love and I'm so Lonely in 1957 . Then the Dell Tones broke up and Della Griffin began performing alone.

Solo career

Over the years she has toured many and accompanied many artists, including Jimmy Forrest , Sonny Stitt , Benny Green , Illinois Jacquet and her sister-in-law Etta Jones . After leaving the Dell Tones, Paul Griffin, her then-husband, encouraged her to take some more time with her family. After divorcing Paul Griffin, Della returned to New York City clubs including The Blue Note and The Blue Book, where she stayed for many years.

In 1984, Griffin took another break from her music career after being hit by a car and sustaining serious injuries. After her recovery, she performed again, mostly as a singer, as it earned her more attention than drumming. At the age of 65 she recorded her first album under her own name with tenor saxophonist Houston Person . She played overseas, including a 1998 appearance at the Alandia Jazz Festival in Finland.

Personal

Griffin was married three times: first to Enchanters manager Jimmy Simpson, then to Dell Tones pianist Paul Griffin, and finally one last time to Jimmy Walker. She had no children of her own, but she was the foster mother of more than a dozen foster children. She became a close friend of Billie Holiday , whose husband heard Della Griffin perform every week after Billie's death because her voice reminded him of Billie Holiday.

Discographic notes

  • Sings (Dobre Records, 1978)
  • I'll Get By ( Muse Records , 1990)
  • Travelin 'Light (Muse, 1992)
  • The Very Thought of You (Savant, 1998)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Benjamin Franklin V An Encyclopedia of South Carolina Jazz and Blues Musicians The University of South Carolina Press 2016 (different year of birth 1923; therefore only after 1943 in New York)
  2. ↑ a b c d e f Della Griffin at www.allmusic.com. Retrieved April 17, 2017 .
  3. ↑ a b c d e Della Griffin at www.discogs.com. Retrieved April 17, 2017 .
  4. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l Della Griffin at www.uncamarvy.com. Retrieved April 17, 2017 .
  5. ↑ a b Grove Music Online. Retrieved July 29, 2019 .
  6. ^ William Sutherland: Della Griffin: Jazz and R&B Pioneer
  7. ↑ Della Griffin at www.allaboutjazz.com. Retrieved April 17, 2017 .
personal data
SURNAME Griffin, Della
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Simpson, Della (1st married name); Ardella Gilliam (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American jazz singer and drummer
DATE OF BIRTH June 12, 1925
PLACE OF BIRTH Newberry , South Carolina , United States