Griffin Brothers

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The Griffin Brothers were an American R&B band from Norfolk , Virginia ; on some records they were also referred to as the Griffin Brothers Orchestra . They made successful recordings with Margie Day and had a number 1 hit on the R&B charts with "Weepin 'and Cryin'" in 1951, sung by Tommy Brown .

Band history

The group was founded by the brothers Jimmy (trombone) and Buddy Griffin (piano). There were Wilbur Dyer (alto saxophone), Virgil Wilson (tenor saxophone), Jimmy Reeves (bass) and Emmett "Nab" Shields (drums). In the late 1940s they played in clubs in Washington, DC, as well as Virginia and North Carolina ; During this time the singer Margie Day joined them. In the early 1950s they accompanied the blues singer Roy Brown on recordings for De Luxe Records , including the number 1 hit Hard Luck Blues .

They got a record deal with the new Dot Records label . Her first record Street Walkin 'Daddy / Riffin' With Griffin , released under the name "Margie Day with the Griffin Brothers Orchestra", reached number 7 on the R&B charts in late 1950. The successor Little Red Rooster , not identical to the song of the same name by Willie Dixon , reached number 5 on the R&B charts in early 1951.

Wilson, Reeves and Shields were replaced by Noble Watts (tenor saxophone), Wilbur Little (bass) and Belton Evans (drums). In 1951 and 1952, the Griffin Brothers toured with Amos Milburn , Paul Williams and others, while continuing to go to the studio with Margie Day and Tommy Brown. With Brown they had two hits, Tra-La-La , number 7 on the R&B charts, and Weepin 'and Cryin' , which peaked in January 1952.

Day left the group at the end of 1952, and Claudia Swann (actually Swanson) came for them at times. The Griffin Brothers subsequently appeared with The Orioles , Chuck Willis and Faye Adams, among others . They continued to record for Dot Records until their contract expired in early 1954. Jimmy Griffin then formed his own band.

Buddy Griffin went to Chess Records in Chicago and had a minor hit in 1955 with I Wanna Hug Ya, Kiss Ya, Squeeze Ya together with Claudia Swann under the name Buddy & Claudia with the Buddy Griffin Orchestra . The band included "Silly Willie" Wilson (trombone), Chuck Reeves (alto and baritone saxophone), Earl Swanson (tenor saxophone), Lawrence Burgan (bass) and Courtney Brooks (drums). Later recordings were released under the name Buddy Griffin and Claudia Swann, some with The Moonglows as accompanist.

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