James Harrell McGriff (April 3, 1936 – May 24, 2008) was an American
hard bop
Hard bop is a subgenre of jazz that is an extension of bebop (or "bop") music. Journalists and record companies began using the term in the mid-1950s to describe a new current within jazz that incorporated influences from rhythm and blues, gospe ...
and
soul-jazz
Soul jazz or funky jazz is a subgenre of jazz that incorporates strong influences from hard bop, blues, soul, gospel and rhythm and blues. Soul jazz is often characterized by organ trios featuring the Hammond organ and small combos including ten ...
organist
An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ (music), organ. An organist may play organ repertoire, solo organ works, play with an musical ensemble, ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumentalist, instrumental ...
and organ trio bandleader.
Biography
Early years and influences
Born in
Germantown Germantown or German Town may refer to:
Places
Australia
* Germantown, Queensland, a locality in the Cassowary Coast Region
United States
* Germantown, California, the former name of Artois, a census-designated place in Glenn County
* Ge ...
,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
, United States, McGriff started playing piano at the age of five and by his teens had also learned to play vibes, alto sax, drums and
upright bass
The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or #Terminology, by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched Bow (music), bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox addit ...
. He played bass in his first group, a piano trio. When he joined the United States Army, McGriff served as a
military police
Military police (MP) are law enforcement agencies connected with, or part of, the military of a state. In wartime operations, the military police may support the main fighting force with force protection, convoy security, screening, rear recon ...
man during the
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
. He later became a police officer in Philadelphia for two years.
Music kept drawing McGriff's attention away from the police force. His childhood friend, organist Jimmy Smith, had begun earning a substantial reputation in jazz for his
Blue Note
In jazz and blues, a blue note is a note that—for expressive purposes—is sung or played at a slightly different pitch from standard. Typically the alteration is between a quartertone and a semitone, but this varies depending on the musical co ...
albums (the two played together once in 1967) and McGriff became entranced by the organ sound while
Richard "Groove" Holmes
Richard Arnold "Groove" Holmes (May 2, 1931 – June 29, 1991) was an American jazz organist who performed in the hard bop and soul jazz genre. He is best known for his 1965 recording of " Misty".
Career
Holmes's first album, on Pacific ...
played at his sister's wedding. Holmes went on to become McGriff's teacher and friend and they recorded together on two occasions in 1973 for two Groove Merchant records.
McGriff bought his first
Hammond B-3
The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert and first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding #Drawbars, drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, Hammond organs ...
organ in 1956, spent six months learning the instrument, then studied at New York's
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most el ...
. He also studied privately with
Milt Buckner
Milton Brent Buckner (July 10, 1915 – July 27, 1977) was an American jazz pianist and organist, who in the early 1950s popularized the Hammond organ.Arwulf ArwulfMilt Buckner biography All Music. He pioneered the parallel chords styleFeathe ...
Sonny Gatewood
Sonny is a common nickname and occasional given name. Often it can be a derivative of the English word "Son", a name derived from the Ancient Germanic element *sunn meaning "sun", a nickname derived from the Italian name Salvatore (especially in N ...
. He was influenced by the energy and dynamics of organist Buckner and the diplomatic aplomb of
Count Basie
William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...
, and by local organists such as Howard "The Demon" Whaley and Austin Mitchell.
1960s: First combos
McGriff formed a combo that played around Philadelphia and often featured tenor saxophonist
Charles Earland
Charles Earland (May 24, 1941 – December 11, 1999) was an American jazz organist.
Biography
Earland was born in Philadelphia and learned to play the saxophone in high school. He played tenor with Jimmy McGriff at the age of 17 and in 1960 form ...
(who soon switched permanently to organ, and became one of the instrument's renowned performers). During this time, McGriff also accompanied such artists as
Don Gardner
Donald Gardner (May 9, 1931 – September 4, 2018) was an American rhythm and blues singer, songwriter, and drummer. His records included the 1962 pop hit " I Need Your Lovin'", with Dee Dee Ford.
Biography
Born in Philadelphia, Gardner star ...
,
Arthur Prysock
Arthur Prysock Jr. (January 1, 1924Candido
Candido is both a given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include:
Given name
* Candido Amantini (1914–1992), Italian Roman Catholic priest
* Candido Camero known simply as "Candido" (1921-2020), Cuban percussionist
* Candido Jac ...
and
Carmen McRae
Carmen Mercedes McRae (April 8, 1920 – November 10, 1994) was an American jazz singer. She is considered one of the most influential jazz vocalists of the 20th century and is remembered for her behind-the-beat phrasing and ironic interpre ...
, who came through town for local club dates.
In 1961, McGriff's trio was offered the chance to record an instrumental version of
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...
' hit "
I've Got a Woman
I've Sound, or simply called , is a Japanese techno/trance music production group based in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan. Led by Kazuya Takase, it features the talents of seasoned "sound creators" and many different vocalists, known as to their fa ...
" by Joe Lederman's Jell Records, a small independent label. When the record received substantial local airplay,
Juggy Murray
Juggy Murray (November 24, 1923 – February 8, 2005) was an American record label owner, producer and singer-songwriter. He co-founded Sue Records which launched the career of Ike & Tina Turner. Subsidiary labels under the Sue were Symbol, B ...
's Sue label picked it up and recorded a full album of McGriff's trio, released in 1962. The album also turned out another hit in McGriff's "All About My Girl", establishing McGriff's credentials as a fiery blues-based organist, well-versed in
gospel
Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...
,
soul
In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being".
Etymology
The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...
and "fatback groove".
McGriff recorded a series of popular albums for the Sue label between 1962 and 1965, ending with what still stands as one of his finest examples of blues-based jazz, ''Blues for Mister Jimmy''. When producer
Sonny Lester
Sumner Lester (November 15, 1924 – April 28, 2018), better known as Sonny Lester, was an American Grammy-award-winning music producer from New York City. He started his career as a musician in a big band jazz ensemble before being drafted into ...
started his Solid State record label in 1966, he recruited McGriff to be his star attraction. Lester framed McGriff in many different groups, performing a wide variety of styles and giving the organist nearly unlimited opportunities to record. McGriff was heard everywhere from an all-star tribute to Count Basie: ''The Big Band'' (1966), a series of "organ and blues band" albums such as ''Honey'' (1968) and ''A Thing to Come By'' (1969), funk classics like ''Electric Funk'' (1970), covering pop hits ("Cherry", "Blue Moon", "The Way You Look Tonight") and such original singles as "The Worm" and "Step One".
During this time, McGriff performed at clubs and concert halls worldwide. He settled in
Newark
Newark most commonly refers to:
* Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States
* Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area
Newark may also refer to:
Places Canada
* Niagara-on-the ...
,
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
, and eventually opened his own supper club, The Golden Slipper - where he recorded ''Black Pearl'' and another live album, ''Chicken Fried Soul'' with
in 1971. Beginning in 1969, he also performed regularly with
Buddy Rich
Bernard "Buddy" Rich (September 30, 1917 – April 2, 1987) was an American jazz drummer, songwriter, conductor, and bandleader. He is considered one of the most influential drummers of all time.
Rich was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York ...
's band, though the two were only recorded once together in 1974 on ''The Last Blues Album Volume 1''.
1970s–1980s
McGriff "retired" from the music industry in 1972 to start a horse farm in Connecticut. But Sonny Lester's new record company, Groove Merchant, kept issuing McGriff records at a rate of three or four a year. By 1973, McGriff was touring relentlessly and actively recording again. Around this time,
disco
Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...
was gaining a hold in jazz music and McGriff's flexibility proved infallible. He produced some of his best music during this period: ''Stump Juice'' (1975), ''Red Beans'' (1976) and ''Outside Looking In'' (1978). These albums still stand out today as excellent documents of McGriff's organ playing.
By 1980, McGriff broke away from Sonny Lester and began working actively with producer Bob Porter (and recording engineer
Rudy Van Gelder
Rudolph Van Gelder (November 2, 1924 – August 25, 2016) was an American recording engineer who specialized in jazz. Over more than half a century, he recorded several thousand sessions, with musicians including John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Theloni ...
). McGriff began a long relationship with
Fantasy Records
Fantasy Records is an American independent record label company founded by brothers Max and Sol Stanley Weiss in 1949. The early years of the company were dedicated to issuing recordings by jazz pianist Dave Brubeck, who was also one of its inves ...
' Milestone label, collaborating with Rusty Bryant,
Al Grey
Al Grey (June 6, 1925 – March 24, 2000) was an American jazz trombonist who was a member of the Count Basie orchestra. He was known for his plunger mute technique and wrote an instructional book in 1987 called ''Plunger Techniques''.
Care ...
,
Red Holloway
James Wesley "Red" Holloway (May 31, 1927 – February 25, 2012) was an American jazz saxophonist.
Biography
Born in Helena, Arkansas,Daniel E. Slotnik"Red Holloway, Swinger of the Sax, Dies at 84" ''The New York Times'', February 28, 2012 ...
,
David "Fathead" Newman
David "Fathead" Newman (February 24, 1933 – January 20, 2009) was an American jazz and rhythm-and-blues saxophonist, who made numerous recordings as a session musician and leader, but is best known for his work as a sideman on seminal 1950s and ...
,
Frank Wess
Frank Wellington Wess (January 4, 1922 – October 30, 2013) was an American jazz saxophonist and flutist. In addition to his extensive solo work, Wess is remembered for his time in Count Basie's band from the early 1950s into the 1960s. Critic ...
and Eric Alexander.
In 1986, McGriff started a popular partnership with alto saxophone player
Hank Crawford
Bennie Ross "Hank" Crawford, Jr. (December 21, 1934 – January 29, 2009) was an American Alto saxophone, alto saxophonist, arranger and songwriter whose genres ranged from Rhythm and blues, R&B, hard bop, jazz-funk, and soul jazz. Crawford was ...
. Their partnership yielded five co-leader dates for Milestone records: ''Soul Survivors'' (1986), ''Steppin' Up'' (1987), ''On the Blue Side'' (1989), ''Road Tested'' (1997), and ''Crunch Time'' (1999), as well as two dates for Telarc Records: ''Right Turn on Blue'' (1994) and ''Blues Groove'' (1995). But it was only during their brief period at
Telarc
Telarc International Corporation is an American audiophile independent record label founded in 1977 by two classically trained musicians and former teachers, Jack Renner and Robert Woods. Based in Cleveland, Ohio, the label has had a long associ ...
that McGriff's name headlined the popular club and cruise-ship attraction.
1990s–2000s
Between 1994 and 1998, McGriff also experimented with the Hammond XB-3, an organ
synthesizer
A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...
that increased the organ's capabilities with
MIDI
MIDI (; Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a technical standard that describes a communications protocol, digital interface, and electrical connectors that connect a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, computers, and re ...
enhancements. This gave McGriff an unnatural synthesized sound, which probably explains his retreat from the instrument on late recordings such as 2000's ''McGriff's House Party'' (featuring fellow organist Lonnie Smith). ''House Party'' did include the use of the XB-3; however, he did not use the MIDI functions.
McGriff was one of the first B3 players to add MIDI to the upper keyboard of his personal B3 to add and extend "his sound" beyond just the drawbar sound of the B3. He incorporated synthesizers in his live performances as he liked vibes, piano, strings, brass and other sounds that could only be created by a synthesizer and which the classic B3 cannot provide. Jimmy purchased the XB-3 as he had more control over the MIDI functions, and the XB-3 weighs about half of the classic B3, which made it easier to move.
Along with the
soul-jazz
Soul jazz or funky jazz is a subgenre of jazz that incorporates strong influences from hard bop, blues, soul, gospel and rhythm and blues. Soul jazz is often characterized by organ trios featuring the Hammond organ and small combos including ten ...
sound, McGriff experienced renewed popularity in the mid-1990s, forming 'The Dream Team' group, which featured
David "Fathead" Newman
David "Fathead" Newman (February 24, 1933 – January 20, 2009) was an American jazz and rhythm-and-blues saxophonist, who made numerous recordings as a session musician and leader, but is best known for his work as a sideman on seminal 1950s and ...
(a longtime saxophonist with
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...
) and drummer
Bernard Purdie
Bernard Lee "Pretty" Purdie (born June 11, 1939) is an American drummer, and an influential R&B, soul and funk musician. He is known for his precise musical time keeping and his signature use of triplets against a half-time backbeat: the "Purdie ...
, and recording ''The Dream Team'' (1997), ''Straight Up'' (1998), ''McGriff's House Party'' (2000), ''Feelin' It'' (2001), and ''McGriff Avenue'' (2002) albums.
On March 29, 2008, McGriff was given a last private concert by Bill "Mr. B3" Dilks and drummer Grant MacAvoy in his honor in Voorhees Township,
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
. Dilks brought his B3 and played for McGriff, his wife Margaret, their guests, and the folks at the Genesis Health Care Center. As Dilks said, "The Hammond reaches its players far beyond where the conscious mind lives".
A resident of Voorhees Township, New Jersey, McGriff died there at age 72 on May 24, 2008, due to complications of
multiple sclerosis
Multiple (cerebral) sclerosis (MS), also known as encephalomyelitis disseminata or disseminated sclerosis, is the most common demyelinating disease, in which the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged. This d ...
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', May 28, 2008. Accessed March 17, 2011. "Jimmy McGriff, who since the early 1960s was one of the most popular jazz and blues organists, died on Saturday in Voorhees, N.J. He was 72 and lived in Voorhees."
Discography
As leader/co-leader
*''
I've Got a Woman
I've Sound, or simply called , is a Japanese techno/trance music production group based in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan. Led by Kazuya Takase, it features the talents of seasoned "sound creators" and many different vocalists, known as to their fa ...
One of Mine
''One of Mine'' is an album by organist Jimmy McGriff recorded and released by Sue Records in 1963.Payne, DJimmy McGriff: A Discography: 1960 - 1965 accessed August 5, 2019
Reception
The Allmusic review by Michael Erlewine stated "His second a ...
Veep
''Veep'' is an American political satire comedy television series that aired on HBO from April 22, 2012, to May 12, 2019. The series was created by Armando Iannucci as an adaptation of his sitcom ''The Thick of It''. The protagonist of ''Veep'' ...
, 1966)
*''
The Big Band
''The Big Band'' (rereleased as ''The Big Band: A Tribute to Basie'') is an album by American jazz organist Jimmy McGriff featuring performances recorded in 1966 and originally released on the Solid State Records (jazz label), Solid State label.Pa ...
Cherry
A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus ''Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit).
Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet ''Prunus avium'' and the sour ''Prunus cerasus''. The nam ...
'' (Solid State, 1966)
*''
A Bag Full of Blues
''A Bag Full of Blues'' is an album by American jazz organist Jimmy McGriff featuring performances recorded in 1967 and originally released on the Solid State label.Payne, D.Solid Sonny Lester discographyaccessed April 14, 2015Payne, D.accessed A ...
Honey
Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of plants (primar ...
Step 1
The USMLE Step 1 (more commonly just Step 1 or colloquially, The Boards) is the first part of the United States Medical Licensing Examination. It aims to assess whether medical school students or graduates can apply important concepts of the found ...
The Way You Look Tonight
"The Way You Look To-night" is a song from the film ''Swing Time'' that was performed by Fred Astaire and composed by Jerome Kern with lyrics written by Dorothy Fields. It won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1936. Fields remarked, " ...
'' (Solid State, 1969)
*''
Electric Funk
''Electric Funk'' is an album by the American jazz organist Jimmy McGriff of performances recorded in 1969 and released on the Blue Note label.
'' (
Blue Note
In jazz and blues, a blue note is a note that—for expressive purposes—is sung or played at a slightly different pitch from standard. Typically the alteration is between a quartertone and a semitone, but this varies depending on the musical co ...
, 1970)
*''
The Dudes Doin' Business
''The Dudes Doin' Business'' is an album by organist Jimmy McGriff and vocalist Junior Parker featuring performances recorded in 1970 and originally released on the Capitol label.
'' (
Capitol
A capitol, named after the Capitoline Hill in Rome, is usually a legislative building where a legislature meets and makes laws for its respective political entity.
Specific capitols include:
* United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.
* Numerous ...
Black Pearl
The ''Black Pearl'' (formerly known as the ''Wicked Wench'') is a fictional ship in the ''Pirates of the Caribbean'' film series. In the screenplay, the ''Black Pearl'' is easily recognized by her distinctive black hull and sails. Captained by ...
el. 1972
EL, El or el may refer to:
Religion
* El (deity), a Semitic word for "God"
People
* EL (rapper) (born 1983), stage name of Elorm Adablah, a Ghanaian rapper and sound engineer
* El DeBarge, music artist
* El Franco Lee (1949–2016), American po ...
el. 1972
EL, El or el may refer to:
Religion
* El (deity), a Semitic word for "God"
People
* EL (rapper) (born 1983), stage name of Elorm Adablah, a Ghanaian rapper and sound engineer
* El DeBarge, music artist
* El Franco Lee (1949–2016), American po ...
split album
A split album (or split) is a music album that includes tracks by two or more separate artists. There are also singles and EPs of the same variety, which are often called "split singles" and "split EPs" respectively. Split albums differ from "var ...
with
Lucky Thompson
Eli "Lucky" Thompson (June 16, 1924 – July 30, 2005) was an American jazz tenor and soprano saxophonist whose playing combined elements of swing music, swing and bebop. Although John Coltrane usually receives the most credit for bringing th ...
O'Donel Levy
O'Donel "Butch" Levy (September 20, 1945 – March 14, 2016) was a Rhythm and blues, rhythm & blues, funk and jazz guitarist from Baltimore, Maryland. He was brother of session drummer Stafford Levy.
Levy studied music at the Peabody Institute at ...
Richard Groove Holmes
Richard Arnold "Groove" Holmes (May 2, 1931 – June 29, 1991) was an American jazz organist who performed in the hard bop and soul jazz genre. He is best known for his 1965 recording of "Misty (song), Misty".
Career
Holmes's first album, ...
The Main Squeeze
The Main Squeeze is an American funk band from Bloomington, Indiana.
History
The Main Squeeze formed as a party band at Indiana University in 2010. In 2012, they released their first self-titled LP. Three years later, they released their secon ...
'' (Groove Merchant, 1974)
*''
Stump Juice
''Stump Juice'' is an album by American jazz organist Jimmy McGriff recorded in 1975 and released on the Groove Merchant label.The Mean Machine'' (Groove Merchant, 1976)
*''
Red Beans
Red bean is a common name for several plants and may refer to:
* Adzuki bean (''Vigna angularis''), commonly used in Japanese, Korean, and Chinese cuisine, particularly as red bean paste
* Kidney bean, red variety of '' Phaseolus vulgaris'', c ...
ester Radio Corporation
In chemistry, an ester is a compound derived from an oxoacid (organic or inorganic) in which at least one hydroxyl group () is replaced by an alkoxy group (), as in the substitution reaction of a carboxylic acid and an alcohol. Glycerides ar ...
1977)
*'' Outside Looking In ''(LRC, 1978)
*''
City Lights
''City Lights'' is a 1931 American silent romantic comedy film written, produced, directed by, and starring Charlie Chaplin. The story follows the misadventures of Chaplin's Tramp as he falls in love with a blind girl (Virginia Cherrill) and ...
Movin' Upside the Blues
''Movin' Upside the Blues'' is an album by organist Jimmy McGriff recorded in 1981 (with one track from late 1980) and released on the Jazz America Marketing (JAM) label.
Countdown
A countdown is a sequence of backward counting to indicate the time remaining before an event is scheduled to occur. NASA commonly employs the terms "L-minus" and "T-minus" during the preparation for and anticipation of a rocket launch, and eve ...
'' (
Milestone
A milestone is a numbered marker placed on a route such as a road, railway line, canal or boundary. They can indicate the distance to towns, cities, and other places or landmarks; or they can give their position on the route relative to so ...
, 1983)
*''
Skywalk
A skyway, skybridge, skywalk, or sky walkway is an elevated type of pedway connecting two or more buildings in an urban area, or connecting elevated points within mountainous recreational zones. Urban skyways very often take the form of enclos ...
'' (Milestone, 1984)
*''
State of the Art
The state of the art (sometimes cutting edge or leading edge) refers to the highest level of general development, as of a device, technique, or scientific field achieved at a particular time. However, in some contexts it can also refer to a level ...
'' (Milestone, 1985)
*'' Soul Survivors'' (Milestone, 1986) - with
Hank Crawford
Bennie Ross "Hank" Crawford, Jr. (December 21, 1934 – January 29, 2009) was an American Alto saxophone, alto saxophonist, arranger and songwriter whose genres ranged from Rhythm and blues, R&B, hard bop, jazz-funk, and soul jazz. Crawford was ...
*''
The Starting Five
''The Starting Five'' is an album by organist Jimmy McGriff recorded in 1986 and released on the Milestone label the following year.
'' (Milestone, 1987)
*'' Steppin' Up'' (Milestone, 1987) - with Hank Crawford
*'' Blue to the 'Bone'' (Milestone, 1988)
*'' On the Blue Side'' (Milestone, 1990) - with Hank Crawford
*'' You Ought to Think About Me'' (Headfirst, 1990)
*'' In a Blue Mood ''(Headfirst, 1991)
*'' Right Turn on Blue ''(
Telarc
Telarc International Corporation is an American audiophile independent record label founded in 1977 by two classically trained musicians and former teachers, Jack Renner and Robert Woods. Based in Cleveland, Ohio, the label has had a long associ ...
, 1994) - with Hank Crawford
*'' Blues Groove ''(Telarc, 1995) - with Hank Crawford
*'' The Dream Team'' (Milestone, 1997)
*''
Road Tested
''Road Tested'' is a live album and first live album by Bonnie Raitt, released in 1995.
Track listing
;CD One
#"Thing Called Love" (John Hiatt) – 4:48
#"Three Time Loser" ( Don Covay, Ronald Dean Miller) – 3:39
#"Love Letter" (Bonnie Ha ...
'' (Milestone, 1997) - with Hank Crawford
*'' Straight Up'' (Milestone, 1998)
*'' Crunch Time'' (Milestone, 1999) - with Hank Crawford
*'' McGriff's House Party'' (Milestone, 2000) - with
Dr. Lonnie Smith
Lonnie Smith (July 3, 1942 – September 28, 2021), styled Dr. Lonnie Smith, was an American jazz Hammond B3 organist who was a member of the George Benson quartet in the 1960s. He recorded albums with saxophonist Lou Donaldson for Blue Note be ...
McGriff Avenue
''McGriff Avenue'' is an album by organist Jimmy McGriff recorded in 2001 and released on the Milestone Records, Milestone label the following year.
'' (Milestone, 2002)
LP/CD compilations
*''A Toast to Jimmy McGriff's Greatest Hits'' (Sue, 1965)
*''Jimmy McGriff's Greatest Organ Hits'' (Veep Records/United Artists, 1968)
*''If You're Ready, Come Go with Me'' (Groove Merchant, 1974)
*''Flyin' Time'' (Groove Merchant, 1975) 2LP
*''Supa Cookin (Groove Merchant, 1975) - with Richard Groove Holmes; 2LP
*''Alive & Well'' (51 West/CBS, 1980) - Groove Merchant and LRC material
*''Soul Brothers'' (Milestone, 1989) - with Hank Crawford
*''Georgia On My Mind'' (LRC, 1989)
*''The Jazz Collector Edition'' (Laserlight, 1991)
*''Pullin' Out The Stops! The Best Of Jimmy McGriff'' KA ''Greatest Hits''(Blue Note, 1994)
*''Funkiest Little Band In The Land'' (Laserlight, 1996)
*'' Dig On It: The Groove Merchant Years'' (Connoisseur Collection, 2000)
*''100% Pure Funk'' (LRC, 2001)
*''The Best of Hank Crawford & Jimmy McGriff'' (Milestone, 2001)
*''The Best of the Headfirst Years'' (Headfirst/K-Tel, 2003)
*''The Best of the Sue Years 1962-1965'' (Stateside, 2006)