Biography
Standing at an imposing 6'10" and tipping the scales at 350 pounds, Nashville bluesman Big Mike Griffin burst onto the 1990s scene with an unbridled approach to guitar playing. Raised in Lawton, Oklahoma, he routinely drove 125 miles during his teenage years to catch live blues performances in the clubs of Dallas and Fort Worth. Early influences included the second wave of blues players such as Albert King, Mike Bloomfield, Albert Collins, and the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. When the regional economy faltered, he relocated to Nashville. There he began with session dates for country performers and any gigs that came his way, ultimately forming the Unknown Blues Band. A self-released album that found strong local sales led to a 1992 contract with Malaco/Waldoxy Records. By then the group had already gained notice outside Nashville through appearances at the W.C. Handy Blues Festival in Memphis and the King Biscuit Blues Festival in Arkansas. Constant touring built audiences on both coasts before the 1993 release of Gimme What I Got Comin', which resonated with blues listeners and radio programmers alike. That same year Griffin joined labelmates Denise LaSalle, Little Milton, and Artie "Blues Boy" White for a month-long European trek. His distinctive, economical guitar work surfaces on White’s Different Shades of Blue and James Peterson’s Don’t Let the Devil Ride. The three Malaco albums—Back on the Streets Again (1992), Gimme What I Got Comin' (1993), and Sittin' Here With Nothing (1995)—all showcase his talent for witty storytelling while folding jazz, funk, and swamp-rock touches into the arrangements.
Albums
