Biography
Herman Griffin merits a historical footnote as an acrobatic performer and recording artist for two singular events. In 1958 he cut the initial composition issued by Berry Gordy’s newly formed Jobete Publishing firm, “I Need You,” for HOB Records. Gordy had attended one of Griffin’s club engagements, been impressed by the physical feats, and promised to capture him on disc. The publishing imprint took its name from the first two letters of the three children—Joy, Berry, and Terry—while HOB stood for the House of Beauty, a salon frequently visited by Gordy’s future wife Raynoma Liles. That same single marked the debut appearance of the Rayber Singers, a name formed by blending Raynoma and Berry, and it represented Gordy’s sole association with Carla Murphy’s HOB label.
Griffin’s follow-up arrived on Tamla Records in October 1960; the pairing “True Love” / “It’s You” failed to advance his career and bore little resemblance to the dynamic stage shows in which back flips, somersaults, and splits accompanied his bluesy tenor. Those routines astonished patrons at the predominantly white nightclubs he played—the identical venues where Marvin Gaye performed prior to national recognition—rather than the inner-city rooms favored by most other R&B acts. A subsequent Motown single, “Sleep (Little One)” backed with “Uptight,” appeared in July 1962 yet sold nothing; copies left the pressing plant without labels. The commercial indifference proved ironic, given Griffin’s role in Motown’s promotions department, where he cultivated disc jockeys across multiple markets to secure airplay for the company’s releases. He is also credited with facilitating Mary Wells’s departure from the label. As her first husband, Griffin sought complete managerial authority that Motown would not grant. Once Wells moved to 20th Century Fox, her trajectory declined more rapidly than a balloon pricked by a pin. Prior to the split, Griffin had already become disruptive: unable to read or write music, he nevertheless directed the band during her performances and executed back flips while she delivered ballads.
Following his Motown tenure, Griffin sang with the Boys in the Band. Years later, British producer Ian Levine, who amassed eight hundred recordings by former Motown artists, revived Griffin’s career on several tracks, the most prominent being “Not One Chance in a Million.”
Griffin’s follow-up arrived on Tamla Records in October 1960; the pairing “True Love” / “It’s You” failed to advance his career and bore little resemblance to the dynamic stage shows in which back flips, somersaults, and splits accompanied his bluesy tenor. Those routines astonished patrons at the predominantly white nightclubs he played—the identical venues where Marvin Gaye performed prior to national recognition—rather than the inner-city rooms favored by most other R&B acts. A subsequent Motown single, “Sleep (Little One)” backed with “Uptight,” appeared in July 1962 yet sold nothing; copies left the pressing plant without labels. The commercial indifference proved ironic, given Griffin’s role in Motown’s promotions department, where he cultivated disc jockeys across multiple markets to secure airplay for the company’s releases. He is also credited with facilitating Mary Wells’s departure from the label. As her first husband, Griffin sought complete managerial authority that Motown would not grant. Once Wells moved to 20th Century Fox, her trajectory declined more rapidly than a balloon pricked by a pin. Prior to the split, Griffin had already become disruptive: unable to read or write music, he nevertheless directed the band during her performances and executed back flips while she delivered ballads.
Following his Motown tenure, Griffin sang with the Boys in the Band. Years later, British producer Ian Levine, who amassed eight hundred recordings by former Motown artists, revived Griffin’s career on several tracks, the most prominent being “Not One Chance in a Million.”