Billy Griffin

Infobox Musical artist
Name = Billy Griffin


Img_capt =
Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = William Griffin
Birth-date = 15 August 1950
Origin = Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Genre = R&B, soul, pop, disco
Occupation = Singer, songwriter
Years_active = 1971–present
Label = Motown, CBS, Atlantic, Motorcity, Expansion
Associated_acts = The Miracles
URL = http://www.myspace.com/billygriffin

Billy Griffin (born William Griffin, 15 August 1950, Baltimore, Maryland, United States) is an American singer and songwriter. He is best known for replacing Smokey Robinson as lead singer of The Miracles in the 1970s.

Biography

Griffin was twenty three years of age when he joined The Miracles - his bandmates Ronald White, Pete Moore, and Bobby Rogers were all at least a decade older. Griffin officially joined the group after its final concert with Robinson at the Carter Barron Amphitheater in Washington, D.C. on July 16 1972. Like Robinson before him, Griffin co-wrote many of the Miracles' songs, in addition to singing lead (Griffin and Moore wrote all of the Miracles' 1975 album, "City of Angels"). During his tenure with the group, they recorded two hits: the #13 Billboard Hot 100 single "Do It Baby" in 1973, and the Miracles' most successful single, the number-one hit "Love Machine", in 1975. Griffin also sung lead on "Don't Cha Love It", a Top 10 R&B single.

The Miracles left Motown in 1976, signing with Columbia Records. After two albums for Columbia, Griffin and Moore decided to retire from performing and focus on songwriting. In 1982, Griffin released his first solo album, "Be With Me", which yielded the UK Singles Chart Top 20 hit "Hold Me Tighter in the Rain". The following year, "Respect" yielded the club hit "Serious". After a third album with Leon Ware, Griffin switched label to Atlantic Records but despite completing an album, only one single "Believe It or Not" was released there before he was left without a recording contract.

In 1989, Griffin joined UK record producer Ian Levine's Motown-reunion project Motorcity Records, and was the first to release a single on the label, "First in Line". Griiffin also fronted a Miracles reunion with a new recording of "Love Machine". Griffin became a much featured writer and backing vocals arranger for several of the other artists, but despite recording a large number of tracks himself, his album "Technicolour" (the single by the same name being a tribute to Marvin Gaye) never saw the light of day before the label collapsed in 1992. Most of his Motorcity recordings, however, were released on the 1996 compilation "Best Of Billy Griffin".

In the meantime, Levine and Griffin also landed a couple of hit singles for the UK soul band The Pasadenas and co-produced Take That's debut album, which including the hit singles "Could It Be Magic" (UK #3) and "I Found Heaven" (UK #15). They also worked with Levine's boy band, Bad Boys Inc.

Griffin has written songs and sung backing vocals for Aretha Franklin, The O'Jays, Ronald Isley, Freda Payne, Edwin Starr, Evelyn Champagne King, Herb Alpert, Martine McCutcheon, The Emotions and many others. In 2006, Griffin released his latest solo album, "Like Water". Griffin can be seen performing "Do It Baby" and "Love Machine" with The Miracles on the Motown/Universal DVD release: "Smokey Robinson & The Miracles : The Definitive Performances 1963-1987"

olo discography

Albums

*1982: "Be With Me"
*1983: "Respect"
*1985: "Systematic"
*1992: "Technicolour"
*1996: "The Best Of Billy Griffin - The Very Best Of The Motorcity Recordings"
*2006: "Like Water"

ingles

*1982: "Hold Me Tighter in the Rain"
*1983: "Serious"
*1986: "Believe It or Not"
*1989: "First in Line"
*1991: "Technicolour"
*1992: "True Confessions"

External links

* [http://www.soulandfunkmusic.com/artist/billy_griffin Soulandfuntmusic.com]
* [http://www.soulwalking.co.uk/Billy%20Griffin.html Soulwalking.co.uk]