Kevin Griffin
| Kevin Griffin (singer) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Kevin Michael Griffin[1] |
| Born |
October 1, 1968 New Orleans, LA |
| Genres |
Rock Alternative rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter, and producer |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, piano |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Associated acts | Better Than Ezra |
Kevin Michael[1] Griffin (born October 1, 1968) is an American guitarist, vocalist, producer, and songwriter.[2]
Griffin formed the alternative rock band Better Than Ezra in 1988. The band had great success in the 1990s with hits such as "Good", "In the Blood", and "Desperately Wanting", and has continued in the 2000s with hits such as "Extra Ordinary", "A Lifetime", and "Juicy". They continue to tour and produce new recordings, the most recent of which is All Together Now, released in September 2014. As a singer and performer, Griffin is known for singing in falsetto, inviting audience members onstage to play guitar, and interrupting his own songs with verses of well-known rock songs. He is a skilled mimic, imitating singers from Aaron Neville to Bruce Springsteen.
Personal life
Kevin Griffin grew up and attended high-school in Monroe, Louisiana. Later, Griffin received a bachelor's degree in English and a minor in political science from Louisiana State University in 1990.[2] There he became a member of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity. He took the LSAT with the intention of pursuing a law degree and working in entertainment law.[2] Griffin took a job with Creative Artists Agency in Los Angeles during the early 1990s,[2] before Better Than Ezra achieved commercial success.
Griffin and his family largely resided in the Uptown neighborhood of New Orleans until Hurricane Katrina devastated the city in 2005.[3] Griffin purchased a home in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles in July 2006,[3] but after much consideration put it on the market after a planned move to Nashville in order to be closer to a more prosperous songwriting market.[4]
Songwriter
Griffin has also produced, written, and co-written songs for other artists, such as Sugarland, James Blunt, Christina Perri, Taylor Swift, Train, Howie Day, Missy Higgins, Daniel Powter, Augustana, Debbie Harry, and Josh Radin. Griffin is credited with having co-written "Stuck Like Glue," the Mediabase #1 single from the 2010 Sugarland album, "Incredible Machine", as well as their subsequent single "Tonight". Most recently, Kevin co-wrote Tristan Prettyman's top ten single, "My Oh My". He also co-wrote and co-produced James Blunt's "I'll Be Your Man" from his recent Some Kind of Trouble album. Griffin co-wrote the Top 40 hit "Collide" with Howie Day. He also co-wrote four tracks on Missy Higgins' debut album, The Sound of White, which included the hit "Scar" The album went ten times platinum in Australia. Griffin also co-wrote Tristan Prettyman's single "Madly," and "Avalanche" on the self-titled, major-label debut of American Idol winner David Cook. Better Than Ezra released their 7th studio album, Paper Empire in May 2009. Kevin co-produced the Album with Producer Warren Huart. Other recent artists Kevin has worked with include Secret Sisters, A Rocket to the Moon, Boys Like Girls, Megan and Liz, Skillet, Shinedown, and Hot Chelle Rae. Kevin co-wrote three songs with Barenaked Ladies frontman, Ed Robertson, on their 2013 album Grinning Streak, and two songs on their 2015 album Silverball.
| Year | Artist | Song | Album | Credit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Blondie | Good Boys | The Curse of Blondie | Co-Writer |
| Howie Day | Collide | Stop All the World Now | Co-Writer | |
| Howie Day | Perfect Time of Day | Stop All the World Now | Co-Writer | |
| Howie Day | Sunday Morning Song | Stop All the World Now | Co-Writer | |
| Meat Loaf | Testify | Couldn't Have Said It Better | Writer | |
| 2004 | Graham Colton Band | Cigarette | Drive | Co-Writer |
| Graham Colton Band | Cut | Drive | Co-Writer | |
| Graham Colton Band | First Week | Drive | Co-Writer | |
| Graham Colton Band | How Low (Breakdown) | Drive | Co-Writer | |
| Graham Colton Band | Morning Light | Drive | Co-Writer | |
| Missy Higgins | Don't Ever | The Sound of White | Co-Writer | |
| Missy Higgins | Scar | The Sound of White | Co-Writer | |
| Missy Higgins | Unbroken | The Sound of White | Co-Writer | |
| 2005 | Josh Kelley | Lover Come Up | Almost Honest | Co-Writer |
| 2006 | Val Emmich | Absolutely Still | Sunlight Searchparty | Co-Writer |
| 2007 | Graham Colton | New Year's Resolution | Here Right Now | Co-Writer |
| Ingram Hill | Four Letter Word | Cold in California | Co-Writer | |
| Ingram Hill | Impossible | Cold in California | Co-Writer | |
| Jeremy Lister | Fit | Just One Day EP | Co-Writer | |
| Jeremy Lister | Just One Day | Just One Day EP | Co-Writer | |
| Jon McLaughlin | Human | Indiana | Co-Writer | |
| 2008 | David Cook | Avalanche | David Cook | Co-Writer |
| I Nine | Don't Wanna | Heavy Weighs the King | Co-Writer | |
| Joshua Radin | Free of Me | Simple Times | Co-Writer | |
| Lenka | Knock Knock | Lenka | Co-Writer | |
| Tristan Prettyman | Madly | Hello...x | Co-Writer | |
| 2009 | Howie Day | Be There | Sound the Alarm | Co-Writer |
| Howie Day | Longest Night | Sound the Alarm | Co-Writer | |
| Howie Day | Sound the Alarm | Sound the Alarm | Co-Writer | |
| Howie Day | Undressed | Sound the Alarm | Co-Writer | |
| Train | I Got You | Save Me, San Francisco | Co-Writer | |
| 2010 | James Blunt | I'll Be Your Man | Some Kind of Trouble | Co-Writer |
| Sugarland | Stuck Like Glue | The Incredible Machine | Co-Writer | |
| Sugarland | Tonight | The Incredible Machine | Co-Writer | |
| 2011 | Augustana | Counting Stars | Augustana | Co-Writer |
| David Cook | Fade into Me | This Loud Morning | Co-Writer | |
| Howie Day | Ceasefire | Ceasefire EP | Co-Writer | |
| Howie Day | Isn't It Obvious | Ceasefire EP | Co-Writer | |
| Howie Day | Oxygen | Ceasefire EP | Co-Writer | |
| Il Volo | This Time | Il Volo (International Version) | Co-Writer | |
| 2012 | Boys Like Girls | Crazy World | Crazy World | Co-Writer |
| Daniel Powter | Cupid | Turn on the Lights | Co-Writer | |
| Daniel Powter | The Day We Never Met | Turn on the Lights | Co-Writer | |
| Missy Higgins | Hello Hello | The Ol' Razzle Dazzle | Co-Writer | |
| Tristan Prettyman | My Oh My | Cedar + Gold | Co-Writer | |
| 2013 | A Rocket to the Moon | Whole Lotta You | Wild & Free | Co-Writer |
| A Rocket to the Moon | You're My Song | Wild & Free | Co-Writer | |
| Barenaked Ladies | Did I Say That Out Loud? | Grinning Streak | Co-Writer | |
| Barenaked Ladies | Gonna Walk | Grinning Streak | Co-Writer | |
| Barenaked Ladies | Odds Are | Grinning Streak | Co-Writer | |
| James Blunt | Kiss This Love Goodbye | Moon Landing (Deluxe Edition) | Co-Writer | |
| James Blunt | Telephone | Moon Landing (Deluxe Edition) | Co-Writer | |
| 2014 | Christina Perri | Lonely Child | Head or Heart | Co-Writer |
| Christina Perri | One Night | Head or Heart | Co-Writer | |
| JT Hodges | Already High | TBA | Co-Writer | |
| Megan and Liz | Night of Our Lives | Simple Life | Co-Writer | |
| 2015 | Barenaked Ladies | Get Back Up | Silverball | Co-Writer |
| Barenaked Ladies | Duct Tape Heart | Silverball | Co-Writer | |
| 2015 | David Cook | Home Movies (Over Your Shoulder) | Digital Vein | Co-Writer |
References
- 1 2 "Kevin Griffin - Biography, Albums, Streaming Links - AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 Seastrand, Andrea (June 19, 2009). "Interview with Better Than Ezra: Better Than Solo". The Aquarian Weekly. Retrieved August 19, 2009.
- 1 2 Spera, Keith (May 28, 2009). "Better Than Ezra frontman Kevin Griffin's move colors new 'Paper Empire'". The Times-Picayune. Retrieved August 19, 2009.
- ↑ Spera, Keith (December 22, 2010). "Better Than Ezra's Kevin Griffin anticipates busy year in Nashville and beyond". The Times-Picayune. Retrieved January 19, 2011.