Paul Griffin (musician)

Paul Griffin (musician)
Paul Griffin (August 6, 1937 – June 14, 2000) was an American pianist and session musician who recorded with hundreds of musicians from the 1950s to the 1990s.
Career
Born in Harlem, New York, he began as the touring pianist in the backing band for King Curtis and eventually worked with Bob Dylan, Steely Dan, Don McLean, the Isley Brothers, Van Morrison, the Shirelles, and Dionne Warwick. He may be best known for his colourful and distinctive playing on the Bob Dylan albums Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde on Blonde, and also on Steely Dan's Aja. He is extensively featured playing a virtuoso performance of gospel piano on Don McLean's single, "American Pie" He is credited as co-author of the song "The Fez" on Steely Dan's The Royal Scam.
He was an arranger for The Warriors (1979) and Four Friends (1981) and performed in On Location: Robert Klein at Yale (1982) and on the soundtrack for Blue Sunshine (1976).
He died of a heart attack at his home in New York at the age of 62, suffering from complications of diabetes. He was awaiting a liver transplant at the time of his death.
Recordings
With Bob Dylan
Bringing It All Back Home (Columbia Records, 1965)
Highway 61 Revisited (Columbia Records, 1965)
Blonde on Blonde (Columbia Records, 1966)
Blood on the Tracks (Columbia Records, 1975)
With Dion DiMucci
You're Not Alone (Warner Bros. Records, 1971)
With George Benson
Goodies (Verve, 1968)
With Tom Rush
Tom Rush (Columbia Records, 1970)
With Wilson Pickett
In the Midnight Hour (Atlantic Records, 1965)
It's Harder Now (Rounder Records, 1999)
With Michael Franks
Tiger in the Rain (Warner Bros. Records, 1979)
With John Denver
Rhymes & Reasons (RCA Records, 1969)
Take Me to Tomorrow (RCA Records, 1970)
Whose Garden Was This (RCA Records, 1970)
Aerie (RCA Records, 1971)
With Peter, Paul and Mary
Album 1700 (Warner Bros. Records, 1967)
With Al Kooper
You Never Know Who Your Friends Are (Columbia Records, 1969)
With David Clayton-Thomas
David Clayton-Thomas (Columbia Records, 1972)
With Gloria Loring
...And Now We Come to Distances (Evolution Records, 1970)
Friends & Lovers (Atlantic Records, 1986)
With Melba Moore
Peach Melba (Buddah Records, 1975)
With LaVern Baker
See See Rider (Atlantic Records, 1963)
With Janis Siegel
Experiment in White (Atlantic Records, 1982)
With Solomon Burke
If You Need Me (Atlantic Records, 1963)
King Solomon (Atlantic Records, 1968)
I Wish I Knew (Atlantic Records, 1968)
With Jackie Lomax
Home Is In My Head (Warner Bros. Records, 1971)
With Steely Dan
The Royal Scam (ABC Records, 1976)
Aja (ABC Records, 1977)
With Marlena Shaw
Marlena (Blue Note Records, 1972)
With Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway
Roberta Flack Featuring Donny Hathaway (Atlantic Records, 1980)
With John Lennon and Yoko Ono
Milk and Honey (Polydor Records, 1984)
With Don McLean
American Pie (EMI, 1971)
With Carly Simon
Carly Simon (Elektra Records, 1971)
With Roberta Flack
Blue Lights in the Basement (Atlantic Records, 1977)
I'm the One (Atlantic Records, 1982)
With Judy Collins
Judith (Elektra Records, 1975)
With Cheryl Lynn
In Love (Columbia Records, 1979)
With Gloria Gaynor
Gloria Gaynor (Atlantic Records, 1982)
With Stephanie Mills
Movin' in the Right Direction (ABC Records, 1974)
With Donald Fagen
Kamakiriad (Reprise Records, 1993)
With Yoko Ono
It's Alright (I See Rainbows) (Polygram Records, 1982)
With Van Morrison
Blowin' Your Mind! (Bang Records, 1967)
With Paul Simon
There Goes Rhymin' Simon (Columbia Records, 1973)
Songs from The Capeman (Warner Bros. Records, 1997)
With Garland Jeffreys
Garland Jeffreys (Atlantic Records, 1973)
Guts for Love (Epic Records, 1982)
Don't Call Me Buckwheat (BMG, 1991)
With Aretha Franklin
Unforgettable: A Tribute to Dinah Washington (Columbia Records, 1964)
La Diva (Arista Records, 1979)
With Bonnie Raitt
Streetlights (Warner Bros. Records, 1974)
With Laura Nyro
Eli and the Thirteenth Confession (Columbia Records, 1968)
With The Free Design
Kites Are Fun (Project 3 Records, 1967)
You Could Be Born Again (Project 3 Records, 1968)
References
External links
Paul Griffin obituary in The New York Times
Paul Griffin letter regarding his achievements
1937 births
2000 deaths
20th-century African-American musicians
20th-century American pianists
20th-century American male musicians
African-American pianists
American rock pianists
American male pianists
American organists
20th-century American keyboardists
American session musicians
Musicians from Harlem