Sid Griffin
Sid Griffin is the proud author of the new 94,000 word book MILLION DOLLAR BASH: Bob Dylan, The Band & The Basement Tapes (Jawbone Press, USA/UK). The book tells what Dylan was up to from his motorcycle crash on in July 1966 to the release of John Wesley Harding eighteen months later and also deftly explores the Hawks morphing into The Band during 1967. With interviews from Robbie Robertson, Ronnie Hawkins, Roger McGuinn, Manfred Mann, Band producer John Simon and many others MILLION DOLLAR BASH is an exhilarating ride. Reviews have been terrific so far with one critic writing, "this book maybe Griffin’s greatest single work, his greatest contribution to contemporary culture from his lifetime spent deep in the archives and out on the streets."
Sid’s mighty Coal Porters bluegrass band have a NEW ALBUM OUT called Turn The Water On, Boy! which has received killer reviews in Word, Uncut, Mojo, Maverick, Q, Classic Rock and The Sunday Times!Author Griffin was the ringmaster of Alt-Country founders the Long Ryders. Today he lives in London, England where he plays bluegrass mandolin with the aforementioned Coal Porters and writes for Mojo and the BBC. Griffin wears many hats, some of which fit better than others, few of which are in fashion but all remain stylish to a gentlemen of a certain era.
Currently Sid Griffin is editing footage of the Long Ryders 2004 reunion tour for a DVD release in late spring. The CD of that Long Ryders tour is already released via Prima Records, is globally distributed by Proper Music and is entitled Live 2004: State Of Our Reunion.
In addition to all this he is still playing the occasional solo acoustic show and is doing a series of MILLION DOLLAR BASH readings/lectures/performances so these are busy times indeed for the artist referred to by BBC Radio One as "a rock’n’roll Renaissance man" and by Ireland’s Hot Press as "The Great Enthusiast".
In addition to those tasks Sid Griffin was Resident Musicologist on Mark Radcliffe’s excellent BBC Radio Two show, consultant and interviewee on the current Mark Lamarr BBC Radio serious Redneck Music as well as becoming known more and more as a record producer.
Sid is also a freelance journalist having written for The Guardian, Mojo, Q, BAM, The Los Angeles Times, Country Music International, Ruta 66, Music Week and a host of other publications. As a rock’n’roll archivist he has overseen reissue projects for the Everly Bros., Long John Baldry, Dolly Parton, Arthur Lee, Nils Lofgren, his friend the late Gene Clark, Michael Nesmith, the Flying Burrito Bros., Gram Parsons, Phil Ochs, his old band the Long Ryders, Joe Ely, Steve Young and his dear sweet pal the late, great Ronnie Lane, amongst others, while participating in the reissue of many other albums.
And yes, Sid was a DJ on Mean Country Radio 1035AM before it was sold, hosting a very popular Thursday night bluegrass show and a Saturday afternoon C&W honky tonk show. He can juggle too. Really.
Yet it is for his activities as a musician and songwriter that Griffin is best known. Having founded and named the Long Ryders back in 1982 Griffin was their ringleader during their long hard ride, a ride which ended a little over six years later after numerous tours, appearances on national TV, magazine covers and seemingly endless interviews. He wrote and sang the band’s biggest single, "Looking For Lewis And Clark" and still gets requests for Long Ryders material every time he takes the stage. Rumor has it he and fellow Long Ryder Tom Stevens will tour Spain late in 2008 together...watch this space!
When the Long Ryders disbanded Sid relocated from Los Angeles to London, taking the name of his new band with him: the Coal Porters. Based in London since February 1992 the Coal Porters started out as a Long Ryders Mk. II but are now an all acoustic five piece playing uptempo folk and bluegrass.
In addition he started Western Electric, the alt-country band to beat all alt-country bands. Their debut album in the year 2000 was Mojo magazine’s Americana Album Of The Month and led them to some exhausting touring in the USA and Europe. Best described as "Portishead meet Wilco" Western Electric is the world’s first Country & Eastern band, crossing straight C&W with psychedelia to great effect.
His work as a record producer has led him to produce tracks for Lindisfarne, Eric Burdon, the Flying Hendersons, France’s indie heros Les Bayrues and young alt-country diva Esther Mae. His production of the 1998 Lindisfarne studio album, "Here Comes The Neighborhood", helped give the classic Geordie band what many consider their best release yet.
And during all this Griffin has been performing as a solo acoustic troubadour, at first in support of his well-received 1997 release "Little Victories" and lately in support of his latest solo CD "As Certain As Sunrise". This long awaited album is readily found in the shops, can be downloaded easily from many sources and will then reside in your heart forever.
If it seems like a full schedule that’s because Sid Griffin has a full life. This is a man whose best Geordie friend says "Sid Griffin isn’t happy unless he is doing five things at once". Griffin is always involved in one project or another be it a new album, a tour, research for a CD reissue or working with the BBC on a TV documentary such as the recent collaboration with Gandulf Hennig on Gram Parsons: Fallen Angel.
He lives in north London with his daughter Esther Mae Griffin, his rare guitar collection, a cracked Ming vase and a pet turtle named Orlando Cepeda. He has never met Kate Moss.
www.sidgriffin.com
Sid Griffin - When I’m Out Walking with You
Sid Griffin - Jimmy Reed
Sid Griffin - Flak Jacket