Johnny Griffin

Johnny Griffin (born April 24, 1928, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.—died July 25, 2008, Availles-Limouzine, France) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist noted for his fluency in the hard-bop idiom. Griffin began playing woodwinds at Du Sable High School in Chicago, and after graduation he toured with Lionel Hampton’s big band (1945–47) and with trumpeter Joe Morris (1947–50). After two years in a U.S. Army band (1951–53), Griffin played in Chicago and then New York, where he...