Kevin Griffin

For other people named Kevin Griffin, see Kevin Griffin (disambiguation).

Kevin Griffin
Kevin Griffin onstage with a guitar, singing into a microphone
Griffin performing with Better Than Ezra in 2010
Background information
Birth nameKevin Michael Griffin[1]
Born (1968-10-01) October 1, 1968 (age 56)
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.[2]
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • record producer
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • piano
Years active1988–present
Member ofBetter Than Ezra

Kevin Michael Griffin[1] (born October 1, 1968) [3] is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Better Than Ezra.[4]

His songs have been performed and recorded by artists such as Taylor Swift,[5][6][7] Train,[6] Sugarland,[8][9][10][6][11] James Blunt,[6] Dierks Bentley, The Record Company, Wilder Woods, Moon Taxi,[12] Saint Motel, Andy Grammer, Christina Perri,[11] Trombone Shorty,[13] Howie Day,[5][14][12] Barenaked Ladies,[6][11] Tom Morello, Boys Like Girls, Blondie,[6][12] Chase Rice,[15][16] The Struts,[12][7] Andrew McMahon, Matt Nathanson, Meat Loaf, Missy Higgins, and many others.

He is a co-founder and partner of the Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival in Franklin, Tennessee.[17][18][19][20] Rolling Stone's review of the festival's inaugural year was positive, saying it had "an A-list lineup (arguably the best curated of the year)" [17] and "established itself as a festival to watch."[17] Performers at the festival have included Justin Timberlake,[21][20] Foo Fighters,[22] Willie Nelson,[23] Chris Stapleton,[24] The Killers,[25] Dave Matthews Band,[26][23] Maren Morris,[26][23] The Black Keys,[23][16] Cage the Elephant,[26] and Black Pumas.[26]

Griffin formed the alternative rock band Better Than Ezra in 1988.[20] They had platinum success in the 1990s with hits such as "Good", "In the Blood", and "Desperately Wanting", and have continued in the 2000s with hits such as "Extra Ordinary", "A Lifetime", and "Juicy". The band continues to tour and produce new recordings, the most recent of which is All Together Now, released in September 2014. As a 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 also a mimic, imitating singers such as Aaron Neville, Bruce Springsteen, and Dave Matthews.[27][28]

His first solo album, Anywhere You Go,[29][30] was released on October 4, 2019.[12] Griffin also performs as part of Ezra Ray Hart with Mark McGrath of Sugar Ray and Emerson Hart of Tonic.[31][32]

  1. ^ a b "Kevin Griffin - Biography, Albums, Streaming Links - AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
  2. ^ "Pilgrimage co-founder Kevin Griffin talks solo album, act, at this year's festival". Archived from the original on June 20, 2019. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
  3. ^ "1. In a debating moodJessica Simpson's dad". Chicago Tribune. October 2004.
  4. ^ Seastrand, Andrea (June 19, 2009). "Interview with Better Than Ezra: Better Than Solo". The Aquarian Weekly. Retrieved August 19, 2009.
  5. ^ a b "Better Than Ezra: Taylor Swift Sure Thinks They're 'Good'". yahoo.com. September 18, 2014. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  6. ^ a b c d e f "617: Better Than Ezra's Kevin Griffin on songwriting, ripping off Buffalo Tom and living in Boston". Vanyaland. May 19, 2016. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  7. ^ a b "Better Than Ezra's Kevin Griffin Says Songwriting for Others Led to Solo LP | Q104.3". Out Of The Box. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  8. ^ Anderson, Sara D. (December 29, 2010). "Better Than Ezra's Kevin Griffin Is Thankful Sugarland's 'Stuck Like Glue' Went No. 1". Taste of Country. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  9. ^ "Sugarland's "Stuck Like Glue:" A Sassy Song To Make You Feel Good". July 22, 2021. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  10. ^ Duvall, Erin (December 29, 2010). "Better Than Ezra's Kevin Griffin Goes Country". The Boot. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  11. ^ a b c Paulson, Dave. "Kevin Griffin of Better Than Ezra plays solo in Nashville". The Tennessean. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  12. ^ a b c d e "Kevin Griffin Releases Solo Album". Rutherford Source. August 7, 2019. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  13. ^ Fox-Smith, James (July 2, 2013). "Favorite Up-and-Coming Louisiana Musician: Trombone Shorty". Country Roads Magazine. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  14. ^ Ward, Steven. "Better Than Ezra frontman plans 'fun, rocking, silly good time' in Jackson". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  15. ^ Freeman, Jon (January 24, 2020). "Chase Rice Surprise Releases New Project 'The Album Part I'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  16. ^ a b "5 Things You Didn't Know About Chase Rice". American Songwriter. May 28, 2021. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  17. ^ a b c Hudak, Joseph; Moss, Marissa R. (September 28, 2015). "10 Best Things We Saw at Pilgrimage Music Festival". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  18. ^ "Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival 2017". Consequence. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  19. ^ Paulson, Dave. "To create Pilgrimage Festival, rocker Kevin Griffin had to set his ego aside". The Tennessean. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  20. ^ a b c Pereira, Cindy C. A. "Better than Ezra frontman won't divulge secret behind band's name". North Jersey Media Group. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  21. ^ West, Emily R. "Justin Timberlake's hometown inspires new stage area at Pilgrimage Festival". The Tennessean. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  22. ^ Moss, Marissa R.; Crawford, Robert (September 23, 2019). "Pilgrimage Festival 2019: 5 Best Things We Saw". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  23. ^ a b c d Leimkuehler, Matthew. "Pilgrimage Festival lineup: Dave Matthews Band, Black Keys, Maren Morris top 2021 bill". The Tennessean. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  24. ^ Billboard Staff (March 27, 2018). "Jack White, Chris Stapleton & Lionel Richie to Headline 2018 Pilgrimage Festival". Billboard. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  25. ^ Leimkuehler, Matthew. "Pilgrimage 2019: The Killers pay tribute to late Cars frontman Ric Ocasek in Tennessee". The Tennessean. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  26. ^ a b c d Wanser, Brooke (April 28, 2021). "Pilgrimage Festival lineup announced". Williamson Herald. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  27. ^ Andy Argyrakis (January 9, 2016). "The songwriter (and comedic) side of Better Than Ezra's Kevin Griffin". Chicago Concert Reviews. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  28. ^ Schoof, Dustin (January 18, 2015). "Kevin Griffin again proves formidable as singer, entertainer in Bethlehem – REVIEW". lehighvalleylive. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  29. ^ Milano, Brett (September 26, 2019). "Kevin Griffin, Anywhere You Go (BMG)". OffBeat Magazine. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  30. ^ Ryan, Jim. "Kevin Griffin of Better Than Ezra on Debut Solo Album Anywhere You Go". Forbes. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  31. ^ Mosolgo, Bob. "Decade of Difference: Tonic". WNRN. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  32. ^ "What to do Monday at the Minnesota State Fair". Twin Cities. August 30, 2021. Retrieved January 27, 2022.