BIOGRAPHICAL DETAILS
Birth name: Raymond Griff
Singer-songwriter
Origin: Canada
Genre: Country
Born: April 22, 1940
Vancouver, British Columbia, CA
Died: March 9, 2016 (aged 75)
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BIOGRAPHICAL PROFILE
Raymond “Ray” Griff (April 22, 1940 – March 9, 2016) was a Canadian country music singer and songwriter from Vancouver, British Columbia. Griff began songwriting in the early 1960s and had early cuts by Johnny Horton, Jim Reeves, and others. Griff moved to Nashville in 1964 to pursue his music career full-time. His first records as a singer were released in the late 1960s and Griff had his first hit, “Patches”, a remake of the Clarence Carter soul hit in 1970 which peaked at No. 26 in Billboard. Griff recorded for the small country label Royal American and later moved on to Dot Records without much success. His stint at Capitol Records from 1975-1979 proved more successful, racking up eight more country top 40 hits, the most successful being 1976’s “If I Let Her Come In” which peaked at No. 11.
Griff’s success as a songwriter, however, always overshadowed his recording work with over 700 songs recorded including the major hits “Canadian Pacific” for George Hamilton IV, “Who’s Gonna Play This Old Piano” for Jerry Lee Lewis, and “Baby” for Wilma Burgess. Others who had major hit records with Griff songs include Faron Young, Porter Wagoner & Dolly Parton, Bob Luman, Gene Watson, and Johnny Duncan.
Griff returned to Canada in the late 1970s and remained active on the country music scene there as an artist, songwriter, and record producer. He died on March 9, 2016, from pneumonia following surgery.