Johnny Griffith (10 July,1936 - 10 November 2002)
Nick name: none
Instruments: Steinway piano,Hammond B-3 organ,Wurlitzer electric piano,Fender Rhodes,celeste,harpsichord.
Johnny was just like many other of the other Funk Brothers in regard to his love of playing jazz.
In 1961,he was brought into Motown hoping to record for the companys little known Workshop Jazz label.
It has been said that Berry Gordy only created this label to attract talented jazz musicians like Johnny to record at Motown.
While he did get to record two albums on the Workshop Jazz label, his main work was in the studio where his more delicate piano style perfectly complimented Earl Van Dyke's more aggressive "gorilla piano" style.
Some of the many hits that Johnny played on include adding Wurlitzer piano on Marvin Gaye's "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" and organ on the Supremes' "Stop in the Name of Love".