John Thomas Griffith
Encyclopedia
John Thomas Griffith is an American
singer-songwriter
best known as a guitarist and vocalist for the band Cowboy Mouth
. John Thomas Griffith first established himself on the American music scene in the early 1980s as lead singer and guitarist for the Red Rockers
, co-writing their 1983 MTV
hit "China
".
Griffith was born in Lubbock
, Texas
, and raised in Houston, but it was in Louisiana
, while attending LSU in Baton Rouge, that he began his professional musical career. Finding a base in New Orleans, Griffith and friends started the early punk rock
band Red Rockers. After a short but successful career highlighted by the "China" single and its album Good As Gold (1983), Red Rockers disbanded in early 1985.
Griffith formed Cowboy Mouth in 1990, and the band continues to tour with over a dozen full-length albums in its repertoire. Griffith released his first solo CD, Son of an Engineer, in 2000 on Laughing Gravy Music.
Known by most music fans as "JTG" or "Griff", John Thomas Griffith was inducted into Buddy magazine's Texas Guitar Hall of Fame in 1999, joining Billy Gibbons
of ZZ Top
, Eric Johnson
, and others.
When not touring, he resides in Los Angeles, California
, and scores motion picture soundtracks.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
best known as a guitarist and vocalist for the band Cowboy Mouth
Cowboy Mouth
Cowboy Mouth is a rock band based in New Orleans, Louisiana. Their name usually means "One with a loud and raucous voice". The nucleus of the band formed in the 1990s, and they have become a powerhouse live act whose performances have been likened to "a religious experience."Some of their most...
. John Thomas Griffith first established himself on the American music scene in the early 1980s as lead singer and guitarist for the Red Rockers
Red Rockers
Red Rockers were a musical band from New Orleans, Louisiana, active from 1979 to 1985. They are best known for their 1983 hit single "China".-Origins:...
, co-writing their 1983 MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
hit "China
China (Red Rockers song)
-History:"China" was originally one of the ten songs on Red Rockers' second full-length album, Good as Gold. The single was released by the joint label Columbia/415....
".
Griffith was born in Lubbock
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, and raised in Houston, but it was in Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, while attending LSU in Baton Rouge, that he began his professional musical career. Finding a base in New Orleans, Griffith and friends started the early punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band Red Rockers. After a short but successful career highlighted by the "China" single and its album Good As Gold (1983), Red Rockers disbanded in early 1985.
Griffith formed Cowboy Mouth in 1990, and the band continues to tour with over a dozen full-length albums in its repertoire. Griffith released his first solo CD, Son of an Engineer, in 2000 on Laughing Gravy Music.
Known by most music fans as "JTG" or "Griff", John Thomas Griffith was inducted into Buddy magazine's Texas Guitar Hall of Fame in 1999, joining Billy Gibbons
Billy Gibbons
William Frederick "Billy" Gibbons is an American musician, actor and car customizer, best known as the guitarist of the Texas blues-rock band ZZ Top. He is also the lead singer and composer for many of the band's songs. Gibbons is known for playing his Gretsch Billy Bo guitar and his famous 1959...
of ZZ Top
ZZ Top
ZZ Top is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "That Little Ol' Band from Texas". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based boogie rock, has come to incorporate elements of arena, southern, and boogie rock. The band, from Houston Texas, formed in 1969...
, Eric Johnson
Eric Johnson
Eric Johnson is an American guitarist. Though he is best known for his success in the instrumental rock format, Johnson regularly incorporates jazz, fusion, gospel and country and western music into his recordings...
, and others.
When not touring, he resides in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, and scores motion picture soundtracks.
Discography
Cowboy Mouth Studio albums
- Word of Mouth · 1992
- It Means Escape · 1994
- Are You with Me?Are You with Me?Are You with Me? is an album that was released on July 2, 1996, by the rock band Cowboy Mouth. It was their first major label release and charted at 192 of the Billboard 200; it produced the single "Jenny Says" which also charted on two Billboard charts.-Tracks:1 "Jenny Says" – 3:172 "How Do You...
· 1996 - Word of Mouth (Remix!) · 1996
- MercylandMercyland (album)Mercyland is an album that was released on September 22, 1998, by the rock band Cowboy Mouth. It produced the single Whatcha Gonna Do?.-Tracks:* 1. Why Ya Wanna Do Me? 2:36* 2. Lovers Or Friends 3:52* 3. Little Blue One 2:40...
· 1998 - Easy · 2000
- Uh-Oh · 2003
- Voodoo ShoppeVoodoo ShoppeVoodoo Shoppe is the tenth release and the seventh studio release of Cowboy Mouth.Cowboy Mouth has associated themselves quite strongly with the city of New Orleans and the music scene in that city. Voodoo Shoppe was the first album produced by the band after Hurricane Katrina, and generated a fair...
· 2006 - Fearless - 2008
Cowboy Mouth live albums and EPs
- Mouthin' Off (Live & More) · 1993
- Mouthin' Off (Live & More) (Remastered) · 1997
- Cowboy Mouth LIVE! (limited edition 5-song EP issued with Mercyland) · 1998
- Live in the X LoungeLive in the X LoungeLive in the X Lounge is a series of albums released by Birmingham, Alabama's former alternative rock radio station, WRAX.Though the station can no longer be found on the air, this series of live performances was produced while the station was known as 107.7 The X...
"Jenny Says" · 1998 - All You Need Is Live · 2000
- Live in the X LoungeLive in the X LoungeLive in the X Lounge is a series of albums released by Birmingham, Alabama's former alternative rock radio station, WRAX.Though the station can no longer be found on the air, this series of live performances was produced while the station was known as 107.7 The X...
"Easy" · 2000 & 2001 - Uh Oh (5-song Preview EP) · 2003
- Live at the Zoo · 2004
- Mardi GrasMardi Gras (Cowboy Mouth album)Mardi Gras is a Cowboy Mouth EP that was released in coordination with the band's 16th Annual Rock N' Roll Mardi Gras Tour. The album is composed of Mardi Gras themed music and an acoustic version of a song from the band's 2006 album Voodoo Shoppe.-Track listing:# "Iko Iko" - 2:38# "Hurry Up And...
• 2010
Red Rockers albums
- Condition Red 1981
- Good as Gold 1983
- Schizophrenic Circus 1984
Solo Albums
- Son of an Engineer 1987
- Lonesome Travelers 2000
- Aluminum 2001
- Lonesome Travelers - Chicago Live 2003
- Apples and Onions 2005