Drummer and songwriter Gary Griffin has played across the World in several successful Bands over the last 40 years.
I first wanted to be a Drummer ever since I discovered my parents record collection at around the age of seven. This record collection included classic 50s and 60s Rock and Roll by artists such as Buddy Holly, Eddie Cochran, Cliff Richard and the Shadows and the Beatles to name just four. I had no idea at the time why I wanted to be a Drummer and not a guitarist or a singer, but I was drawn to them, and I dreamed of very little else growing up, other than being the Drummer in a Rock and Roll band. It was only some years later that I learnt that my Grandad had been a drummer in a Jazz Band in the 1930s, so maybe drumming was in the blood!
It took a while to realise the dream, but I saved up nearly all the salary from my first job to buy my first Drum Kit, aged just 17. However, on acquiring the kit and sitting behind it for the very first time, I suddenly realised, for all my years of dreaming, that I’d never actually played a drumkit before! Fortunately, I discovered that I was something of a natural timekeeper and I had a good ‘feel’. With this being a good place to start, I quickly set about learning to play by ear, simply by playing along to records.
My first band – and the one I have been nominated for was Jet Black – were formed in 1987. Jet Black were a 50s/60s influenced Rock and Roll band inspired by British Rock and Roll acts such as Cliff Richard, Billy Fury, Johnny Kidd and the Pirates, etc. The band also achieved wide acclaim for their versions of 50/60s guitar Instrumentals by groups such as The Shadows and Ventures. By the early 1990s, Jet Black had become popular in the UK and increasingly across Europe, especially in the Netherlands. Jet Black made two successful Albums, consisting of both 50s/60s covers and original compositions, some of which were my first attempts as at becoming a songwriter. The first Album, recorded in 1992 was released on the Netherlands based Rockhouse Records.
Jet Black sadly went their separate ways in 1997. However, I was very fortunate to then go on and play in several other successful bands on the European Rock and Roll/Rockabilly scene since 2000, including Slip Slim and the Sliders, The Surfin’ Gorillas and currently Rockabilly/Blues band The Bullets. The Bullets are popular on the UK Rockabilly scene and I have co-written and recorded seven successful albums on the Western Star label in England.
As a musician, I have had the pleasure of playing to fantastic crowds from across Europe, as well as the USA and even Russia. Every drummer will tell you how they love to play before a live audience, and I am no different. There is nothing more satisfying than to be part of a hard hitting, tight knit band, playing to the best of their ability and feeding off the crowd.
Equally however, I love writing, recording and being creative. The studio environment is totally different but equally rewarding. Therefore, I was delighted to be approached by Rollin Records in 2024 to help co-arrange and play on a handful of unreleased Roy Orbison demos from the late 50s. The technology used was not dissimilar to that used to produce the Beatles ‘Now and Then’ also in 2024. After ‘cleaning’ up Roy’s faultless vocals, I overdubbed a drum track using my trusted 1960 Ludwig silver sparkle kit – only a vintage kit can produce a vintage sound! – for the other musicians to work to. The outcome of these session is three 7” singles, all authentically, painstakingly and intentionally recreated to sound like the band were live in the studio with Roy back in the day. It was a special way to end 2024 (the time of this Biography).
2025 sees my story come full circle. Jet Black have got back together to tour and are recording an album for Rollin Records for the first time in 30 years and I am also writing for the eighth Bullets LP, due out later this year.
Who knows what 2026 may bring! What I do know is, as a 17-year-old sitting on his drum stool for the first time, that I had no idea I would be fortunate enough to play drums and write music alongside so many excellent musicians for so many years. I am grateful and honoured therefore, that my story is now included in the Drumstick Hall of Fame. So… If you are a 17-year-old reading this and you have a dream to become a drummer in a Rock and Roll band…
…Go For It!!! You never know what fun will lie ahead.
Gary Griffin – January 2025
