Albums

The Low End Theory

Samples

Now Playing

One of the all-time giants of the Hammond B-3, Jimmy McGriff sometimes gets lost amid all the great soul-jazz organists from his hometown of Philadelphia.

Jimmy’s sound - deep, down-to-earth grooves drenched in blues and gospel feeling - made him quite popular with R&B audiences, even more so than some of his peers

First getting involved in music through his family's church, he received his first instrument, a drum set, at age eight.

Friday the 13th, Cook County Jail (Live Concert) is a live recorded performance recorded at Cook County Jail in Chicago, IL in October 1972.

It featured Jimmy McGriff and his quintet, guitarists George Freeman and O’Donel Levy, and saxophonist Lucky Thompson’s Quartet. This recording was processed and released as a live album by the Groove Merchant record label in 1973.

Although Jimmy McGriff is commonly credited for “On Green Dolphin Street,” published on “Friday the 13th, Cook County Jail,” the song was actually composed by Bronislaw Kaper with lyrics by Ned Washington.

It was composed for the film “Green Dolphin Street,” released in 1947. “On Green Dolphin Street” wasn’t popularized until it was published a few years later in 1947.

1973