James Harrell McGriff (April 3, 1936—May 24, 2008) was an American hard bop and soul-jazz organist and organ trio bandleader who developed a distinctive style of playing the Hammond B-3 organ.
Born in Germantown, Pennsylvania, McGriff started playing piano at the age of five and by his teens had also learned to play vibes, alto sax, drums and upright bass. His first group was as bassist in a piano trio. When he joined the United States Army, McGriff served as an MP during the Korean War and he later became a police officer in Philadelphia for two years
McGriff was one of the first B3 players to add MIDI to the upper keyboard his personal B3 to add and extend "his sound" beyond just the drawbar sound of the B3. He incorporated synthesizers in his live performances as he liked vibes, piano, string, brass and other sounds that could only be created by a synthesizer and which the classic B3 cannot provide. Jimmy purchased the XB-3 as he had more control over the MIDI functions, and the XB-3 weighs about half of the classic B3, which made it easier to move.
Jimmy, as well as Groove Holmes, spent a great deal of time experimenting and modifying their B3's and Leslie speakers over the years. Some of these modifications made their way into products manufactured by both Hammond and Leslie, for which they did not always receive credit.
Along with the soul-jazz sound, McGriff experienced renewed popularity in the mid-1990s, forming The Dream Team group, which featured David "Fathead" Newman (a longtime saxophonist with Ray Charles) and drummer Bernard Purdie, and recording the Straight Up (1998), McGriff's House Party (2000), Feelin' It (2001), and McGriff Avenue (2002) albums.
On March 29, 2008, McGriff was given a last private concert by "Mr. B3" Bill Dilks and Grant Macavoy in his honor in Voorhees, New Jersey. Dilks brought his B3 and played for McGriff his wife Margaret, their guests, and the folks at Genesis HealthCare. As Dilks said, "The Hammond reaches its players far beyond where the conscious mind lives".
A resident of Voorhees Township, New Jersey, McGriff died there at age 72 on May 24, 2008, due to complications of multiple sclerosis
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