RIP Art Griswold
Art Schuna
had a chance to see the Griswolds perform, Art and his brother Roman put on
some very fine shows. I had the privilege of seeing them a few years ago at
a local brew pub. It was just the brothers and a drummer but they put on a
hell of
a show. Unfortunately, few of their CDs appear to be available in a couple of
websites I checked but they are all well worth tracking down. These are
guys who
deserved far wider recognition than they got.
Here's a quote from Bonnie Kalmbach, former blues-l member, who had lots of
chances
to see them over the years as she grew up in their hometown.
>I heard the Griswolds play many times when I would go home to Toledo. I
>first heard
>them in 1985, but they were such a refreshing surprise. They still had the
>freshness,
>attitude and raw energy of west side Chicago musicians in the 60's (Otis
>Rush,
>Magic Sam, Buddy Guy) just emerging from neighborhood taverns to play for
>white audiences. For the most part, they retained that freshness. Art and
>Roman
>Griswold put out many of their own albums. I think the best is "Full Time
>Blues" (Highball, 1991).
Art
Obituaries - News | Article published Wednesday, November 19, 2003
ARTHUR GRISWOLD, 1939-2003
Blues legend was mentor, teacher to local musicians
Arthur Griswold, an internationally known blues guitar player and mentor to
many young musicians in the Toledo area, died yesterday in Flower Hospital. He
was 64.
He had recently been in the hospital for a pulmonary embolism, friends said.
His cause of death has not been confirmed.
Mr. Griswold, of Toledo, grew up as one of 13 children in a family of
sharecroppers near Pine Bluff, Ark.
His musical career had humble beginnings. He started plucking out melodies as
a boy on a wire nailed to the wall, changing the pitch using a glass bottle.
At 14, he bought his first guitar for $14.
Mr. Griswold played blues throughout his teenage years in Little Rock.
He planned to relocate to Detroit in 1957, but stopped in Toledo to visit
relatives. He ended up sharing the stage with Little Walter, the renowned
harmonica player, and decided to set down roots here.
"Art was a legendary blues guy in Toledo and around the world," said John
Rockwood, a local blues artist and president of Blue Suit Records.
He played the blues for several years with his sister Gladys, and brother
Roman. The three siblings played in the house band at Hines Farm during the
late
1950s and early 1960s, when the famous blues club in Swanton Township drew
acts like B.B. King, John Lee Hooker, and Freddie King.
Mr. Griswold owned several bars in Toledo during the 1960s.
In the 1970s, he and Roman played all over the area as The Griswolds. They
both sang and Roman played piano. Other musicians rotated in and out of the
band
over the years.
"They would just set the whole room shakin猬". It was gritty blues. It was the
real blues," Mr. Rockwood said. "Art had a piercing guitar style that was
really unique."
The band also played at Theo猬"s Taverna on Summit Street for 13 years, and
recently played at several newer downtown clubs, including Manhattan猬"s
and The
Durty Bird.
Wherever they played, Mr. Griswold and his brother welcomed musicians onto
the stage. His warm demeanor made him a mentor to young musicians and a friend
to accomplished blues artists.
"Art trained practically every blues musician that came from this area. He
taught them to be true entertainers," said Scott Derkin, drummer for The
Griswolds. "All the guys who are out there playing the blues now pretty
much owe
their entree into the blues to Art."
The Griswolds often took their act on the road, performing at blues festivals
nationwide and in Europe. In 1997, they toured for 30 weeks, playing
everywhere from Jamaica to Hungary, and elsewhere.
They recorded several albums, beginning with songs recorded throughout the
1960s and 1970s for Fortune Records, a well-known label in Detroit. They
recorded their first album in 1987 for Blue Suit records and later on with
several
other record companies, including Mr. Griswold猬"s own Buckeye label. Their
most
recent CD, "The Later It Gets The Better I Feel," was released last year.
"He was dedicated to his music and he loved it," his brother said.
Surviving are his son, Arthur, Jr.; daughters Marie Martin, Bernett Williams,
Cindy Davis, and Linda, Sonja, Rosalee, and Crystal Griswold; brothers Roman
and Oliver; sisters Gladys Turner and Earline Chatman; 10 grandchildren; and
two great-grandchildren.
Funeral arrangements are pending at the C. Brown Funeral Home, Inc. Chapel,
1629 Nebraska Ave.
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the mid west. I actively searched for them and even called The Griswold's at
home but they weren't playing anywhere that weekend.