Shirley Griffith

(Apr. 26, 1908 -June 18, 1974). A native of Brandon, Mississippi, Griffith learned to play the guitar at age 10. He moved to Indianapolis in 1928 bearing the stylistic influence of popular Mississippi bluesmen Tommy Johnson and Ishmon Bracey. In Indianapolis, he played locally with guitarists Francis (Scrapper) Blackwell, John Tyler Adams, Edward Lamonte “Pete” Franklin, and mandolinist Yank Rachell, while maintaining steady employment as an automotive plant worker.

During the 1960s and 1970s, Griffith toured the blues festival circuit and recorded albums for Bluesville, Blue Goose, and Flyright labels. His best-known compositions include “King of Spades,” “Shaggy Hound Blues,” and, with Adams, “Bright Street Jump” and “Indiana Avenue Blues.”

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