Chris Griffin

You probably haven't heard of jazz trumpeter Chris Griffin but you no doubt have heard of a few of the musicians he's worked with: Benny Goodman, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Tony Bennett, Lionel Hampton, Glenn Miller, Gene Krupa, Rudy Vallee, Mel Torme and Charlie Parker.

Chris Griffin, one of the best trumpeters of the Big Band era, died on June 18 from melanoma.

Excerpts from South Carolina's The State newspaper:

“He had a swinging sound with just a touch of sweetness,” William Sam Meier, an expert on classic jazz, told the Los Angeles Times.

Gordon Claude “Chris” Griffin was born in Binghamton, N.Y., on Oct. 31, 1915. He was 12 when he picked up the horn. Six years later he was living in New York City and playing professionally in saxophonist Charlie Barnet’s band.

6/29/05 update - Associated Press obituary for Chris Griffin.