Bessie Griffin

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bessie Griffin (July 6, 1922 – April 10, 1989) was an African American gospel singer.

Born Arlette B. Broil in New Orleans, Louisiana, she was steeped in church music as a child. She sang for a while with the Southern Harps, had her own radio show in New Orleans, and later appeared in night clubs, on Broadway and in 1962 on the Ed Sullivan Show.

Griffin performed briefly with "Queen of Gospel" Albertina Walker & The Caravans in 1953 but spent most of her career as a solo artist. While often compared to Mahalia Jackson, Griffin had a lighter contralto that allowed her to achieve more vocal pyrotechnics --- holding a note for long periods of time, continuing a song for as long as twenty minutes and ranging through three octaves.

On her passing in 1989, Bessie Griffin was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.

[edit] Further reading

  • Boyer, Horace Clarence; How Sweet the Sound: The Golden Age of Gospel; Elliott and Clark; 1995; ISBN 0-252-06877-7.


 United States This article about an American singer is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../b/e/s/Bessie_Griffin_4abd.html"