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Ken Griffin (2)
The Organ Plays At Christmas
Ken Griffin (2) - The Organ Plays At Christmas - 1963 Country - EX - UltSnc Cln - Very nice Columbia 6 eye! - The record has been cleaned using ultrasonic technology and is in strong EX/EX condition. The cover is crisp, only a VG+ because of age!
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Ken Griffin (2)
American organist and songwriter, born on December 28, 1909, in Columbia, Missouri, USA, and passed away on March 11, 1956, in Chicago, Illinois, USA, at the age of 46.
Griffin spent his formative years in Pueblo, Colorado. At 16, he briefly worked as an electrician helper for the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company at Minnequa Works. By 1930, he had taken a job at a dental office in Pueblo.
Initially trained in the violin at the Scott School of Music in Pueblo, Griffin later taught himself to play the pipe organ, eventually becoming a theater organist. In 1935, he embraced the electric Hammond organ, a pioneering move at the time. By October 1940, when he registered for the draft, he was performing at the Midway Café in Chicago. Griffin served in the U.S. Army from mid-1942 until early 1944, primarily stationed at Camp Barclay in Texas. Following his discharge, he secured a position playing at a restaurant in Naperville, Illinois, and subsequently at the Rivoli Café in Aurora, Illinois. His performances at the Rivoli were broadcast on radio station WMRO in Aurora, gaining popularity and leading to further engagements in Chicago.
On August 20, 1947, Griffin recorded eight tracks with Chicago Recording Studios, Inc., the owners of the Broadcast Recordings label. One of these tracks, "You Can't Be True," was released in October 1947. In September or October 1947, he recorded another eight songs with Rondo, including previously recorded titles. Among these was the instrumental "You Can't Be True, Dear," which was released in February 1948, followed by a version featuring vocals by Jerry Wayne in March 1948. The vocal rendition quickly became a major hit, reaching #1 on the Billboard charts on April 2, 1948, where it remained for seven weeks. The instrumental version made it to Billboard's Bestseller charts on July 2, 1948, peaking at #2. Both versions sold a combined total of 3.5 million copies, significantly raising Griffin's profile and that of the Rondo label. The earlier Broadcast version of the same title, in contrast, managed to sell just 4,000 copies until March 1948, but it experienced a resurgence, selling an additional 203,000 copies by March 1952 once the Rondo versions gained traction.
In 1950, Griffin transitioned to Columbia and Wurlitzer organs. He recorded extensively for Columbia, resulting in numerous LPs featuring new material that continued to be released on the Columbia and Harmony labels for years after his untimely death from a heart attack on March 11, 1956.
Posthumously, Griffin achieved further recognition as a songwriter when his arrangement of "You Can't Be True Dear," performed by The Mary Kaye Trio, peaked at #75 on the U.S. charts in 1959.
Description
Ken Griffin (2) - The Organ Plays At Christmas - 1963 Country - EX - UltSnc Cln - Very nice Columbia 6 eye! - The record has been cleaned using ultrasonic technology and is in strong EX/EX condition. The cover is crisp, only a VG+ because of age!
- Record was initially cleaned manually, then ultrasonically cleaned with iSonic Ultrasonic Cleaning prior to grading
- Records are packaged with a poly outer sleeve, the LP is placed in a fresh white inner sleeve directly after cleaning, (we include the accompanying sleeve, we send you both), separate from the cover to protect the seams during shipment, and of course, shipped within thick cardboard insert pads in a thick cardboard record mailer.
- We offer discounted shipping on multiple records: calculated shipping for the first one and $2 for each additional one. International Buyers, please read International Buyers paragraph below.
SRO Records Record Grading Guide:
SEALED/Mint:
Vinyl: Assumed mint, unverified until opened.
Sleeve: Visible through shrink wrap, graded as above.
NM (Near Mint):
Vinyl: Nearly flawless, with possible minor scuffs or hairlines only visible under strong light.
Sleeve: Appears new, as if freshly printed.
EX (Excellent):
Vinyl: Bright, with minor surface wear and hairlines, not affecting play.
Sleeve: May have faint creases or abrasions, but artwork is clean.
VG+ (Very Good Plus):
Vinyl: Obvious wear, scuffs and hairlines, plays with some noise but no major sound issues.
Sleeve: Worn with creases, noticeable wear, acid deterioration, corner dings, chipping, and possible seam wear.
Here's the typical SRO Records line in the sand. Anything below VG+, unless it's rare, unusual or just awesome, we're NOT going to sell online, much less go through the hassle of an ultrasonic cleaning, we're going to put it in one of many $10 Record boxes that we sell at Record Conventions and events. Some will wind up in the $1 Box, just to get it back out into the world for someone to enjoy or make a planter out of.
VG (Very Good):
Vinyl: Dull appearance with many hairlines and scuffs, somehow plays with persistent noise but no skips.
Sleeve: Worn with possible seam splits and moderate ring wear.
G+ (Good Plus):
Vinyl: Numerous marks and scratches, plays with significant noise but music usually overpowers flaws.
Sleeve: Rough appearance with possible seam splits and water damage.
G (Good):
Vinyl: Copious unforgettable marks, probably a skip or jump.
Sleeve: Heavy ring wear and damage, likely large seam splits or water damage.
F (Fair):
Vinyl: It's round with nearly infinite damage, skipper gonna skip
Sleeve: It's basically what's left of the sleeve for the album
International Buyers: We charge $7 for the first record and $2 a record thereafter for Domestic Shipping in the continental United States. This only includes shipping to the International hub here in the United States. Please carefully review the total shipping and VAT charges for your order before committing to a purchase, which will be different from what we are able to view or control on the US eBay site.
SRO Records Office
Record Testing Equipment:
Turntable:
Yamaha Direct Drive YP-D6
Ortofon VMS 20 E Mk II Cartridge
Amplification:
Yamaha Natural Sound Receiver
Speakers:
JBL 4312 Studio
We're Not Happy Until You're Not Happy Dept.
We kid! Since 1983, we simply don't exist without happy customers; we offer hassle-free returns on all vinyl LP record album purchase that are returned in the exact condition they were sent. We cannot accept returns on factory sealed/mint new/unopened lp albums that have been opened. Please send us a message if you have any questions, concerns, or issues with your purchase; please do not open a return or an eBay case without contacting us first, we will make it right!
We are professional, quite reasonable to a fault and are ALWAYS willing to work to resolve any issue with a purchase!
Thank you for buying from SRO Records! You can catch us at the Spring and Fall Austin Record Convention, many Austin popups, so drop by and say hello to Gabi and Jeff!
