Lots of major musicians came out of Birmingham, England in the 1960s -- from Graeme Edge of the Moody Blues (who didn't even initially start out to be a musician) to Ozzy Osbourne, the city spawned more than its share of stars and successes. But few can have traveled quite as far as keyboard player, singer, and composer Trevor Griffin in achieving their success. Born in 1944, Griffin reached his teens just as home-grown rock & roll was coming of age in England, and he was part of it in the following decade -- his first professional gig in a band that left a recorded legacy was the John Bull Breed, a septet whose ranks also included John Lodge, later of the Moody Blues, who had recorded the single Can't Chance a Break Up b/w I'm a Man on Polydor Records in early 1966. In February of 1967, Griffin was recruited into the ranks of the Playboys, an Australian band that had come to England playing as the backing group to soul belter Normie Rowe, replacing their original keyboard man, Phil Blackmore, who had developed a severe case of homesickness. He joined in time for a tour with Gene Pitney, and the fit was a good one and he stayed, even as the group added another new member, Mick Rogers, on guitar and vocals, who succeeded Rod Stone.

Griffin quickly became an integral part of the band, his keyboard and vocal a major part of their sound and also teaming up with bassist Brian Peacock as a songwriter. When the group called it quits in late 1967, he also headed to Australia with them, and early the next year, when Peacock, Rogers, and drummer Craig Collinge re-formed as Procession, more of psychedelic/prog rock outfit, he was part of the new band, his compositions right there along with those of Peacock and Rogers, and it was with Procession that he returned to Europe and to his homeland, playing alongside the likes of Emerson, Lake Palmer and Kippington Lodge. The group generated a lot of interest on the ground but was never able to sustain momentum, either creatively or from the industry, and eventually decided to call it quits, after which Griffin went back to Australia, where he worked with Normie Rowe and his ex-Procession bandmate Ross Wilson before returning to England in 1972. He gave up performing in favor of work as a roadie and engineer, and joined the sound and lighting company Entec. It was by way of the latter that he ended up working with Sweet, the glam rock stars of the era, and co-wrote the single Love Is Like Oxygen. He worked with the Sweet for a decade before deciding to leave England -- he moved to Memphis, Tennessee in 1991 where he established himself as a sound engineer. In the latter capacity, his clients have included fellow Birmingham natives Black Sabbath, as well as singer Joan Armatrading. Griffin's work with the Playboys and Procession continues to turn up periodically in compilations and reissues of the latter group's work, which has developed a cult following outside of Australia and England. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi