Johnny Griffin

John Arnold Griffin III was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Nicknamed "the Little Giant" for his short stature and forceful playing, Griffin's career began in the mid-1940s and continued until the month of his death. A pioneering figure in hard bop, Griffin recorded prolifically as a bandleader in addition to stints with pianist Thelonious Monk, drummer Art Blakey, in partnership with fellow tenor Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis and as a member of the Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band after he moved to Europe in the 1960s. In 1995, Griffin was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Music from Berklee College of Music.

24 April 1928

Born on the same birth date (24 April 1928): Anahit Perikhanian • Tommy Docherty

Born on the same birth day (24 April): Abdelhamid Kermali • Ben Davies (footballer, born 1993) • Edmund Cartwright • Fernando Arce • Frédéric Niemeyer • Giovanni Battista Martini • Ilias Atmatsidis • Jan Veselý • John de Mol Jr. • Lee Westwood • Olivia Gadecki • Philippe Pétain • Ramiro II of Aragon • Richard M. Daley • Toomas Tohver • Veronika Kudermetova

Born in the same month (April 1928): Alan Clark • Cy Twombly • David Robinson (horticulturist) • Don Gibson • Edwin Pope • Enzo Cannavale • Gianni Marzotto • Heinz Putzl • Heinz Wolff • Hugh Hood • James Watson • John Horlock • Johnny Gavin (footballer) • Orlando Sirola • Serge Gainsbourg • Shirley Temple • Tommy Docherty • Victor Lownes