Autograph of Johnny Griffin

Certified Authentic autograph on the record cover. Johnny Griffin (1928 -2008) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Nicknamed the "Little Giant" for his short stature and energetic play, Griffin's career began in the early 1940s and continued until the month of his death. At eighty years old, he felt no need to stop. He didn't complain. He had a hard life, but he often said: “As long as God has given me the gift of blowing, I owe it to God to continue blowing.” A pioneer in hard bop, Griffin recorded extensively as a bandleader, in addition to working with pianist Thelonious Monk, drummer Art Blakey in partnership with fellow tenor Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, and as a member of the Kenny Clarke/Francie Boland Big Band after he moved to Europe in the 1960s. In 1995, Griffin was awarded an honorary Doctor of Music degree from the Berklee College of Music.