Mary Griffin: A Houston Secret

By: Benna Sayyed

In 2003 when internationally-renowned songstress Patti Labelle contacted Mary Griffin over the phone, the young vocalist from northeastern Louisiana was experiencing a stagnant period in her career due to inadequacies in her record label.

Ms. Labelle asked Ms. Griffin to audition over the phone, and the young church girl wasted no time in letting her melodies ring through the line. Later that night, after completing her show in Houston and before stepping into her limo, Ms. Labelle phoned Ms. Griffin again and asked her to sing over the line a second time for her managers to hear.

As Ms. Griffin shared her musical gift once more, Ms. Labelle joined her in song and then urged the singer to catch a flight the next day to Los Angeles, to learn her show and be able to perform with Labelle the following night.

"I was like 'how in the world am I going to learn a show in one night?' She said don't worry about it, I'm Patti Labelle, you won't have a problem. They put me on a plane the next morning; I had to leave my kid and my husband. I got on the plane not knowing what to expect and here I am five years later. I am a better artist; I have more understanding about what goes on behind the scenes, what it takes to really give a concert, and what it takes for the business part of it to come together," said Ms. Griffin.

Ms. Griffin said the events of 2003 were a critical turning point in the career of a young woman who was born into music and who has never known any other line of work. Under the guide of her father, who happens to be a Baptist minister, Ms. Griffin and her three sisters learned to vocalize without music. She said their father also gave them an appreciation for the total joy which singing brings.

"Most people sing because they enjoy being in front or they enjoy the fact that it makes them feel good. I sing because I'm happy inside and the happiness that I feel, I want everybody else to feel," said Ms. Griffin.

Unlike some recording artists, Ms. Griffin took the educational route to become a professional musician. While in high school she received a partial scholarship in vocal performance to attend North East Louisiana University and two years later enrolled at Grambling State University with a full scholarship in vocal performance. While at Grambling, she became disciplined to sing many varieties of music such as opera, classical, jazz and R&B.

She said Grambling also gave her sharpness in self-conduct and self-presentation in the professional world and taught her how to present her music, contract and market herself in the music industry effectively. Ms. Griffin said she picked up the essential tools of skillful public address and the logic to give insightful interviews while at Grambling. She believes that her experience at Grambling has put her ahead of many of her music industry counterparts.

After earning a bachelor and master degrees at Grambling, Ms. Griffin relocated to New Orleans where she said fierce competition in a highly diverse music culture further refined her talent.

"I realized the full appreciation of who I was as a singer when I moved to New Orleans because there were people that appreciated good music," she said.

The music of her father, a product of a man who transitioned from blues singer to preacher, has spiritually inspired the singer and helped guide her in creating music that conveys only a positive message. Her ballads deal with friendships, reestablishing bonds of love, mending relationships and valuable lessons learned from relationships. She said it is her goal for her music to mostly inspire women who have responsibilities in the community and church.

Ms. Griffin said she is careful to project a positive image that steers young Black females in the right direction. She holds the firm conviction that once performers occupy a significant public position, the importance shifts from them to the young people who follow in their footsteps. Similarly, she said Black female entertainers must be in tune with themselves so their words and actions do not contradict their message to the younger generation of women.

"Singing with Patti Labelle taught me one thing more so than anything: to know who you are and to never compromise who you are in this business because of what you want," she said. "If we had more performers out there that took their gift more seriously, more to heart, and did not just focus on the money, I think a whole lot of young ladies could be saved."

Ms. Griffin said she is deeply concerned with the direction of today's music industry. She said that artists like Patti Labelle and Gladys Knight came from a different time and experienced a different kind of pain. Furthermore, she said the pain stemming from materialism that is conveyed in the music that many young people currently listen to is indifferent to the time they live in. She said she hopes to be part of the medicine for what currently ails the music industry.

"I think the reason why the music industry is having such a hard time is because people are pouring water and making instant rich young performers who have no idea of what it takes to sit down and really feel something, and not sample it from somebody else but create it from the bottom up," said Griffin.

This captivating R&B diva does not require stage extras to give an awesome concert. She prefers to walk into the audience and touch the right people and does not want her status to rise to the point that she can not do so. She said she is also different from other performers in that she does not hold herself above the people she works with. She said she considers herself part of a crew with all members playing a specific role to help orchestrate a precise sound.

When she immediately dropped her former record label to sing background vocals for Ms. Labelle in 2003, Ms. Griffin was already performing on an international level. She now works with Ms. Labelle whom she calls her "sister-in-song" on a weekly basis. She said this has enabled her to connect with some of the best musicians in the industry. The two travel throughout the world every year delivering soulful ballads to the masses.

"When I go to another country and people respect me enough to listen and learn who I am, that makes me feel more blessed, humbled, and makes me want to do more," said Ms. Griffin.

Besides dazzling crowds with her inspirational lyrics she desires to launch her own clothing line, a collection that would specifically carry performance attire, diva wear, and outfits suitable for a nice night on the town. She also wants to work in connection with homeless advocacy programs to build more housing and provide more services for disadvantaged former prison inmates who struggle to reestablish themselves in society.

Ms. Griffin plans to bring her humanistic endeavors full-circle by forming an artist development program that would assist other musicians with their projects, teach them performance skills and ultimately place them in the hands of the right record label.

The 21-year veteran musician is currently working on her second album. She said this record will be the singer's testimony to the last four years of her life and will transport her to the next phase of who she is as a performer. Ms. Griffin has no desire for fame; she simply wants to touch people with her comforting smile and power of giving.