Swanee Quintet's Percy Griffin dies

Gospel Music Fever™

By Libra Boyd
Gospel Music Fever

Bob Marovich of the Journal of Gospel Music informed GMF that Percy Griffin, longtime member of The Swanee Quintet, passed on (see RIP Percy Griffin – Member of the Swanee Quintet).

Griffin joined the Augusta, GA group more than 50 years ago and was one of its lead singers.  Down through the years, The Swanees left audiences reeling with songs like “Eternal Life” and “Dr. Jesus.”  The quartet frontman once told The Augusta Chronicle that being a great gospel singer was always his primary aspiration. 

Griffin shared a longstanding friendship with the Godfather of Soul, the late James Brown, and occasionally sang at the soul singer’s Thanksgiving turkey giveaways in Augusta.

Both Griffin and his father were elders in the United House of Prayer for All People, whose founder, Daddy Grace, used to stay in their home, Griffin once shared.

Among Griffin’s last recordings are The Swanee Quintet’s The Legacy Continues Phase II and Malaco’s An Evening with the Legends of Quartet (LIVE).  Griffin does some tag-teaming with his first cousin Willie Rogers of The Soul Stirrers on the latter project.

Please join GMF in keeping Griffin’s family, friends, fans, and the Swanees lifted in prayer.

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