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Ray Griff Stage Outfit

Not currently on exhibit

Manufacturer Harvey Krantz

Manufacturer LocationUSA, North America

Date20th Century

This bespoke, rhinestone-studded suit was once owned by the late singer-songwriter Ray Griff, one of Canada’s most prolific country artists. He wrote more than a thousand songs, including “Better Move It On Home,” popularized by Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner, and “You’re Wondering Why,” a hit for Hank Snow. This particular outfit was designed by the California-based tailor Harvey Krantz, who also created clothes for Liberace, Elvis and the Beach Boys.

Users/PerformersRay Griff was born on 22 April 1940 in Vancouver, British Columbia. Following the dissolution of his parent’s marriage, Griff relocated with his mother and brother to Winfield, Alberta and, later, to Calgary, Alberta. He showed a keen interest in music at a young age, composing his first song at age seven and teaching himself how to play both piano and guitar. In the late 1950s, Griff formed his own band, The Blue Echos, and by the age of 17 had secured a position as the opening act for Johnny Horton on a tour of western Canada. In 1961, Griff travelled to Nashville, Tennessee where he was afforded the opportunity to record his first single, “The Racing King”, which was released on his own Ray Records label and distributed by Quality Records. After relocating permanently to Nashville in 1964, Griff worked a series of odd jobs until he was hired by RCA to write songs for record producer Bob Ferguson’s publishing company. A record deal of his own compositions with RCA’s subsidiary label, Groove Records, soon emerged. Griff stands as one of the most prolific musicians to emerge from Canada, having written and recorded more country hits than any other songwriter or performer in the country’s history. He has achieved forty-eight singles in the top 100 and was the recipient of eighty-seven ASCAP and BMI citations, either as songwriter, producer, or music publisher. Griff was inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in 1989 and the Alberta Country Music Hall of Fame in 2015, and, in 2004, he became the first country musician to receive SOCAN’s prestigious lifetime achievement award. Throughout his career, Griff also worked as a television and radio host. Notable albums include A Ray of Sunshine (1968), The Entertainer (1972), Ray Griff (1976), and The World of Ray Griff (1977). Notable compositions recorded by Griff include “The Morning After Baby Let Me Down”, “Raymond’s Place”, “Patches”, and “Darlin”, while notable hits written by Griff include “Better Move if on Home”, as sung by Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner, “Canadian Pacific”, as sung by George Hamilton IV, “You’re Wonderin’ Why”, as sung by Hank Snow, “Cup of Disgrace”, as sung by Tommy Hunter, and “Who’s Gonna Play This Old Piano”, as sung by Jerry Lee Lewis. Griff passed away March 9, 2016.

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