He was a popular performer live and on radio, though he never scored a hit on record, and was compared to Hank Williams and Conway Twitty.
He began playing guitar at age 12 and sang lead in a high school dance band.
After school Griffin took jobs as a ditch digger and oil driller in Kansas, where he played in local clubs.
Additionally, he did well as a songwriter; his "Goin' Home All Alone" was recorded by Wade Ray, and Janis Martin did a version of his failed single "Let's Elope, Baby".
From 1965 Griffin sold Bibles and worked as a Driller in the Kansas and Oklahoma oilfields as well as becoming a licensed pilot, owning several airplanes.