John Raymond David Griff[1] (April 22, 1940 – March 9, 2016)[2][3] was a Canadian country music singer and songwriter, born in Vancouver and raised in Toronto.
[2] Griff's success as a songwriter, however, always overshadowed his recording work with over 700 songs recorded, including the major hits "Canadian Pacific" for George Hamilton IV, "Who's Gonna Play This Old Piano" for Jerry Lee Lewis, and "Baby" for Wilma Burgess.
[5] Others who had major hit records with Griff songs include Faron Young, Porter Wagoner & Dolly Parton, Bob Luman, Gene Watson, and Johnny Duncan.
Griff returned to Canada in the late 1970s and remained active on the country music scene there as an artist, songwriter, and record producer.
He lived a quiet life in Calgary, Alberta, occasionally performing at country venues with musicians from the area, most notably the Ranchman's Inn.