Music This article is more than 8 years oldMott the Hoople drummer Dale Griffin dies, aged 67
This article is more than 8 years oldThe drummer, who later became a producer of sessions for the John Peel show, had been suffering from Alzheimer’s for nine years
Mott the Hoople drummer Dale Griffin has died, aged 67, after suffering from Alzheimer’s for several years. He died in his sleep on Sunday night, according to Mott’s manager, Peter Purnell.
“Dale was a nice, well-spoken man and a brilliant drummer, it’s unbelievable that he’s gone,” Mott keyboard player Verden Allen told the Hereford Times. “I suppose in some ways it’s a release for him now – he had suffered for many years.”
Griffin, who was nicknamed “Buffin” while in Mott the Hoople, was an ever-present in the group, from 1969 until they split in 1976.
He was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s at the age of 58, which meant he was unable to take his place at the band’s 40th anniversary reunion shows in October 2009.
His place was taken by Pretenders drummer Martin Chambers, but he was able to appear for the encores, playing on a second drum kit.
After Mott split, Griffin played in the successor group, British Lions, before going to work as a producer.
To a generation too young to remember Mott the Hoople, he became known principally as the man who was able to coax memorable sessions out of scores of young bands, given just a few hours to record them performing four songs for John Peel.
“And that session was produced by Dale Griffin,” was a familiar sentence from Peel at the end of each broadcast. It is estimated he produced more than 2,000 sessions for Radio 1.
Paying tribute to the drummer, singer-songwriter Billy Bragg recalled being “made up” to find that Griffin was to produce a session he was doing for the BBC in 1984.
Bragg said on Facebook: “I always had a soft spot for Mott the Hoople. Theirs was the only band I ever really wanted to be a member of, along with Earth, Wind and Fire.”
He described Griffin as a “lovely guy to be in the studio with”.
In 2010, Griffin spoke to Wales Online about his condition. “Sometimes I’m me, but sometimes I get scared of things,” he said. “If I do go out with Jean [his wife] I will get frightened if she walks away, even if she’s just a few feet away. I have really dark fears and if I suddenly lose track of Jean, suddenly everything falls apart. I’m thinking, ‘What’s happened to me?’ As a child I was fearless, I had no fears at all. But as I’ve got older I’ve become more careful and I’ve assumed that’s down to the Alzheimer’s.”
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