Kevin Griffin’s career in the music industry spans over three decades. The Atlanta native grew up in Monroe, Louisiana, and graduated from Louisiana State University (LSU) in 1990. Griffin spent his college years majoring in English, along with breaking into the local college music scene, as affectionately recalled by many LSU Tiger graduates from that era. Since that time, Griffin has worn many hats. 

In 1993, Griffin’s band, Better Than Ezra, landed on the larger rock music scene with their major record label “Deluxe,” featuring the hit single “Good.” In 2015, Griffin co-founded the annual Pilgrimage Festival held in Franklin, Tennessee. Several of the songs he has written have been recorded by the music industry’s biggest stars including Howie Day, Barenaked Ladies, and Taylor Swift. Now Griffin has added the title of “author” to his album of life. His new book, “The Greatest Song: Spark Creativity, Ignite Your Career, and Transform Your Life,” tells a fictional tale inspired by Kevin’s experiences in the fickle music industry.  

In his debut book, Griffin combines his experience in the music industry with the narrative of fictional singer-songwriter Jake Stark. This character has been dropped as a writer for MegaMusic Publishing and thinks that his career is over. However, he is given a second chance by a young billionaire named Sir Daniel Smith-Daniels, who offers him a contract with his avant-garde publishing house, The Row. To secure this contract, Stark must complete the five music-writing trials of The Method, each demonstrating a key component of achieving and maintaining success. By completing The Method, Stark discovers that he has the tools to create the greatest metaphorical song of his career and life.

The five steps included in “The Method” are:

> Creative collaboration

> Filling the well

> Changing your attitude

> Leaving your comfort zone

> Daring to be stupid 

These steps, in Kevin’s words, are “all about how to keep success in your business, in your marriage, and in your relationships.” Kevin’s volatile music industry experiences were drawn upon in the book, but as Kevin says, “The book can’t help but have autobiographical elements about it, but Jake’s experiences are his own. I tried to write what I know (would) bring an authenticity to the story, and that is what makes the story so compelling to people.” 

“The Greatest Song: Spark Creativity, Ignite Your Career, and Transform Your Life” is currently available in bookstores and online. Kevin will also be doing a book tour with a Dallas appearance on May 11. 

You can catch Better Than Ezra on tour this summer supporting Train, then heading out on their own tour in the Fall. They will also play Day Two of Pilgrimage Music and Cultural Festival this September. The band will release their first full length album in nine years, later in the summer or early fall. Visit the Better Than Ezra website for more information about the band, including 2023 tour cities and dates. 

2023 Pilgrimage & Cultural Festival

The Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival takes place annually in Franklin, Tennessee, about twenty-two miles south of Nashville at The Park at Harlinsdale. This year’s September 23-24 lineup includes Nathaniel Ratelliff, the Black Crowes, and headliners the Lumineers and Zac Bryan. The family-friendly festival will also feature culinary arts, a makers village, and fun activities for kids of all ages. Whether you read Griffin’s book, catch his band on tour, find your way to Tennessee for the next Pilgrimage & Cultural Festival, or rock your way through all three, you will surely find yourself singing, “It was good!” 

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Cover photo Rebecca Moore

Brian Maass enjoys live music, and sharing good times at a local brewery or winery with his wife and friends. If he is not at a concert, then you will find him at a National Park photographing the amazing scenery this world has to offer.