Dr. Bill Griffin
Dr. Bill Griffin is a well known Biblical Studies professor here at Evangel University. However, it’s not just his teaching that his students remember: it’s also his humors satire and parody songs.
After Bill Griffin became a Christian in 1975, he started writing Christian music from a serious standpoint shortly thereafter. But, when attended Evangel University in 1982 his songwriting philosophy changed and he began writing parody’s and humorous songs. One of his first original songs, written in 1982, was entitled “Popular Christianity.” Griffin graduated in 1985 and began teaching at Evangel in the fall of 1995. He says that he has written a lot of parody songs since he started teaching.
When asked how he got into writing parodies, he said that “it just kind of comes.” He had heard parodies growing up so the idea of twisting songs had been around him since childhood. So far, including humor, satire, and parodies, Griffin estimates he has written around 140 songs. In the last 7-8 years though, he has written around 80-90% parodies. In his writing he doesn’t stick to just one genre either. He often tells people that his music “ranges from hick to heavy metal.” He feels that people let their guard down when something is funny. Therefore it is easier to get a point across. God has given him this talent and “its just fun,” he says.
Out of all of his songs his favorite overall is “Death by Chocolate,” which is an original song he wrote for his wife. Others include “Test Tomorrow,” a parody of “Desperado” by The Eagles, and another one written for his wife called “Good translations.” If you haven’t guessed, this is a parody of “Good Vibrations” by the Beach Boys. He often takes suggestions as well. One song he has performed in class before is entitled, “Springfield MO” which is a twist off “Vertigo” by U2.
If one has taken a class with Dr. Griffin, there is a good chance they have heard his music. He enjoys bringing his guitar in every so often and entertaining the class with a few of his pieces. Besides his classroom performances he usually performs at Evangel Temple here in Springfield at least once a year.
Besides playing trombone up through 8th grade and the music training he had invovled with that, he is basically self taught on the guitar and has learned to play by ear. He records his music at home on his computer. With this equipment he can add several tracks if needed.
If you would like to hear any samples, visiting Dr. Griffin’s website is a great place to start. Once at his page, click on the "Griffin's Music" link near the top. From there you can find over 100 recordings of his music. Or, if you prefer live performances, simply take one of his classes.