Hayes Griffin

Hayes Griffin is a musician, teacher, and YouTuber from central Ohio. After earning a degree in music from Denison University, Hayes received his Master’s in Contemporary Improvisation at New England Conservatory in Boston. He quickly became an active member of the local bluegrass community, studying with the great John McGann and recording the Trimountain Sessions EP with bluegrass phenoms Maddie Witler, Gabe Hirshfeld, John Mailander, and Josh Dayton.

After school, Hayes spent over a decade touring internationally with acts like Canadian fiddler April Verch and progressive bluegrass band Newtown. Featuring Hayes on guitar, Newtown’s 2016 album Harlan Road debuted at #8 on the Billboard Bluegrass Charts. In 2020, he released his first solo project, Midwestern Swing, dedicated to the sounds of American country and Western Swing music from the 1930’s, 40s, and 50s. The album snagged the #1 spot on the Local Spins Hot Top 5 for 2020, charting in the Top 5 for 3 months straight.

In 2020 Hayes began a weekly YouTube series on the playing of electric mandolinist Tiny Moore. Since then, Hayes’ channel has evolved to include weekly videos on bluegrass guitar, Western Swing, music theory, and mindfulness.

These days, Hayes spends his time teaching lessons, recording YouTube videos, and serving his growing community of online students in his Guitar Club. Hayes is proud to endorse GHS Strings and Belmuse Electric Mandolins

‍