Bootmaker
Jay Griffith
Jay Griffith was an Oklahoma custom bootmaker based in Fairfax who relocated to Guthrie in 1989. He mentored Lisa Sorrell, who answered a newspaper ad to start stitching tops for him, and employed Ray Dorwart, whom he spent seven years trying to hire full time before the two moved to Guthrie together.
Known for
Mentor to bootmakers Lisa Sorrell and Ray Dorwart
Related: Lisa Sorrell · Raymond “Ray” Dorwart
Biography
History
Jay Griffith was an Oklahoma custom bootmaker based first in Fairfax and later in Guthrie. True West's 2006 profile calls him a legendary bootmaker who hired Lisa Sorrell after she answered a newspaper ad to stitch tops for him. Ray Dorwart says Griffith convinced him to work for him for ten days and then spent the next seven years trying to hire him full time; in 1989 Griffith sold his Fairfax interests and relocated to Guthrie, across the street from where Dorwart would later open Dorwart's Custom Boots.
Lisa Sorrell calls Griffith her first bootmaking mentor and says he had worked with Archer LaForce, who in turn had worked with Gus Blucher. No birth year or death year for Griffith has been found; Sorrell writes about him in the past tense, but that has not been treated as evidence of a death date.
Sources
Identification and markings
Maker-specific markings guidance has not been documented yet. Preserve the complete stamp and compare it against dated sources.
Sources and references
Historical references are cited with the history above. Each catalog record includes its own supporting evidence.
Encyclopedia references: CowboyBootsDB and maker archives linked where available. Historical dates and attributions can vary by source.