Alan Murphy
Encyclopedia
Alan Murphy was an English
rock session guitarist, best remembered for his collaborations with Kate Bush
and Go West
. In 1988 he joined the group Level 42
as a full time band member, and played with them until his death in 1989. He also played lead guitar on select recordings by Mike + The Mechanics, including the hit single "Silent Running".
guitarist Ritchie Blackmore
, an early influence of Murphy's, and existed for about two years until some of the band's equipment was stolen and the group disbanded.
SFX was an instrumental jazz-rock fusion band featuring Murphy and fellow luminaries of the session world, Felix Krish on bass, Tony Beard on drums and Richard Cottle on keyboards. SFX originated from the covers band "The Stapleton Allstars", morphing into SFX after creating a set of original instrumental fusion tunes. They played the occasional interrupted residency at the Cricketers pub, near The Oval
cricket ground in London
. The band recorded an album which was subsequently released after Murphy's death.
Murphy performed with Fusion Orchestra
for the better part of 1975. In 1982 he handled onstage guitar duties for London-based New Wave vocalist Zaine Griff
(originally from New Zealand), performing music that was in many ways a stylistic precursor to the Go West
sound that he would help forge several years later. In 1984, Murphy worked on the album 'Cold in a Warm Climate' with the band Paparazzi, becoming a member in preparation for a major European tour. When Paparazzi unexpectedly dissolved over internal disagreements and managerial problems, Murphy was recruited to play on the debut Go West
album in 1985, shortly thereafter becoming an official member and a key component in the band's sound in the process.
Murphy was enlisted to play on the first and only Kate Bush
tour of the Europe & UK (1979). Both a live video and EP were released with material taken form this tour. He also contributed to her albums Never for Ever
, The Dreaming
, Hounds of Love
, The Sensual World
, and the single "Rocket Man".
In 1988, Murphy was asked to replace Level 42
guitarist Boon Gould, and recorded with the band on their Staring at the Sun album. A live album was recorded during this period, Live at Wembley. This was one of the last major projects that Murphy worked on before his death.
Murphy was a session man who worked with many artists, including Nick Heyward
, Long John Baldry
, Joan Armatrading
, Mike + the Mechanics, Amii Stewart
, Andrew Caine, Scritti Politti
, So
and Miquel Brown
.
During 1989 Murphy played at the British Music Fair, but it was evident from his appearance that he was not well. On 19 October 1989, weakened by the AIDS
virus, Murphy died of pneumonia in Westminster City Hospital, near his old school. He had kept the facts of his illness a secret even from his colleagues and bandmates.
In the music video
for Kate Bush's version of "Rocket Man", released as part of the 1991 Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin
tribute album, she performs with her band but there is an empty chair, a guitar and a candle where Murphy would have been and cross-faded footage of him playing in the closing choruses.
Bush's song "Moments Of Pleasure" referenced Murphy and several other people dear to her who had died.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
rock session guitarist, best remembered for his collaborations with Kate Bush
Kate Bush
Kate Bush is an English singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Her eclectic musical style and idiosyncratic vocal style have made her one of the United Kingdom's most successful solo female performers of the past 30 years.In 1978, at the age of 19, Bush topped the UK Singles Chart...
and Go West
Go West (band)
Go West is an English pop duo, formed in 1982 by lead vocalist and drummer Peter Cox ; and guitarist and vocalist Richard Drummie...
. In 1988 he joined the group Level 42
Level 42
Level 42 are an English pop rock and jazz-funk band who had a number of worldwide and UK hits during the 1980s and 1990s.The band gained fame for their high-calibre musicianship—in particular that of Mark King, whose percussive slap-bass guitar technique provided the driving groove of many of the...
as a full time band member, and played with them until his death in 1989. He also played lead guitar on select recordings by Mike + The Mechanics, including the hit single "Silent Running".
Biography
Alan Murphy's first musical group was called Blackmass and consisted of Murphy, Roy Phillips, James Hedges, Terry Eden, Steve Paget, and Vincent Duffy. Blackmass were named in tribute to Deep PurpleDeep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...
guitarist Ritchie Blackmore
Ritchie Blackmore
Richard Hugh "Ritchie" Blackmore is an English guitarist and songwriter, who was known as one of the first guitarists to fuse Classical music elements with rock. He fronted his own band Rainbow after leaving Deep Purple where he was unhappy because his favourite musical style wasn't adequately...
, an early influence of Murphy's, and existed for about two years until some of the band's equipment was stolen and the group disbanded.
SFX was an instrumental jazz-rock fusion band featuring Murphy and fellow luminaries of the session world, Felix Krish on bass, Tony Beard on drums and Richard Cottle on keyboards. SFX originated from the covers band "The Stapleton Allstars", morphing into SFX after creating a set of original instrumental fusion tunes. They played the occasional interrupted residency at the Cricketers pub, near The Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
cricket ground in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. The band recorded an album which was subsequently released after Murphy's death.
Murphy performed with Fusion Orchestra
Fusion Orchestra
-History:The band was formed in 1969 by Dave Bell, Stan Land, and Colin Dawson, but the more recognisable incarnation was formed when Jill Saward joined on vocals in 1970. They performed regularly on the British club circuit in the early 1970s, clocking up over 500 gigs at venues such as the...
for the better part of 1975. In 1982 he handled onstage guitar duties for London-based New Wave vocalist Zaine Griff
Zaine Griff
Zaine Griff is a singer-songwriter who formed part of the English new wave scene of the 1980s. Although being educated and beginning as musician in New Zealand, he moved to England in the 1970s, where he continued with his artistic and musical career, becoming a solo artist...
(originally from New Zealand), performing music that was in many ways a stylistic precursor to the Go West
Go West (band)
Go West is an English pop duo, formed in 1982 by lead vocalist and drummer Peter Cox ; and guitarist and vocalist Richard Drummie...
sound that he would help forge several years later. In 1984, Murphy worked on the album 'Cold in a Warm Climate' with the band Paparazzi, becoming a member in preparation for a major European tour. When Paparazzi unexpectedly dissolved over internal disagreements and managerial problems, Murphy was recruited to play on the debut Go West
Go West (band)
Go West is an English pop duo, formed in 1982 by lead vocalist and drummer Peter Cox ; and guitarist and vocalist Richard Drummie...
album in 1985, shortly thereafter becoming an official member and a key component in the band's sound in the process.
Murphy was enlisted to play on the first and only Kate Bush
Kate Bush
Kate Bush is an English singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Her eclectic musical style and idiosyncratic vocal style have made her one of the United Kingdom's most successful solo female performers of the past 30 years.In 1978, at the age of 19, Bush topped the UK Singles Chart...
tour of the Europe & UK (1979). Both a live video and EP were released with material taken form this tour. He also contributed to her albums Never for Ever
Never for Ever
- Personnel :* Ian Bairnson: Guitar, Bass vocals* Brian Bath: Acoustic & Electric Guitar, Background Vocals* Andrew Bryant: Vocals, Background Vocals* Kevin Burke: Violin...
, The Dreaming
The Dreaming (album)
-Personnel:*Stewart Arnold: vocals, background vocals*Jimmy Bain: bass*Ian Bairnson: acoustic guitar, vocals, background vocals*John Barrett: assistant engineer*Brian Bath: electric guitar*Haydn Bendall: engineer...
, Hounds of Love
Hounds of Love
Hounds of Love is a 1985 album by the British singer Kate Bush. It was Bush's fifth studio album, and her second no. 1. It has since been certified Double Platinum in the UK...
, The Sensual World
The Sensual World
-Personnel:*Haydn Bendall: engineer*Andrew Boland: engineer*Stoyanka Boneva: vocals*Kate Bush: piano, keyboards, vocals, background vocals, producer*Paddy Bush: mandolin, background vocals, valiha, whip, tupan*Clare Connors: violin...
, and the single "Rocket Man".
In 1988, Murphy was asked to replace Level 42
Level 42
Level 42 are an English pop rock and jazz-funk band who had a number of worldwide and UK hits during the 1980s and 1990s.The band gained fame for their high-calibre musicianship—in particular that of Mark King, whose percussive slap-bass guitar technique provided the driving groove of many of the...
guitarist Boon Gould, and recorded with the band on their Staring at the Sun album. A live album was recorded during this period, Live at Wembley. This was one of the last major projects that Murphy worked on before his death.
Murphy was a session man who worked with many artists, including Nick Heyward
Nick Heyward
Nick Heyward is an English singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known for being the frontman of the early 1980s band Haircut One Hundred, and also had a briefly successful solo career after he left the band in 1983.-Haircut One Hundred:Nick Heyward formed Haircut One Hundred after the...
, Long John Baldry
Long John Baldry
John William "Long John" Baldry was an English and Canadian blues singer and a voice actor. He sang with many British musicians, with Rod Stewart and Elton John appearing in bands led by Baldry in the 1960s. He enjoyed pop success in the UK where Let the Heartaches Begin reached No...
, Joan Armatrading
Joan Armatrading
Joan Anita Barbara Armatrading, MBE is a British singer, songwriter and guitarist. Armatrading is a three-time Grammy Award-nominee and has been nominated twice for BRIT Awards as Best Female Artist...
, Mike + the Mechanics, Amii Stewart
Amii Stewart
Amy 'Amii' Paulette Stewart is an American contemporary R&B/disco/dance-pop singer, dancer and actress most famous for her hit disco record "Knock on Wood". Stewart is the stepsister of actress-singer Miquel Brown and aunt to Brown's actress-singer daughter Sinitta.-Career:Amy Stewart was the...
, Andrew Caine, Scritti Politti
Scritti Politti
Scritti Politti are a British band, originally formed in 1977 in Leeds, Yorkshire, England. Although there have been various changes to the line-up, Cardiff-born singer-songwriter Green Gartside was the founding member of the band and the only member to have remained throughout the group's...
, So
So (band)
So are an English duo from London active in the late 1980s, that featured Marcus Bell and Mark Long, who were previously members of a band called The Opposition. The duo were managed by Steve Weltman of Esta Management, and were contemporaries of acts such as Climie Fisher, Blue and Waterfront...
and Miquel Brown
Miquel Brown
Miquel Brown Miquel Brown Miquel Brown (born Michael Brown, 1954 is a Canadian actress and Disco/Soul singer from the 1970s and '80s most popular for the songs "Close to Perfection" and the Hi-NRG songs 'So Many Men, So Little Time' and "He's A Saint, He's A Sinner" (both now considered vintage gay...
.
During 1989 Murphy played at the British Music Fair, but it was evident from his appearance that he was not well. On 19 October 1989, weakened by the AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
virus, Murphy died of pneumonia in Westminster City Hospital, near his old school. He had kept the facts of his illness a secret even from his colleagues and bandmates.
In the music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for Kate Bush's version of "Rocket Man", released as part of the 1991 Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin
Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin
Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin is a 1991 tribute album consisting of interpretations of sixteen songs written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin. The title refers to the song on Elton John's album 21 at 33, "Two Rooms at the End of the World", to the duo's unusual...
tribute album, she performs with her band but there is an empty chair, a guitar and a candle where Murphy would have been and cross-faded footage of him playing in the closing choruses.
Bush's song "Moments Of Pleasure" referenced Murphy and several other people dear to her who had died.