Jimmy Murphy (musician)
Encyclopedia
Jimmy Murphy was an American country
and rockabilly
guitarist
and singer-songwriter
.
Murphy's father, a bricklayer
, was a blues enthusiast, and so the young Murphy grew up listening to musicians such as Lead Belly and Blind Boy Fuller
. Murphy had already made it to radio by the middle of the 1940s, appearing on local station WBRC
's Happy Hal Burns Show. In 1949 he relocated to Knoxville, Tennessee
and auditioned for Dinner Bell, a show on WROL
hosted by Archie Campbell
. Campbell had Murphy meet Chet Atkins
, whom Murphy eventually gave a demo; RCA Victor subsequently signed him to a publishing deal and recorded him in January 1951 with just himself on guitar and vocals and Anita Carter
playing bass.
Murphy's contract only lasted one year; all of his singles failed to sell. He continued, however, to perform on WROL, and moved to WNOX
in the middle of the 1950s. In 1955, Don Law signed Murphy to Columbia Records
and had him record a number of rockabilly
sides, but none of these charted, and this contract ended in 1956. Murphy followed his father into the bricklaying business and continued playing music on the side, but returned in 1962 to record for Ark Records, Midnite, Loyal, Rimrock, and Starday over the next few years.
He went into retirement until the Library of Congress
re-released his first single, "Electricity", on a compilation. Richard Spottswood found Murphy and asked him to begin recording again; the result was the full-length Electricity, released on Sugar Hill Records in 1978. Further recording and a tour had been planned, but Murphy died in 1981 before they could be completed. He has remained a cult figure among rockabilly enthusiasts, and in 1989 Bear Family Records
collected his RCA and Columbia recordings and issued them on CD as Sixteen Tons of Rock & Roll.
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
and rockabilly
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
and singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
.
Murphy's father, a bricklayer
Bricklayer
A bricklayer or mason is a craftsman who lays bricks to construct brickwork. The term also refers to personnel who use blocks to construct blockwork walls and other forms of masonry. In British and Australian English, a bricklayer is colloquially known as a "brickie".The training of a trade in...
, was a blues enthusiast, and so the young Murphy grew up listening to musicians such as Lead Belly and Blind Boy Fuller
Blind Boy Fuller
Blind Boy Fuller was an American blues guitarist and vocalist. He was one of the most popular of the recorded Piedmont blues artists with rural Black Americans, a group that also included Blind Blake, Josh White, and Buddy Moss.-Life and career:Fulton Allen was born in Wadesboro, North Carolina,...
. Murphy had already made it to radio by the middle of the 1940s, appearing on local station WBRC
WBRC
WBRC, virtual channel 6, is the Fox-affiliated television station serving the Birmingham, Alabama designated market area. The station is owned by Raycom Media, and its transmitter is located atop Red Mountain in Birmingham...
's Happy Hal Burns Show. In 1949 he relocated to Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
and auditioned for Dinner Bell, a show on WROL
WROL
-External links:*...
hosted by Archie Campbell
Archie Campbell
Archie Campbell was an American writer and star of Hee Haw, a popular long-running country-flavored network television variety show...
. Campbell had Murphy meet Chet Atkins
Chet Atkins
Chester Burton Atkins , known as Chet Atkins, was an American guitarist and record producer who, along with Owen Bradley, created the smoother country music style known as the Nashville sound, which expanded country's appeal to adult pop music fans as well.Atkins's picking style, inspired by Merle...
, whom Murphy eventually gave a demo; RCA Victor subsequently signed him to a publishing deal and recorded him in January 1951 with just himself on guitar and vocals and Anita Carter
Anita Carter
Ina Anita Carter , the youngest daughter of Ezra and Mother Maybelle Carter, was a versatile American singer who experimented with several different types of music and played stand-up bass with her sisters Helen Carter and June Carter Cash as The Carter Sisters...
playing bass.
Murphy's contract only lasted one year; all of his singles failed to sell. He continued, however, to perform on WROL, and moved to WNOX
WNOX
WNOX is a radio station in the Knoxville, Tennessee area. It broadcasts a news-talk format.WNOX operates a 100,000-watt transmitter, located on Cross Mountain north of Briceville, Tennessee...
in the middle of the 1950s. In 1955, Don Law signed Murphy to Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
and had him record a number of rockabilly
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
sides, but none of these charted, and this contract ended in 1956. Murphy followed his father into the bricklaying business and continued playing music on the side, but returned in 1962 to record for Ark Records, Midnite, Loyal, Rimrock, and Starday over the next few years.
He went into retirement until the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
re-released his first single, "Electricity", on a compilation. Richard Spottswood found Murphy and asked him to begin recording again; the result was the full-length Electricity, released on Sugar Hill Records in 1978. Further recording and a tour had been planned, but Murphy died in 1981 before they could be completed. He has remained a cult figure among rockabilly enthusiasts, and in 1989 Bear Family Records
Bear Family Records
Bear Family Records is a Germany-based independent record label that specializes in reissues of archival material ranging from country music to 1950s rock and roll to old German movie soundtracks.-History:...
collected his RCA and Columbia recordings and issued them on CD as Sixteen Tons of Rock & Roll.
Singles
| Year | Title | Record label |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | Electricity / Mother, Where Is Your Daughter | RCA Victor |
| 1951 | Big Mama Blues / We Live A Long Long Time | RCA Victor |
| 1951 | Educated Fool / Ramblin’ Heart | RCA Victor |
| 1952 | That First Guitar Of Mine / Love That Satisfies | RCA Victor |
| 1956 | Hey Kitty Kitty / I’m Looking For A Mustard Patch | Columbia Records |
| 1956 | Sixteen Tons of Rock’n’Roll / My Gal Dottie | Columbia Records |
| 1956 | Grandpaw’s Cat / Baboon Boogie | Columbia Records |
| 1963 (?) | I Long To Hear Hank The Blues / Swing Steel Blues | Ark Records |
| 1963 | My Feet’s On Solid Ground / Wake Me Up Sweet Jesus | Ark Records |
| 1964 | My Feet’s On Solid Ground / Wake Me Up Sweet Jesus | Rem Records |
| 1964 | There’s No Use In My Loving You / One Block From Home | Midnite Records |
| 1965 | Half A Loaf Of Bread / Take This Message To Mother | Rem Records |
| 19?? | EP
|
Loyal Records |
|
|
Columbia Records (not issued) |