Michael John Murphy is a folk musician based in Omaha

Omaha, Nebraska

Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...

, Nebraska

Nebraska

Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....

. He plays various instruments, including the guitar

Guitar

The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...

, piano

Piano

The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...

, and Native American flute

Native American flute

The Native American flute has achieved some measure of fame for its distinctive sound, used in a variety of New Age and world music recordings. The instrument was originally very personal; its music was played without accompaniment in courtship, healing, meditation, and spiritual rituals. Now it...

. He has been a singer songwriter based out of Omaha since the 1970s.

Style

His lyrics are often socially conscious or spiritual, and he uses personal stories and anecdotes in his shows. He has been writing songs since the 1970s, as noted by the lyrics to song, Liquor Stores, which begins: "I was working at a liquor store in July of '73". More recently, he has garnered popularity with the Native American flute, which he started playing after his mother (who was part Cherokee

Cherokee

The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...

) died.

Production and studio work

He has worked with a number of other well known musicians, including Brulé

Brulé (band)

Brulé & AIRO is a multi award winning contemporary Native American group featuring a New Age/Worldbeat sound. Based in South Dakota, they have sold over one million CDs worldwide and have made media appearances with the Live with Regis and Kathie Lee television show, CNN WorldBeat, QVC, and others...

, Mark Holland

Mark Holland (musician)

Mark Holland is a Native American flute musician from Missouri. He has a classical and jazz training and labels his music global chamber music....

, The Young Bucks

The Young Bucks

The Young Bucks is an American professional wrestling tag team, consisting of real life brothers Matt and Nick Massie from Southern California...

, and Duane Martin, Sr.. Murphy helped produce and does the instrumentation on Martin's 2010 project, Cante Tenza Olowan - Song For The Strong Heart http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxgfVryf7XE.

Activism

Michael has been involved with the Whiteclay Advisory Committee, a group of activists concerned about alcoholism on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota and about the sale of alcohol on the boarder of the reservation in the town of Whiteclay, Nebraska

Whiteclay, Nebraska

Pine Ridge, commonly called Whiteclay, is a census-designated place in Sheridan County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 14 at the 2000 census...

. Along with Canupa Gluha Mani, he performed and produced the music for The Battle for Whiteclay, a documentary about the Whiteclay issue.
Murphy has been featured at the Omaha Summer Arts Festival, the Avoca Iowa Folk Festival, and the Lincoln Plainsong Festival.

Music education

He has taught Native American flute at clinics and colleges in the midwest, especially the Omaha Metropolitan Community College and the Nebraska Indian Community College

Nebraska Indian Community College

Nebraska Indian Community College is a co-educational public, regionally accredited community college located in Macy, Nebraska. Nebraska Indian Community College began in July, 1973 as the American Indian Satellite Community College under a grant from the Fund for the Improvement of...

 and St. Augustine Mission in Macy, Nebraska

Macy, Nebraska

Macy is a census-designated place in Thurston County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 956 at the 2000 census.It is within the Omaha Indian Reservation.-Geography:Macy is located at ....

. Murphy is a member of the Nebraska Arts Council

Nebraska Arts Council

The Nebraska Arts Council is a publicly funded organization which seeks to promote creative arts in Nebraska. Members include musicians, artists, and writers of all disciplines. The organization was established in 1972, and is funded by the state of Nebraska, the National Endowment for the Arts,...

 and the International Native American Flute Association

International Native American Flute Association

The International Native American Flute Association is an organization based in Suffolk, Virginia, United States, dedicated to educating people about Native American flutes. The group wrote its mission statement in 1998. Its executive director is Dr. Kathleen Joyce-Grendahl, and its board of...

.

Discography

• Secret Thoughts (1996)
• The Second (1998)
• Sacred Hearts (2002)
• Trail of Tears (2003)
• Peace (2004)
• Honor Songs of the Great White Father (2006)