Shirley Murdock
Encyclopedia
Shirley Murdock is an American R&B
singer, who is best known for her 1986 R&B hit single
"As We Lay" and for her vocals on Zapp and Roger hit single Computer Love.
in her native Toledo. Singer/musician Roger Troutman
hired Murdock as a backing singer for his family's band
Zapp
, which had several hits on Warner Bros.
(and its Reprise Records
imprint). Based on this success, Troutman began recording tracks with Murdock and lead singer Sugarfoot of the Ohio Players
, among others, at his Dayton
-based recording studio
, Troutman Sound Labs. Murdock and Troutman's first chart
single
was a Warner Bros. single issued as Roger (featuring Shirley Murdock), "Girl, Cut It Out", which charted at number 79 R&B in early 1985.
Murdock signed with Elektra Records
and released "No More", which made it to number 24 R&B in early 1986. Then came her signature hit, "As We Lay", written by Zapp's Larry Troutman and keyboardist
Billy Beck (of the Ohio Players). The tender, melancholy ballad
made it to the R&B Top Ten and peaked at number 23 pop in 1986. Her album
! went gold
, also helped along by the follow-up hits "Go on Without You" and "Be Free." She also released album
s in 1988 (A Woman's Point of View) and 1991 (Let There Be Love). In early 2000, Murdock toured in the inspirational/gospel play Be Careful What You Pray For with Cuba Gooding, Sr.
and David Peaston
.
Murdock released Home, her gospel-music debut album, in 2002 on T.D. Jakes' Dexterity Sounds record label
. She made her acting debut in the movie Sweating in the Spirit. Most recently, Murdock has signed with Tyscot Records
and released her most recent album in March 2007.
In 2009, Murdock collaborated with Teena Marie
on the song "Soldier", from Marie's album Congo Square
. She also appeared in the 2009 stage play A Mother's Prayer, with Johnny Gill
, Robin Givens
, and Jermaine Crawford
.
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
singer, who is best known for her 1986 R&B hit single
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
"As We Lay" and for her vocals on Zapp and Roger hit single Computer Love.
Career
Murdock started out singing gospel musicGospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
in her native Toledo. Singer/musician Roger Troutman
Roger Troutman
Roger Troutman was the lead singer of the band Zapp who helped spearhead the Funk movement and heavily influenced West Coast hip hop due to the scene's heavy sampling of his music over the years...
hired Murdock as a backing singer for his family's band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
Zapp
Zapp (band)
Zapp is a soul and funk band formed in 1978 by brothers Roger Troutman, Larry Troutman, Lester Troutman, Terry Troutman, Bobby Glover and Gregory Jackson [Cincinnati Ohio Funk Keyboardist]...
, which had several hits on Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
(and its Reprise Records
Reprise Records
Reprise Records is an American record label, founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operated through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:...
imprint). Based on this success, Troutman began recording tracks with Murdock and lead singer Sugarfoot of the Ohio Players
Ohio Players
The Ohio Players were an American funk and R&B band, most popular in the 1970s. They are best known for their double #1 hit songs "Fire" and "Love Rollercoaster".- Biography :...
, among others, at his Dayton
Dayton
Dayton is a city in Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, Ohio, United States.Dayton may also refer to:-United States:*Dayton, Alabama*Dayton, California, in Butte County*Dayton, Lassen County, California*Dayton, Idaho*Dayton, Indiana...
-based recording studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
, Troutman Sound Labs. Murdock and Troutman's first chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
was a Warner Bros. single issued as Roger (featuring Shirley Murdock), "Girl, Cut It Out", which charted at number 79 R&B in early 1985.
Murdock signed with Elektra Records
Elektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
and released "No More", which made it to number 24 R&B in early 1986. Then came her signature hit, "As We Lay", written by Zapp's Larry Troutman and keyboardist
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
Billy Beck (of the Ohio Players). The tender, melancholy ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
made it to the R&B Top Ten and peaked at number 23 pop in 1986. Her album
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
! went gold
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
, also helped along by the follow-up hits "Go on Without You" and "Be Free." She also released album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s in 1988 (A Woman's Point of View) and 1991 (Let There Be Love). In early 2000, Murdock toured in the inspirational/gospel play Be Careful What You Pray For with Cuba Gooding, Sr.
Cuba Gooding, Sr.
Cuba Gooding, Sr. is the lead singer of the soul group The Main Ingredient, most notable for its two biggest hits, "Everybody Plays the Fool" and "Just Don't Want to Be Lonely" . Gooding also had a brief solo career on Motown Records during the late-1970s and early-1980s...
and David Peaston
David Peaston
David Peaston is an American R&B/gospel singer who in 1990 won a Soul Train Music Award for Best R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist...
.
Murdock released Home, her gospel-music debut album, in 2002 on T.D. Jakes' Dexterity Sounds record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
. She made her acting debut in the movie Sweating in the Spirit. Most recently, Murdock has signed with Tyscot Records
Tyscot Records
Tyscot Records is an independent American gospel music record label based out of Indianapolis, Indiana.Tyscot Records was founded by Craig Tyson and Dr...
and released her most recent album in March 2007.
In 2009, Murdock collaborated with Teena Marie
Teena Marie
Mary Christine Brockert, better known by her stage name Teena Marie, was an American singer, songwriter and producer...
on the song "Soldier", from Marie's album Congo Square
Congo Square (Teena Marie album)
Congo Square is the thirteenth studio album by American singer–songwriter Teena Marie. Released in the United States on June 9, 2009, it would be the final album released before her death in late December 2010...
. She also appeared in the 2009 stage play A Mother's Prayer, with Johnny Gill
Johnny Gill
Johnny Gill is an American R&B singer-songwriter. He is the sixth and final member of the R&B supergroup New Edition, and was also a member of another supergroup called LSG; with Gerald Levert and Keith Sweat. His signature song "My, My, My" has been included on numerous romantic...
, Robin Givens
Robin Givens
Robin Simone Givens is an American model and film, television, and stage actress. She is best known for her role as Darlene Merriman on the television series Head of the Class.-Early life:...
, and Jermaine Crawford
Jermaine Crawford
Jermaine Crawford is an actor best known for appearing on the HBO original series The Wire as Duquan "Dukie" Weems. He is a cousin to fellow Wire castmember and actor Tristan Wilds....
.
Albums
| Year | Album | Chart positions | US certifications |
Record label | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
US R&B Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
US Gospel Billboard charts The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine... |
||||
| 1986 | ! | 44 | 9 | — | Gold | Elektra Records Elektra Records Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009.... |
| 1988 | A Woman's Point of View | 137 | 19 | — | — | |
| 1991 | Let There be Love | — | 22 | — | — | |
| 2001 | The Very Best of Shirley Murdock | — | — | — | — | Rhino Rhino Entertainment Rhino Entertainment Company is an American specialty record label and production company. It is owned by Warner Music Group.-History:Rhino was originally a novelty song and reissue company during the 1970s and 1980s, releasing compilation albums of pop, rock & roll, and rhythm & blues successes... /Atlantic Records |
| 2002 | Home | — | — | 9 | — | Chordant |
| 2007 | Soulfood | — | 71 | 7 | — | Tyscot Tyscot Records Tyscot Records is an independent American gospel music record label based out of Indianapolis, Indiana.Tyscot Records was founded by Craig Tyson and Dr... |
| "—" denotes the album failed to chart, was not released or was not certified | ||||||
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US R&B Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
US AC Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States... |
US Dance Hot Dance Club Play The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs... |
UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
|||
| 1986 | "No More" | — | 24 | — | 27 | — | Shirley Murdock! |
| "Truth or Dare" | — | — | — | — | 60 | ||
| "As We Lay" | 23 | 5 | 21 | — | — | ||
| 1987 | "Go on Without You" | — | 5 | — | — | — | |
| "Be Free" | — | 86 | — | — | — | ||
| 1988 | "Husband" | — | 5 | — | — | — | A Woman's Point of View |
| 1991 | "In Your Eyes" | — | 7 | — | — | — | Let There Be Love |
| "Stay with Me Tonight" | — | 36 | — | — | — | ||
| 1992 | "Let There Be Love!" | — | 89 | — | 47 | — | |
| 2007 | "I Love Me Better Than That I Love Me Better Than That "I Love Me Better Than That" is the title of an R&B/gospel single by Shirley Murdock. It was the first single released from his first gospel album Soul Food. The single spend seven weeks on Billboard magazine's Top Gospel Singles chart.... " |
— | — | — | — | — | |
| "—" denotes the single failed to chart or was not released | |||||||
Movie career
| Movie | Year |
|---|---|
| Sweating in the Spirit | 2005 |
| First Cousins (post-production) | 2007 |