Years active 1963 – present Role Singer Name Willie Murphy | Website www.williemurphy.net Associated acts John Koerner Genres Blues | |
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Born November 17, 1943 (age 80) ( 1943-11-17 ) Origin Minneapolis, Minnesota, US Occupation(s) Musician, producer, song writer Instruments Vocals, piano, bass, guitar Albums Running, Jumping, Standing Still, A Shot of Love in a Time of Need, I Got A Secret Movies Koerner, Ray & Glover: Blues, Rags & Hollers, Classic Rhythm & Blues: Vol. 4 Record labels Elektra Records, Red House Records Similar People John Koerner, Tony Glover, Jimmy D Lane, Jimmy Rogers, Bob Stroger | ||
Willie Murphy (born in Minneapolis, Minnesota) is an American pianist, singer, producer, and songwriter. He is best known as a singer and pianist for the blues band Willie and the Bees. He is also known for his work with Bonnie Raitt and John Koerner.
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Biography
Murphy grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in an Irish Catholic working-class family. He began piano lessons at the age of 4. His early musical influences were Little Richard, Fats Domino, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Ray Charles.
Murphy played on the folk circuit with John Koerner, and the duo recorded Running, Jumping, Standing Still in 1969. The album received positive reviews, Crawdaddy! calling it "one of the most unique and underrated albums of the folk boom, perhaps the only psychedelic ragtime blues album ever made." The duo eventually split up, and Koerner pursued an unsuccessful career in filmmaking, temporarily retiring from the music business and moving to Copenhagen, Denmark. Murphy was offered a full-time job with Elektra Records as an in-house producer but declined, choosing to remain in the Minneapolis area.
He produced Bonnie Raitt's 1971 debut album for Warner Bros. Records. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Murphy led the R&B, blues and rock group Willie and the Bees.
Murphy performed on piano, bass, guitar and other instruments as a session musician for Raitt, Koerner, Greg Brown, Prudence Johnson, Little Milton, and many others. He formed the Atomic Theory Records label in 1985 and released albums by himself, Phil Heywood, Boiled in Lead, Larry Long, and various world music artists.
The Minnesota Music Hall of Fame inducted Murphy along with Bob Dylan and Prince in its charter class in 1990. In 2008, Murphy was inducted into the Minnesota Blues Hall of Fame.
In 2010, St. Paul, Minnesota, mayor Chris Coleman declared July 2 "Willie Murphy Day".
Murphy's double-CD release A Shot of Love in a Time of Need/Autobiographical Notes reached number 14 in Billboard's Top Blues Albums chart in 2010.