Christopher Bryce Murphy (born 25 March 1976,

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

) is an Australian male singer-songwriter who placed fourth in ''

Australian Idol 2006 The fourth season of '' Australian Idol'' began on 6 August 2006 and concluded on 26 November. Overview Format changes Changes for the fourth season of ''Australian Idol'' included the cancellation of "Inside Idol", "streamlined" semi-finals ...

''. Starting piano lessons at age 11, he added guitar to his list of skills and began playing in his band, 'Murphy's Lore' at the age of 16. A member of the

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

n band ''Murphy's Lore'', he has led the group since its formation in 1993. During that period the band released three independent albums: ''People in Grass Houses'' (1995), ''Best Laid Plans'' (1999), and ''The Universe Conspires'' (2002). Murphy re-joined the band in 2014 where he is currently a full-time member. Murphy's Lore has played most venues in Perth and have toured extensively north and south of the State as well as performing many high-profile gigs around the country. They have done tours to Singapore, and supported Australian acts such as

Jimmy Barnes James Dixon "Jimmy" Barnes (née Swan; born 28 April 1956) is a Scottish-born Australian rock singer. His career, both as a solo performer and as the lead vocalist with the rock band Cold Chisel, has made him one of the most popular and best-s ...

and

Daryl Braithwaite Daryl Braithwaite (born 11 January 1949) is an Australian singer. He was the lead vocalist of Sherbet (1970–1984 and many subsequent reunions). Braithwaite also has a solo career, placing 15 singles in the Australian top 40, including t ...

. Regular performances led to Murphy's inclusion on the ''Kevin Bloody Wilson live in the UK & Ireland 2004'' tour. In ''Australian Idol'', Murphy is perhaps best known for his performance of ''Evie'' (part 1).

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said it was "One of the most exciting performances we've ever seen on that stage" and

Mark Holden Mark Ronald Holden (born 27 April 1954) is an Australian singer, actor, TV personality, record producer, songwriter, and barrister. He was a pop star in the 1970s and had four top 20 hit singles, "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again" (May 1976 ...

awarded it a "Touchdown". In 2008, Murphy was invited to do the West Australian leg of an Adam Brand/ James Blundell tour as the opening act. During the latter half of 2010, Murphy and his backing band were selected for the nationwide tour support for

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. Murphy opened the show around the country to thousands of fans at venues such as the Sydney Entertainment Centre, Challenge Stadium (Perth), Rod Laver Stadium (Melbourne), and the Newcastle Entertainment Centre. 2014 saw Murphy support the Perth leg of the American kids show ''

Yo Gabba Gabba! ''Yo Gabba Gabba!'' is a children's musical television series created by Christian Jacobs and Scott Schultz. The series is about five costumed toys come-to-life and their friend DJ Lance Rock ( Lance Robertson). It is co-produced by Magic Stor ...

s national tour as well playing bass in “The Angels 100%” Perth concert date. Murphy has four solo albums released: ''Elbow Room'' (2005), ''Chris Murphy'' (2007), ''Look At This/Remember That – Tour Edition'' (2010), and ''Ghost Town'' (2016). ''The Murphy Brothers'' also features with his brothers Kieran and 2004 Australian Idol Top 3 finalist

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. They have released the album “Thick As Thieves in 2013. In June 2016, Murphy opened the Perth dates of the Richard Marx tour. After the iTunes Country Chart toppers "The One", "Kid From The Country", and "Working For A Living", Murphy released the 4th single from the Zero Hour Records album ''Ghost Town'', entitled "Not Like It Was Before", co-written by album Producer Michael Carpenter.

Australian Idol Performances

*Perth Auditions: "World and Universe" by Chris Murphy *Theatre Round – Day Two Group Performance: "

Beautiful Day "Beautiful Day" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the first track on their tenth studio album, ''All That You Can't Leave Behind'' (2000), and was released as the album's lead single on 9 October 2000. The song was a commercial success, h ...

" by U2 *Theatre Round – Day Three Solo Performance: "Cry in Shame" by

Johnny Diesel Mark Denis Lizotte (born 31 May 1966) is an American-born Australian singer-songwriter and musician, who has released material under the name Diesel, Johnny Diesel, as leader of band Johnny Diesel & the Injectors, and as a solo performer, as we ...

*Top 24: "

Crazy Little Thing Called Love "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" is a song by the British rock band Queen. Written by Freddie Mercury in 1979, the track is included on their 1980 album '' The Game'', and also appears on the band's compilation album ''Greatest Hits'' in 1981. ...

" by

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

*Wildcard: "

Holy Grail The Holy Grail (french: Saint Graal, br, Graal Santel, cy, Greal Sanctaidd, kw, Gral) is a treasure that serves as an important motif in Arthurian literature. Various traditions describe the Holy Grail as a cup, dish, or stone with miracul ...

" by

Hunters & Collectors Hunters & Collectors are an Australian rock band formed in 1981. Fronted by founding mainstay, singer-songwriter and guitarist Mark Seymour, they developed a blend of Pub rock (Australia), pub rock and funk, art-funk. Other mainstays are John ...

*Top 12 – Contestant's Choice: " Wish You Well" by

Bernard Fanning Bernard Fanning (born 15 August 1969) is an Australian musician and singer-songwriter. He was the lead vocalist of Queensland alternative rock band Powderfinger from its formation in 1989. Born and raised in Toowong, Brisbane, Fanning received ...

*Top 11 – Rock – "Is It Just Me?" by The Darkness *Top 10 – No. 1 Hits: "

Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now) "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" (also titled "Against All Odds") is a song by English drummer, singer and songwriter Phil Collins. It was recorded for the soundtrack to the 1984 film of the same name. It is a power ballad in which i ...

" by

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*Top 9 – Contestant's year of birth: "

Life in the Fast Lane "Life in the Fast Lane" is a song written by Joe Walsh, Glenn Frey and Don Henley, and recorded by American rock band Eagles for the band's fifth studio album ''Hotel California'' (1976). It was the third single released from this album, and pea ...

" by

Eagles Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...

*Top 8 – Disco: "

Play That Funky Music "Play That Funky Music" is a song written by Rob Parissi and recorded by the band Wild Cherry. The single was the first released by the Cleveland-based Sweet City record label in April 1976 and distributed by Epic Records. The performers on th ...

" by Wild Cherry *Top 7 – Acoustic: "

No More Lonely Nights "No More Lonely Nights" is a song written and performed by Paul McCartney, first released on 24 September 1984 on the soundtrack ''Give My Regards to Broad Street'' (1984). Release Two versions of the single on both 7" and 12", and a 12" picture ...

" by

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...

*Top 7 – Up Close & Personal Special – "Diamond Days" by Chris Murphy *Top 6 – Rock Swing: "

You Shook Me All Night Long "You Shook Me All Night Long" is a song by Australian hard rock band AC/DC, from the album ''Back in Black''. The song also reappeared on their later album ''Who Made Who''. It is AC/DC's first single with Brian Johnson as the lead singer, rep ...

" by

AC/DC AC/DC (stylised as ACϟDC) are an Australian Rock music, rock band formed in Sydney in 1973 by Scottish-born brothers Malcolm Young, Malcolm and Angus Young. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock, and Heavy metal ...

*Top 5 – Australian Music: " Evie Part One" by

Stevie Wright Stephen Carlton Wright (20 December 1947 – 27 December 2015) was an Australian musician and songwriter who has been called Australia's first international pop star. During 1964–69, he was lead singer of Sydney-based rock and roll band the E ...

''TOUCHDOWN !'' *Top 4 – Viewer's Choice: "

Something Beautiful "Something Beautiful" is a song co-written by English musicians Guy Chambers and Robbie Williams. Originally offered to Welsh singer Tom Jones, it was released as the third single from Williams' fifth studio album, '' Escapology'' (2002). The ...

" by

Robbie Williams Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and songwriter. He found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995, and achieved commercial success after launching a solo career in 1996. His debut stud ...

*Top 4 – Viewer's Choice: " Mean to Me" by

Crowded House Crowded House are a rock band, formed in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, in 1985. Its founding members were New Zealander Neil Finn (vocalist, guitarist, primary songwriter) and Australians Paul Hester (drums) and Nick Seymour (bass). Later ban ...

Discography

*1995: People in Grass Houses w/Murphy's Lore *1999: Best Laid Plans w/Murphy's Lore *2002: The Universe Conspires w/Murphy's Lore *2005: Elbow Room *2007: Chris Murphy *2010: Look at This/Remember That *2013: Thick As Thieves w/The Murphy Brothers *2014: Happy Boy (EP) *2016: Ghost Town *2021: Fall on Me w/The Murphy Brothers

External links

Chris Murphy Official SitePopboomerang Records''Australian Idol'' Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Murphy, Chris 1976 births Australian Idol participants Musicians from Perth, Western Australia Living people 21st-century Australian singers 21st-century Australian male singers