Murali Coryell (born October 27, 1969) is an American
blues guitarist and singer. Best known for performing live in small venues in
New York State
New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...
, Coryell has also opened for
George Thorogood,
Gregg Allman
Gregory LeNoir Allman (December 8, 1947 – May 27, 2017) was an American musician, singer and songwriter. He was known for performing in the Allman Brothers Band. Allman grew up with an interest in rhythm and blues music, and the Allman Br ...
,
B.B. King
Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shi ...
and
Wilson Pickett
Wilson Pickett (March 18, 1941 – January 19, 2006) was an American singer and songwriter.
A major figure in the development of soul music, Pickett recorded over 50 songs which made the US R&B charts, many of which crossed over to the ''Bill ...
. While touring the United States, he uses local
session musicians for his performances rather than traveling with a regular backing band.
Life and career
Murali Coryell was born to Julie Coryell and famed
jazz fusion guitarist
Larry Coryell. Murali's first interest was in playing the drums but, in a move he calls "inevitable", he switched to guitar at a young age.
Wanting to avoid competition with his father and his brother,
Julian, he perfected his own more mainstream style of soul and blues which draws comparisons to
Jimi Hendrix and
Carlos Santana.
Stax Records
Stax Records is an American record company, originally based in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1957 as Satellite Records, the label changed its name to Stax Records in 1961. It also shared its operations with sister label Volt Records.
Stax was ...
.
Coryell graduated from Staples High School in Westport, Connecticut
Westport is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, along the Long Island Sound within Connecticut's Gold Coast. It is northeast of New York City. The town had a population of 27,141 according to the 2020 U.S. Census.
History
...
, in 1987. He received a BA in music theory and composition from the SUNY New Paltz Music Department
The State University of New York at New Paltz (SUNY New Paltz or New Paltz) is a public university in New Paltz, New York. It traces its origins to the New Paltz Classical School, a secondary institution founded in 1828 and reorganized as an ac ...
in 1992.
The title of his second album ''2120'' was a reference to 2120 South Michigan Avenue, the address of now-defunct R&B record label Chess Records.[ Coryell's maternal grandmother was the actress ]Carol Bruce
Carol Bruce (born Shirley Levy; November 15, 1919 – October 9, 2007) was an American band singer, Broadway star, and film and television actress.
Early years
Bruce was born Shirley Levy in a Jewish family, in Manhattan, to Beatrice and Har ...
.
In 2014, Coryell was nominated for a Blues Music Award in the 'DVD of the Year' category for ''Adventures Live''.
Discography
*''Eyes Wide Open'' (1995)
*''2120'' (1999)
*''The Coryells'' (2000) – with Larry and Julian Coryell
*''Strong as I Need to Be'' (2003)
*''The Future of Blues'' – EP (2005)
*''Don't Blame it on Me'' (2007)
*''The Same Damn Thing'' (2008)
*''Sugar Lips'' (2009)
*''Live'' (2012)
*''Restless Mind'' (2014)
*''Mr. Senator'' (2016)
*''Made in Texas'' (2019)
References
External links
The Future of Blues – Murali Coryell's official homepageNew England Art Rock Society interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coryell, Murali
1969 births
Living people
American blues guitarists
American male guitarists
State University of New York at New Paltz alumni
Guitarists from New York (state)
20th-century American guitarists
20th-century American male musicians
Staples High School alumni