The Spider Murphy Gang is a German band from

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and ...

best known for their greatest hit "Skandal im Sperrbezirk", which is a famous song of the

Neue Deutsche Welle Neue Deutsche Welle (NDW, , "New German Wave") is a genre of West German rock music originally derived from post-punk and new wave music with electronic influences. The term was first coined by Dutch radio DJ Frits Spits on the popular nationwid ...

. It was founded in 1977 by bank clerk Günther Sigl, together with Gerhard Gmell ("Barny Murphy"), Michael Busse and Franz Trojan. Elements of the

Bavarian German Bavarian (german: Bairisch , Bavarian: ''Boarisch'') or alternately Austro-Bavarian, is a West Germanic language, part of the Upper German family, together with Alemannic and East Franconian. Bavarian is spoken by approximately 12 million peo ...

dialect are used in many songs. Their name is a reference to

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...

's song, " Jailhouse Rock", in which a 'Spider Murphy' played the

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while ...

. "Spider Murphy" is also referred to in a song written by Larry Kirwan of the Irish fusion Band

Black 47 Black 47 was an American Celtic rock band from New York City, formed in 1989 by Larry Kirwan and Chris Byrne, and derives its name from a traditional term for the summer of 1847, the worst year of the Great Famine in Ireland. History Beginni ...

's song, "Forty Deuce." The song appears referential to both the Spider Murphy Gang and to "Jailhouse Rock", for the live version from 2006's "Bittersweet 16" includes a saxophone solo which the singer recalls having heard in

Sing Sing prison Sing Sing Correctional Facility, formerly Ossining Correctional Facility, is a maximum-security prison operated by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision in the village of Ossining, New York. It is about north of ...

Band members

*Günther Sigl – Vocals/Bass *Gerhard Gmell – Guitar *

Willie Duncan Willie Duncan was born in Iserlohn on 20 April 1955. The left-handed guitarist/vocalist joined the Spider Murphy Gang in 1982. Willie Duncan came to Germany in 1977 from Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England. Leaving behind Trevor Walter who was later ...

– Guitar/Bass/Lap Steel/Mandolin/Vocals *Otto Staniloi – Sax *Paul Dax – Drums *Lucky Seuss – Keys

Discography

Albums

*''Rock'n'Roll'' (1978) *''Rock'n'Roll Schuah'' (1980) *''Dolce Vita'' (1981) *''Tutti Frutti'' (1982) *''Spider Murphy Gang live!'' (1983) *''Scharf wia Peperoni'' (1984) *''Wahre Liebe'' (1985) *''Überdosis Rock'n'Roll'' (1987) *''In Flagranti'' (1989) *''Hokuspokus'' (1990) *''Keine Lust auf schlechte Zeiten'' (1997) *''Rock'n'Roll Story'' (1997) *''Das komplette Konzert'' (1999) *''Radio Hitz'' (2002) *''Skandal im Lustspielhaus'' (2004)

External links

Official homepage

Wort-Laut

Management
{{Authority control 1977 establishments in Germany Neue Deutsche Welle groups German rock music groups Musical groups established in 1977 Musical groups from Munich