Mark Howe Murphy (March 14, 1932 – October 22, 2015) was an American jazz singer based at various times in New York City, Los Angeles, London, and San Francisco. He recorded 51 albums under his own name during his lifetime and was principally known for his innovative vocal improvisations. He was the recipient of the 1996, 1997, 2000, and 2001 ''

Down Beat ' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chi ...

'' magazine readers' jazz poll for Best Male Vocalist and was also nominated five times for the

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

for Best Vocal Jazz Performance.Jones, Peter. ''This is Hip: The Life of Mark Murphy'' (Equinox Publishing, 2018) He wrote lyrics to the jazz tunes " Stolen Moments" and "Red Clay".

Early life

Born in Syracuse, New York, in 1932, Murphy was raised in a musical family, his parents having met when his father was appointed director of the local Methodist Church choir. He grew up in the nearby small town of Fulton, New York, where his grandmother and then his aunt were the church organists.

Opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

was also a presence in the Murphy home. He started piano lessons at the age of seven. In his teens, Murphy joined his brother Dwight's jazz dance band as the singer (and occasional pianist), influenced by Peggy Lee, Nat "King" Cole, June Christy,

Anita O'Day Anita Belle Colton (October 18, 1919 – November 23, 2006), known professionally as Anita O'Day, was an American jazz singer and self proclaimed “song stylist” widely admired for her sense of rhythm and dynamics, and her early big band app ...

, and

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...

. The Jazz pianist

Art Tatum Arthur Tatum Jr. (, October 13, 1909 – November 5, 1956) was an American jazz pianist who is widely regarded as one of the greatest in his field. From early in his career, Tatum's technical ability was regarded by fellow musicians as extraord ...

was another early influence. Murphy graduated from Syracuse University in 1953, having majored in Music and Drama. Whilst there he was spotted singing at the Embassy Club by Sammy Davis Jr, who invited him to perform a guest spot at his own gig shortly afterwards, and put him in touch with TV host

Steve Allen Stephen Valentine Patrick William Allen (December 26, 1921 – October 30, 2000) was an American television personality, radio personality, musician, composer, actor, comedian, and writer. In 1954, he achieved national fame as the co-cre ...

. The following year Murphy moved to New York City, taking part-time jobs as he looked for work as an actor and singer. He appeared in productions for the Gilbert and Sullivan Light Opera Company and a musical version for television of ''

Casey at the Bat Casey at the Bat is a poem written in 1888 by Ernest Thayer. Casey at the Bat may also refer to: * ''Casey at the Bat'' (1916 film), a film based on the poem * ''Casey at the Bat'' (1927 film), a film based on the poem * ''Casey at the Bat'', a ...

''. He also twice took second place at

Apollo Theatre The Apollo Theatre is a Grade II listed West End theatre, on Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster, in central London.

amateur singing contests.

The first albums

Murphy was eventually introduced to record producer

Milt Gabler Milton Gabler (May 20, 1911 – July 20, 2001) was an American record producer, responsible for many innovations in the recording industry of the 20th century. These included being the first person to deal in record reissues, the first to sel ...

, who was an artist and repertoire director (A&R) for

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label * Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label * Decca Studios, a recording facility in W ...

. His resulting debut recording was ''Meet Mark Murphy'' (1956), followed closely by ''Let Yourself Go'' (1957). After disappointing album sales, in 1958 Murphy moved to Los Angeles, where he recorded three albums for Capitol Records, and had a minor hit single with " This Could Be the Start of Something". But this was not enough for him to be retained by Capitol, so he returned to New York in the early '60s. Here he recorded two albums for

Riverside Records Riverside Records was an American jazz record company and label. Founded by Orrin Keepnews and Bill Grauer, Jr, under his firm Bill Grauer Productions in 1953, the label played an important role in the jazz record industry for a decade. Riverside ...

: the album '' Rah'' (1961) included " Angel Eyes", a version of

Horace Silver Horace Ward Martin Tavares Silver (September 2, 1928 – June 18, 2014) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger, particularly in the hard bop style that he helped pioneer in the 1950s. After playing tenor saxophone and piano at sc ...

's " Doodlin'", and " Green Dolphin Street", featuring Bill Evans, Clark Terry, Urbie Green,

Blue Mitchell Richard Allen "Blue" Mitchell (March 13, 1930 – May 21, 1979) was an American trumpeter and composer who worked in jazz, rhythm and blues, soul, rock and funk. He recorded albums as leader and sideman for Riverside, Mainstream Records, and ...

and

Wynton Kelly Wynton Charles Kelly (December 2, 1931 – April 12, 1971) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He is known for his lively, blues-based playing and as one of the finest accompanists in jazz. He began playing professionally at the age of ...

as accompanists. His favorite recording to date, '' That's How I Love the Blues'', soon followed. In 1963, Murphy hit the charts across the country with his single of " Fly Me to the Moon" and was voted New Star of the Year in ''

'' Magazine's Reader's Poll. Around this time he fell under the spell of

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of musi ...

, and for the rest of his career maintained that he tried as far as possible to sing like Miles played.

London

In 1963 Murphy moved to London, England, where he quickly found acceptance and played frequently at Ronnie Scott's Club, as well as making regular appearances on BBC Radio. He recorded three more albums in London, and one in Germany that is amongst his best - ''Midnight Mood'' (1968). From London he made frequent trips to Holland, where he worked on Dutch radio, mainly with producer Joop de Roo. Between 1964 and 1972 he acted in a number of drama productions for TV and radio, and appeared as a singer in the 1967 British comedy film ''

Just Like a Woman "Just Like a Woman" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan first released on his seventh studio album, ''Blonde on Blonde'' on June 20, 1966. It was written by Dylan and produced by Bob Johnston. A shorter edit was released as a sin ...

.'' Meanwhile he continued to cultivate his jazz audiences in Europe, singing in clubs and on radio. It was in London that Murphy, who was gay, met his long-time partner Eddie O'Sullivan.

The Muse years

He returned to the States in 1972 and began recording an average of an album per year for more than 14 years on the

Muse In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the ...

label. These included the Grammy-nominated albums ''Satisfaction Guaranteed, Bop for Kerouac'' and ''Nat's Choice: Nat King Cole Songbook Vol. II.'' Murphy's other highly regarded Muse recordings include ''Bridging a Gap'' (featuring Ron Carter, Jimmy Madison,

Randy Brecker Randal Edward Brecker (born November 27, 1945) is an American trumpeter, flugelhornist, and composer. His versatility has made him a popular studio musician who has recorded with acts in jazz, rock, and R&B. Early life Brecker was born on No ...

and

Michael Brecker Michael Leonard Brecker (March 29, 1949 – January 13, 2007) was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. He was awarded 15 Grammy Awards as both performer and composer. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Berklee College of M ...

), ''Mark Murphy Sings'' (again featuring the Brecker Brothers along with

David Sanborn David William Sanborn (born July 30, 1945) is an American alto saxophonist. Though Sanborn has worked in many genres, his solo recordings typically blend jazz with instrumental pop and R&B. He released his first solo album ''Taking Off'' in 19 ...

)'','' ''Living Room'', ''Beauty And the Beast'' and ''Stolen Moments. Bop for Kerouac'' (1981), with Richie Cole and

Bill Mays William Allen Mays (born February 5, 1944), known professionally as Bill Mays, is an American jazz pianist from Sacramento, California. Biography Mays came from a musical family and at the age of 15 became interested in jazz at an Earl Hines ...

, was a result of Murphy's enthusiasm for the writing of Jack Kerouac, whom Murphy regarded as a soul-mate. It included readings from the author's books '' On the Road'' and '' The Subterraneans''. Murphy followed it up with ''Kerouac Then And Now'', released in 1989. Having been a fan of Brazilian music since the late 1950s, in 1984 together with the band Viva Brasil he recorded the album ''Brazil Song'' (''Cancões do Brasil''), which featured work by

Antonio Carlos Jobim Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language-speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular ma ...

and

Milton Nascimento Milton Nascimento (; born October 26, 1942), also known as Bituca, is a Brazilian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He has toured across the world. Nascimento has won five Grammy Awards, including Best World Music Album for his alb ...

. He wrote lyrics for the title track, by

Oliver Nelson Oliver Edward Nelson (June 4, 1932 – October 28, 1975) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, arranger, composer, and bandleader. His 1961 Impulse! album ''The Blues and the Abstract Truth'' (1961) is regarded as one of the most signifi ...

, of his ''Stolen Moments'' album, and it quickly became a radio favourite, remaining one of his most popular recordings.

New directions

In 1987, Murphy continued his explorations of Brazilian music by recording ''Night Mood'', an album of songs by composer

Ivan Lins Ivan Guimarães Lins (born June 16, 1945) is a Latin Grammy-winning Brazilian musician. He has been an active performer and songwriter of Brazilian popular music (MPB) and jazz for over thirty years. His first hit, "Madalena", was recorded by ...

, followed by the Grammy-nominated ''September Ballads'' - both on Milestone Records. In the UK Murphy's recorded output gained a new lease of life in the mid-Eighties during the acid jazz dance craze. DJ's, principally

Gilles Peterson Gilles Jérôme Moehrle MBE (; born 28 September 1964), better known as Gilles Peterson (), is a French broadcaster, DJ, and record label owner. He founded the influential labels Acid Jazz and Talkin' Loud, and started his current label Brow ...

, played his bop and latin recordings at club nights, creating a new generation of Mark Murphy fans. He continued to work extensively in Europe, recording in Germany, Holland, Austria, England, Italy, France, Sweden, Denmark and Slovenia, often as a guest artist. Murphy also appeared on UFO's last two releases (for

Polydor Records Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...

), in which he wrote and rapped lyrics on songs composed with the group. This collaboration opened up further new audiences in the acid-jazz and hip-hop genres, demonstrating jazz's timelessness while transcending generations and styles. In August 1997, BMG/ RCA Victor released ''Song For The Geese'', for which he received his fifth and final Grammy nomination. In that same month, the 32 Records label released a double CD anthology ''Stolen and Other Moments'', which features some of his recordings for the now defunct Muse label. The CD features material from the two "Kerouac" albums and a selection of "the best of Mark Murphy". It was followed by three further anthologies. After Muse boss Joe Fields sold the label and set up HighNote Records in its place, Murphy recorded five more albums for the new label, including ''Some Time Ago'' (2000), ''Links'' (2001) and ''Memories of You'' (2003). Murphy's release ''Once to Every Heart'' (2005) on Verve, features sensuous ballads, where the listener can hear him singing at the top of his form, with an orchestra arranged by Nan Schwartz. It was one of the best-selling albums of Murphy's career. In 2007 Verve released ''Love is What Stays''. Both albums were produced by German trumpeter

Till Brönner Till Brönner (born 6 May 1971 in Viersen, West Germany) is a jazz musician, trumpeter, flügelhorn player, singer, composer, producer and photographer. History From 1989–1991, Brönner was a member of the Peter Herbolzheimer Rhythm Combin ...

. Murphy also collaborated with Tenth & Parker, a modern UK electronica/acid jazz group on their ''Twenty:Twelve'' (2001) album; plus the Five Corners Quintet, a modern Finnish jazz band, appearing on their albums ''Chasin' the Jazz Gone By'' (2005) and ''Hot Corner'' (2008). In 2010 he released the independently produced CD, ''Never Let Me Go'', accompanied by pianist Misha Piatigorsky, bassist Danton Boller and drummer Chris Wabich. The CD contains all songs he selected, mostly ballads, and was the first time he recorded Bill Evans' "Turn Out The Stars". Murphy also participated as a guest on ''The Royal Bopsters Project'' by Amy London, Darmon Meader, Dylan Pramuk, and Holli Ross, recorded in 2012 and released in 2015 by Motema Music. His final recording was a limited edition EP/MP3, ''A Beautiful Friendship: Remembering Shirley Horn'' on Gearbox Records, released in 2013. Murphy continued to tour internationally into his 80s, appearing at festivals and concerts, in jazz clubs and on television programs, throughout the U.S., Europe, Australia and Japan and elsewhere. John Bush at

AllMusic.com AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

described Murphy as "a major name in vocal jazz." A longtime resident of the

Lillian Booth Actors Home The Lillian Booth Actors Home of The Actors Fund is an American assisted-living facility, in Englewood, New Jersey. It is operated by the Actors Fund, a nonprofit umbrella charitable organization that assists American entertainment and perform ...

in Englewood, New Jersey, he died there on October 22, 2015.Roberts, Sam
"Mark Murphy, an Unconventional Jazz Vocalist, Dies at 83"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', October 25, 2015. Accessed October 26, 2015. "Mark Murphy, an iconoclastic jazz vocalist who drew inspiration from such varied sources as the sound of his hometown factory whistle and the words of the Beat novelist Jack Kerouac, died on Thursday in Englewood, N.J.... Mr. Murphy died at the Lillian Booth Actors Home, where he had been living for several years."

Discography

As leader

* 1956 ''Meet Mark Murphy'' (

) * 1957 ''Let Yourself Go'' (Decca) * 1959 ''This Could Be the Start of Something'' (

Capitol A capitol, named after the Capitoline Hill in Rome, is usually a legislative building where a legislature meets and makes laws for its respective political entity. Specific capitols include: * United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. * Numerous ...

) * 1960 ''Mark Murphy's Hip Parade'' (Capitol) * 1960 ''Playing the Field'' (Capitol) * 1961 '' Rah'' ( Riverside) * 1962 '' That's How I Love the Blues!'' (Riverside) * 1965 ''Swingin' Singin' Affair'' ( Fontana) * 1966 ''Who Can I Turn To & 11 Other Great Standards'' (Immediate) * 1968 ''Midnight Mood'' (

Saba Saba may refer to: Places * Saba (island), an island of the Netherlands located in the Caribbean Sea * Şaba (Romanian for Shabo), a town of the Odesa Oblast, Ukraine * Sabá, a municipality in the department of Colón, Honduras * Saba (river), ...

) * 1970 ''This Must Be Earth'' (Phoenix) * 1972 ''

Bridging a Gap ''Bridging a Gap'' is an album by vocalist Mark Murphy which was recorded in 1972 and released on the Muse label.Mu ...

'' (

) * 1973 ''Mark II'' (Muse) * 1975 '' Mark Murphy Sings...On the Red Clay, Naima and Other Great Songs'' (Muse) * 1977 ''Mark Murphy Sings Mostly Dorothy Fields & Cy Coleman'' (

Audiophile An audiophile is a person who is enthusiastic about high-fidelity sound reproduction. An audiophile seeks to reproduce the sound of a piece of recorded music or a live musical performance, typically inside closed headphones, In-ear monitors, open ...

) * 1978 ''Stolen Moments'' (Muse) * 1979 ''Satisfaction Guaranteed'' (Muse) * 1981 ''Bop for Kerouac'' (Muse) * 1982 ''The Artistry of Mark Murphy'' (Muse) * 1983 ''Brazil Song (Cancões Do Brasil)'' (Muse) * 1983 ''Mark Murphy Sings the Nat King Cole Songbook, Volume One'' (Muse) * 1983 ''Mark Murphy Sings Nat's Choice: The Nat King Cole Songbook, Volume Two'' (Muse) * 1984 ''Living Room'' (Muse) * 1986 ''Beauty and the Beast'' (Muse) * 1986 ''Kerouac, Then and Now'' (Muse) * 1987 ''Night Mood: The Music of Ivan Lins'' (

Milestone A milestone is a numbered marker placed on a route such as a road, railway line, canal or boundary. They can indicate the distance to towns, cities, and other places or landmarks; or they can give their position on the route relative to so ...

) * 1988 ''September Ballads'' (Milestone) * 1990 ''What a Way to Go'' (Muse) * 1991 '' I'll Close My Eyes'' (Muse) * 1991 ''One for Junior'' (Muse) * 1993 ''Very Early'' (West and East Music) * 1993 ''Just Jazz'' (Jazzette) * 1995 ''The Dream'' (Jive) * 1996 ''Shadows'' (TCB Music) * 1996 ''North Sea Jazz Sessions, Volume 5'' (Jazz World) * 1997 ''Song for the Geese'' ( RCA Victor) * 1999 ''Some Time Ago'' (

HighNote HighNote Records is a jazz record company and label founded by Joe Fields with his son, Barney Fields, in 1997. Joe Fields worked for Prestige Records in the 1960s, and in the 1970s founded Muse Records. After he sold Muse, he started the Highn ...

) * 2000 ''The Latin Porter'' (Go Jazz) * 2000 ''Links'' (HighNote) * 2001 ''Lucky to Be Me'' (HighNote) * 2003 ''Memories of You: Remembering Joe Williams'' (HighNote) * 2004 '' Bop for Miles'' (HighNote) * 2004 ''Dim the Lights'' (Millennium) * 2005 ''Once to Every Heart'' ( Verve) * 2006 '' Love Is What Stays'' (Verve) * 2010 ''Never Let Me Go'' (Mark Murphy Productions) * 2013 ''A Beautiful Friendship: Remembering Shirley Horn'' (Gearbox) * 2013 ''Another Vision'' (Edel) * 2016 ''Live In Athens, Greece'' (Harbinger) * 2016 ''Live In Italy 2001'' (Splasch) * 2017 ''Wild And Free: Live at the Keystone Korner'' (HighNote)

Guest appearances

With Madeline Eastman * 1991 "You're the Dangerous Type" – from ''Mad About Madeline!'' (Mad Kat) With

* 2002 "Dim the Lights" – from ''Blue Eyed Soul'' (Universal) With Gill Manly * 2009 "I Keep Goin' Back to Joe's" – from ''With a Song in My Heart'' ( Linn) With Guillaume de Chassy and Daniel Yvinec * 2009 "I'll Walk Alone"/"Then I'll Be Tired of You"/"Taking a Chance on Love"/"I Wish You Love" – from ''Songs from the Last Century'' (Bee Jazz) With The Five Corners Quintet * 2005 "This Could Be the Start of Something"/"Before We Say Goodbye"/"Jamming (with Mr. Hoagland)" - from ''Chasin' the Jazz Gone By'' (Ricky-Tick Records) * 2008 "Kerouac Days in Montana"/"Come and Get Me"/"Layers of Layers" – from ''Hot Corner'' (Ricky-Tick Records)

Videos

* 2008 ''Mark Murphy: Murphy's Mood'' – with

Pete Candoli Pete Candoli (born Walter Joseph Candoli; June 28, 1923 – January 11, 2008) was an American jazz trumpeter. He played with the big bands of Woody Herman and Stan Kenton and worked in the studios of the recording and television industries. Ca ...

and

Conte Candoli Secondo "Conte" Candoli (July 12, 1927 – December 14, 2001) was an American jazz trumpeter based on the West Coast. He played in the big bands of Woody Herman, Stan Kenton, Benny Goodman, and Dizzy Gillespie, and in Doc Severinsen's NBC Orc ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Murphy, Mark 1932 births 2015 deaths American expatriates in England American male actors American jazz singers American male singers American gay musicians LGBT people from New York (state) LGBT singers from the United States LGBT songwriters Milestone Records artists Muse Records artists People from Englewood, New Jersey Musicians from Syracuse, New York People from Fulton, Oswego County, New York Riverside Records artists Swing singers Verve Records artists Vocalese singers Jazz musicians from New York (state) American male jazz musicians Methodists from New York (state) Syracuse University alumni HighNote Records artists