Bobby Murray (musician)

Last updated
Bobby Murray
Born (1953-06-09) June 9, 1953 (age 69)
Nagoya, Japan
Genres Electric blues [1]
Occupation(s) Guitarist, songwriter, record producer
Instrument(s) Guitar
Years active1970s–present
LabelsViceroots Records, No Cover Productions, motorcitykidz

Bobby Murray (born June 9, 1953) is an American electric blues guitarist, songwriter and record producer who has played in Etta James' backing band for twenty three years, performed on three Grammy Award winning recordings with James and B.B. King and released four solo albums. In 2011, the Detroit Blues Society granted Murray their Lifetime Achievement Award. Murray currently leads his own band in Metro Detroit and has won several Detroit Music Awards. His latest solo recording, Love Letters From Detroit, was released in 2021 and was granted the Outstanding Blues Recording of the Year at the Detroit Music Awards.

Contents

His guitar playing was mainly influenced by Albert Collins and B.B. King. Murray currently resides in White Lake, Michigan, United States. [2]

Life and career

Murray was born on a US Air Force base in Nagoya, Japan to a Japanese mother and an Irish father. [1] [2] Growing up in a military family, he was later raised in Tacoma, Washington. [3] Murray attended the same high school as Robert Cray and they engaged Albert Collins to play at the school's graduation party. [1]

Murray started his musical career playing in blues clubs in the San Francisco Bay Area, [1] having originally formed an ensemble that became Robert Cray and the Crayolas. [2] Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Murray supplied guitar backing for Frankie Lee, Sonny Rhodes, Mark Naftalin, and many others. He performed frequently with Albert Collins, Charlie Musselwhite, Otis Rush, Jimmy Witherspoon and John Lee Hooker. [1] [3] In 1988, Murray joined Etta James' backing ensemble, the Roots Band, [1] performing with James for over 20 years. [2] He also played and/or recorded with Albert King, Johnny "Guitar" Watson, Taj Mahal, Percy Mayfield, Sugar Pie DeSanto and Lowell Fulson. [2]

He appeared on B.B. King's Grammy Award-winning album, Blues Summit , reuniting with Robert Cray on the track, "Playing With My Friends." [1] Murray also played guitar on James' Grammy winning recordings, Let's Roll and Blues to the Bone . [3] Murray's definitive style is heard on the Etta James song, "Blues is My Business" in an episode of television drama series, The Sopranos . [2]

Murray performed with James' Roots Band on other television programs such as The Tonight Show , Austin City Limits and Late Night with David Letterman . Murray also played at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, the WOMAD Festival and the inaugural celebration for President Bill Clinton. [2]

Murray's debut album, The Blues is Now (1996), featured Frankie Lee and Freddie Hughes on vocals. [1] [4] The Allmusic journalist, Thom Owens, commented about Murray's work on the recording, "he's a fine guitarist, as he proves here, turning out jazzy, classy solos that separate him from the rest of the crowd." [4] In 1999, the follow-up album, Waiting for Mr. Goodfingers..., was issued by No Cover Productions. [5] A live album, Live & Lowdown! was released in May 2006. [6]

In May 2010, the Bobby Murray Band played at the Scarab Club in Detroit, Michigan. [7]

In 2011 Murray received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Detroit Blues Society. Murray also received Detroit Music Awards in the Outstanding Instrumentalist (Blues) and Outstanding Blues Performer/Group categories. [8]

Murray's latest album is Love Letters From Detroit (2021).

Discography

Albums

YearTitleRecord label
1996The Blues is NowViceroots Records
1999Waiting for Mr. Goodfingers...No Cover Productions
2006Live & Lowdown!No Cover Productions
2013I'm Sticking With YouMotorcitykidz Productions
2021Love Letters From DetroitGoobertino Music

[9]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Lee Hooker</span> American blues musician (1912-2001)

John Lee Hooker was an American blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist. The son of a sharecropper, he rose to prominence performing an electric guitar-style adaptation of Delta blues. Hooker often incorporated other elements, including talking blues and early North Mississippi hill country blues. He developed his own driving-rhythm boogie style, distinct from the 1930s–1940s piano-derived boogie-woogie. Hooker was ranked 35 in Rolling Stone's 2015 list of 100 greatest guitarists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Etta James</span> American singer (1938–2012)

Jamesetta Hawkins, known professionally as Etta James, was an American singer who performed in various genres, including gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, rock and roll, and soul. Starting her career in 1954, she gained fame with hits such as "The Wallflower", "At Last", "Tell Mama", "Something's Got a Hold on Me", and "I'd Rather Go Blind". She faced a number of personal problems, including heroin addiction, severe physical abuse, and incarceration, before making a musical comeback in the late 1980s with the album Seven Year Itch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bobby Rush (musician)</span> American singer-songwriter

Bobby Rush is an American blues musician, composer, and singer. His style incorporates elements of blues, rap, and funk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albert King</span> American blues musician (1923–1992)

Albert Nelson, known by his stage name Albert King, was an American guitarist and singer who is often regarded as one of the greatest and most influential blues guitarists of all time. He is perhaps best known for his popular and influential album Born Under a Bad Sign (1967) and its title track. He, B.B. King, and Freddie King, all unrelated, were known as the "Kings of the Blues". The left-handed King was known for his "deep, dramatic sound that was widely imitated by both blues and rock guitarists."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albert Collins</span> American blues guitarist and singer

Albert Gene Collins, known as Albert Collins and the Ice Man, was an American electric blues guitarist and singer with a distinctive guitar style. He was noted for his powerful playing and his use of altered tunings and a capo. His long association with the Fender Telecaster led to the title "The Master of the Telecaster".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Cray</span> American blues guitarist and singer

Robert William Cray is an American blues guitarist and singer. He has led his own band and won five Grammy Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Cotton</span> American blues singer-songwriter (1935–2017)

James Henry Cotton was an American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter, who performed and recorded with many fellow blues artists and with his own band. He also played drums early in his career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Louis Walker</span> American singer-songwriter

Joe Louis Walker, also known as JLW is an American musician, best known as an electric blues guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer. His knowledge of blues history is revealed by his use of older material and playing styles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Bell (singer)</span> American soul singer and songwriter

William Bell is an American soul singer and songwriter. As a performer, he is probably best known for his debut single, 1961's "You Don't Miss Your Water"; 1968's top 10 hit in the UK "Private Number", a duet with Judy Clay; and his only US top 40 hit, 1976's "Tryin' to Love Two", which also hit No. 1 on the R&B chart. Upon the death of Otis Redding, Bell released the well-received memorial song "A Tribute to a King".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Francisco Blues Festival</span>

The San Francisco Blues Festival was active from 1973 until 2008, and was located in San Francisco, California. It was the one of the longest running blues festival in the United States.

<i>Lets Roll</i> (album) 2003 studio album by Etta James

Let's Roll is the twenty-sixth studio album by Etta James. It won a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album in 2003, and also won a W. C. Handy Award as the Soul/Blues Album of the Year from the Blues Foundation in 2004.

<i>Blues to the Bone</i> 2004 studio album by Etta James

Blues to the Bone is the twenty-seventh studio album by Etta James. The album contains a selection of twelve blues standards which are among her favourites. James and her sons Donto and Sametto James produced the album with Josh Sklair, which reached number four in the Billboard Top Blues chart.

James Armstrong is an American soul blues and electric blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. He released three albums on HighTone Records and is signed with Catfood Records. His songs have been used in the soundtracks of three films; Speechless, Hear No Evil, and The Florentine.

<i>Matriarch of the Blues</i> 2000 studio album by Etta James

Matriarch of the Blues is the twenty-fourth studio album by Etta James, released in December 2000 through the record label Private Music. The album's title reflects James' nickname as "matriarch of the blues". Marking James' return to blues following attempts at country music and jazz and pop standards, the album consists primarily of rhythm and blues covers. James' sons, Donto and Sametto, are credited as engineers, mixers, and producers, among other contributions; the album features Mike Finnigan on the Hammond organ, guitarist Leo Nocentelli, and performances on multiple instruments by Jimmy Zavala.

<i>Blues Summit</i> 1993 studio album by B.B. King

Blues Summit is the thirty-third studio album by B.B. King released in 1993 through the MCA label. The album reached peak positions of number 182 on the Billboard 200, and number 64 on Billboard's R&B Albums chart. The album won a Grammy Award in 1994 for Best Traditional Blues Album.

Stickin' to My Guns is a studio album by Etta James, released in 1990. It was nominated for a Grammy for "Best Contemporary Blues Recording".

Tony Braunagel is an American drummer, producer, and songwriter from Houston, Texas, United States, who is based in Los Angeles, California. Braunagel has played on many film scores and television shows as well as numerous albums as a musician, composer and producer. He is best known as a session drummer and/or percussionist of over 200 albums including those of Otis Rush, Eric Burdon, Johnny Nash, Coco Montoya, Lucky Peterson, as well as Grammy winning albums of Bonnie Raitt, Taj Mahal, Buddy Guy (percussion) and for performing live with dozens of music icons including Bonnie Raitt, Rickie Lee Jones, BB King, Lightnin’ Hopkins, John Lee Hooker, Robert Cray, Bette Midler, Lyle Lovett, and Taj Mahal to name just a few.

Mascot Label Group is an independently-owned record label. Founded in 1989 in The Netherlands under the name Mascot Records, the company was renamed Mascot-Provogue in 1999 and since 2010 has been known as the Mascot Label Group. The company is based in the Netherlands and has offices in New York, Cologne, Stockholm, Milan, Paris and London. It was distributed by ADA and Warner Music Group until 2022; it is now serviced by FUGA. Mascot Label Group is the parent company of six record labels: Mascot Records, Provogue Records, Music Theories Recordings, Cool Green Recordings, The Funk Garage, and The Players Club.

Grady Champion is an American electric blues harmonicist, singer, guitarist and songwriter. He has released ten albums to date. His influences include Howlin' Wolf, Sonny Boy Williamson II, and Koko Taylor. His "rough, raspy vocals", complement his "authentic Mississippi juke joint blues and... modern ultra produced dance party soul and R&B".

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Richard Skelly. "Bobby Murray". AllMusic . Retrieved December 20, 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Joe Ballor (January 20, 2011). "Blues musicians Bobby Murray, Willie D. Warren honored". Dailytribune.com. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
  3. 1 2 3 "Bobby Murray's All-Star Review". Takezomusic.com. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
  4. 1 2 "The Blues is Now > Bobby Murray > Overview". AllMusic . Retrieved December 20, 2011.
  5. "Waiting for Mr. Goodfingers... > Bobby Murray > Overview". AllMusic . Retrieved December 20, 2011.
  6. "Live & Lowdown! > Bobby Murray > Overview". AllMusic . Retrieved December 20, 2011.
  7. "Scarab Club Detroit Blues Heritage Series - Event 2, Featuring the Bobby Murray Band, May 22, 2010". Crossharpchronicles.wordpress.com. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
  8. "Bobby Murray Presents the Music of Etta James - Michigan BluesFest". Oldtownbluesfest.com. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
  9. "Bobby Murray > Discography > Main Albums". AllMusic . Retrieved December 20, 2011.