Spud Murphy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lyle Stephanovic, better known as Spud Murphy (b. August 19, 1908) was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist, bandleader, and arranger.
Murphy studied clarinet when young and took trumpet lessons from Red Nichols's father. He worked with Jimmy Joy in 1927-28 and with Ross Gorman and Slim Lamar (on oboe) in 1928. He worked in the early 1930s mostly as an arranger, for Austin Wylie, Jan Garber, Mal Hallett, and Joe Haymes, then became a staff arranger for Benny Goodman from 1935 to 1937. At the same time he also contributed charts to the Casa Loma Orchestra.
From 1937 to 1940 Murphy led a big band, and recorded for Decca Records and Bluebird Records in 1938-39. In the 1940s he relocated to Los Angeles, where he did work in the studios and with film music, in addition to working on a dodecaphonic theory of composition. He recorded two jazz albums in the 1950s, but his later career was focused on classical and film music.
[edit] Discography
- Unknown title (GNP/Crescendo, 1955-57)
- Gone with the Woodwinds (Contemporary Records, 1955)
