Elliott Murphy
| Elliott Murphy | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Elliott James Murphy, Jr. |
| Born |
March 16, 1949 Rockville Centre, New York, U.S. |
| Genres | Rock |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, novelist, journalist |
| Years active | 1973-present |
| Website | Official website |
Elliott James Murphy (born March 16, 1949) is an American rock singer-songwriter, novelist, producer and journalist living in Paris.
Biography
Murphy was born in Rockville Centre, New York. and began playing the guitar at age 12. His band The Rapscallions won the 1966 New York State Battle of the Bands. He secured a record contract with Polydor Records after being noticed by rock critic Paul Nelson.[1]
His debut album Aquashow (1973) was favorably reviewed in Rolling Stone, Newsweek and The New Yorker. Follow up albums included Lost Generation (1975) produced by Paul A. Rothchild, Night Lights (1976) and Just a Story from America (1977). Special guests on Murphy's album have included Bruce Springsteen, Mick Taylor, Billy Joel, Phil Collins, Sonny Landreth, David Johansen, The Violent Femmes, Cindy Bullens and Shawn Colvin. He also released the independent albums, Affairs (EP)|Affairs (1980) and Murph the Surf (album)|Murph the Surf (1982). In 1985 the Jerry Harrison of the Talking Heads produced the album Milwaukee. Selling the Gold (1995) featured a duet, "Everything I Do", with Bruce Springsteen. The album also has a collaboration with the Violent Femmes.
The albums Beauregard, Rainy Season, Soul Surfing and La Terre Commune (a duo with Iain Matthews) followed. Never Say Never...The Best of 1995-2005, a CD and DVD of performances was released in 2005. The year ended with Murphy Gets Muddy, an album of 9 classic blues covers and 5 Murphy blues originals. In early 2007 the album Coming Home Again was released in Europe. Murphy's 30th studio album, Notes from the Underground, came out in 2008 and he returned to the United States. A live CD/DVD-set "Alive in Paris" was released in the fall 2009 followed by the self-titled "Elliott Murphy" (2010), "Just A Story from New York" (2011) and "It Takes A Worried Man" which was produced by his son Gaspard Murphy.
In addition to his music and song lyrics Murphy has written for Rolling Stone, Spin, Mucchio Selvaggio, Jam and various European magazines and has published Cold & Electric, a semi-autobiographical novel, in French, German and Spanish editions, as well as two short story collections (The Lion Sleeps Tonight and Where the Women Are Naked And The Men Are Rich) and in 2003 Café Notes (Hachette, France). On 1 October 2012 Elliott Murphy was awarded the Medaille de Vermeil de Ville de Paris in a ceremony at Hotel de Ville presided by Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoë for recognition of his career as a musician and author.
Discography and books
Albums and EPs
- Aquashow (1973)
- Lost Generation (1975)
- Night Lights (1976)
- Just a Story from America (1977)
- Affairs (1980)
- Murph the Surf (1982)
- Party girls / Broken Poets (1984)
- Milwaukee (1985)
- Change Will Come (1987)
- Aprés le déluge (1987)
- 12 (1990) US re-edition: Unreal City (1993)
- If Poets Were Kings (1992)
- Paris/New York (1993)
- Selling the Gold (1995)
- Beauregard (1998)
- Rainy Season (2000)
- La terre commune (with Iain Matthews (2001)
- Soul Surfing (2002)
- Soul Surfing - the Next Wave EP (2002)
- Strings of the Storm (2003)
- Murphy Gets Muddy CD/DVD (2005)
- Never Say Never CD/DVD (2006)
- Coming Home Again (2007)
- Notes from the Underground (2008)
- Alive in Paris CD/DVD (2009)
- Elliott Murphy (2011)
- It Takes A Worried Man (2013)
- Intime" (2014)
- Aquashow deconstructed (2015)
Compilations
- Diamonds by the Yard (1991)
- Going Through Something - the Best of 1982-1991 (1996)
- Never Say Never - the Best of 1995-2003 & Live DVD (2005)
Live
- Live Hot Point (1991)
- April - a Live Album (1999)
- The Last of the Rock Stars... and Me and You (2001)
- Alive in Paris (2009)
- Just A Story From New York (2011)
Books
- Cold And Electric (Frío y eléctrico, Madrid, 1989, Ediciones Clips). Paris: L'Entreligne, 1989. ISBN 84-8211-057-8
- Where The Women Are Naked And The Men Are Rich (Donde Las Mujeres Estan Desnudas Y Los Hombres Son Ricos)'. Madrid: Celeste Ediciones, 1996. ISBN 978-84-8211-057-8
- The Lion Sleeps Tonight (El león duerme esta noche, Barcelona, 1990, Ed. Stultilfera Navis)
- Café Notes Hachette (2002) ISBN 9782012356207
- Note al caffé. Italy: FBE Edizioni, 2004. 2004. ISBN 88-89160-01-2
- Poetic Justice. Paris: Hachette Littératures, 2005. ISBN 2-012-35764-4
- Il mio nome e John Little. Italy: FBE Edizioni, 2005. 2007. ISBN 978-88-89160-32-9
- Poetic Justice. Elliott Murphy Books, 2012. ISBN 978-0615669090
- Marty May. Joelle Losefeld/Gallimard, 2013. ISBN 978-2072483455
Novels
- Poetic Justice. New York: Elliott Murphy Books, 2012. ISBN 978-0-6156-6909-0
References
- ↑ Avery, Kevin. "Read an Excerpt from Everything Is an Afterthought: The Life and Writings of Paul Nelson". American Songwriter website, November 14, 2011.
External links
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