John Murry (musician)
| John Murry | |
|---|---|
| Born |
1979 (age 36–37) Mississippi, United States |
| Origin | Tupelo, Mississippi, United States |
| Genres | Indie rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter, composer, arranger |
| Instruments | Singer-songwriter |
| Years active | 1998-present |
| Labels | Evangeline, Warner, Rubyworks |
| Associated acts | Bob Frank |
| Website |
www |
John Miller Murry (born 1979) is an American musician, singer/songwriter, composer and co-owner of Evangeline Recording Co.. His debut solo record, The Graceless Age, was issued on Evangeline Recording Co. in 2013 and listed by Uncut as one of the 10 best records of 2012.[1] Mojo also included it in their 10 best albums of 2013, as well as The Guardian in their Top 50 of 2013, American Songwriter in their Top 5 of 2013, alongside numerous others. He has recorded and toured with Memphis singer/songwriter Bob Frank, whose 1979 Vanguard LP is now available via an agreement between Sony and Vanguard, allowing Light In The Attic to release it on vinyl followed by a CD and digital release by Sony/Vanguard. He often writes and collaborates with San Francisco singer/songwriter Chuck Prophet. He is from Tupelo, Mississippi and currently lives in Oakland, California. He is managed by Chris Metzler (Europe) and booked in Europe and abroad by Russell Warby and Adele Slater at The William Morris Agency. Murry is signed to Warner Australia who released his Califorlornia. The EP has been released in Europe by Rubyworks, and in the U.S. by Evangeline Records in collaboration with Girlie Action. The follow up to The Graceless Age, in many ways Murry's sophomore solo record, is slated for international release early 2015. A much longer tour worldwide is expected beginning in February. He launched a Kickstarter campaign in 2013 for which he received $26,000. This money has since gone missing and the pledges where never sent out.
Biography
John Murry was born and raised in Mississippi and is the second cousin of William Faulkner through adoption, though a more direct relation hidden from Murry has been put forth by Robin Young of NPR and others.[2][3] Although Murry was a member of several bands in the early '00s, his first appearance as a solo artist was on an album in collaboration with reclusive cult Memphis folk singer Bob Frank on Wold Without End, which was released on his own label in 2006. David Fricke of Rolling Stone described it as "all bullets, blades and guilt without end."[4] He began singing at the age of five in church. At 12, he learned Tom Petty song, "Free Fallin". He began playing in bands when he moved to Memphis, Tennessee, as a teenager.[5] Murry moved to the Bay Area of California in 2004 and began performing solo work. He began recording with producer (and American Music Club drummer) Tim Mooney in 2005 and worked at San Francisco's Closer Recording Studio, where he met San Francisco singer/songwriter Chuck Prophet. After several collaborative recordings with Bob Frank, Murry released his debut solo album, The Graceless Age in 2012, which was well received by Mojo, Uncut and The Wall Street Journal.
The Graceless Age and critical reception
Murry's debut solo record was titled The Graceless Age, and details his struggle with substance abuse. It was released in 2012 in the UK on Bucketfull of Brains and 2013 in the US and Australia on Evangeline Recording Co. and Spunk Records, respectively. It received critical acclaim from a number of magazines including being featured in the September 2012 issue of Uncut in which senior editor Allan Jones called it "a masterpiece" and gave it a 9/10 rating. Mojo gave the record a 5/5 star review, and The Guardian called it " a work of genius" also giving it 5/5 stars. NPR said the record's "deep rock 'n' roll is alluring, emotional and infectious,",[6] while the American Songwriter said it was filled with songs about "drugs and near-death experiences" that had "standouts everywhere."[7] Q Magazine called it "Intensely beautiful... Like Father John Misty, Mark Lanegan and Josh T Pearson rolled into one really broken dream." The record featured a song called "Little Colored Balloons," chronicling Murry's near-overdose from heroin, the video for which was directed by Chuck Mobley and premiered on Billboard.[8]
Albums
- World Without End (Decor - UK, Evangeline - US 2006) - with Bob Frank
- "The Gunplay EP" (Decor - UK, Evangeline - US 2006) - with Bob Frank
- Bob Frank and John Murry with The Lansky Brothers, Brinkley, Arkansas, and Other Assorted Love Songs (Evangeline, 2009) - musician
- John Murry - The Graceless Age (Bucketfull of Brains - UK 2012, Spunk Records - AUS/NZ 2012, Rubyworks (expanded edition and regular edition) - Europe 2013, Evangeline Recording Co.- US 2013)
References
- ↑ Breihan, Tom. "Uncut's Best Albums of 2012". Uncut Magazine. Retrieved April 10, 2013.
- ↑ Jelinek, Russell. "Interview: John Murry talks about 'Graceless Age'".
- ↑ JURGENSEN. "A Graceful Raconteur". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved April 10, 2013.
- ↑ Fricke, David. "Fricke's Picks: Dyke and the Blazers, Bob Frank and John Murry, MV & EE With the Bummer Road". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 10, 2013.
- ↑ Katz, Leslis. "John Murry's emotional journey". San Francisco Chronicle.
- ↑ World Cafe. "Next: John Murry". National Public Radio. Retrieved 11 April 2013.
- ↑ Beviglia, Jim. "John Murry: The Graceless Age". American Songwriter Magazine.
- ↑ Brandle, Lars. "John Murry, 'Little Colored Balloons': Exclusive Video Premiere". Billboard.