Michael Martin Murphey
Michael Martin Murphey ( born March 13, 1945 as Michael Murphey in Dallas, Texas) is an American country music singer and songwriter.
Childhood and youth
Developed at an early age Michael a taste for the legends and stories of the West. He read Mark Twain and William Faulkner. Musically he was influenced by Bob Wills and Hank Williams and Woody by Guthry. In his high school years he formed his first band playing a mix of folk, country and rock. Mid-sixties, he moved to Los Angeles and studied at the University of California literature.
Career as a pop musician
In Los Angeles, Michael Murpheys began to write songs and soon found employment in a music publisher. He also had regular performances in a folk club. In 1964 he teamed up with John London, John Rains and Michael Nesmith, a later Monkee, and founded the band Trinity River Boys. A little later he formed with Owen Castleman group Lewis & Clark Expedition, which grossed a moderately successful pop album. Murphey retired then for some time in the surrounding areas of Los Angeles back and focused on songwriting. During this time, the Monkees Items What Am I Doing Hangin ' originated ' Around. Composed for Kenny Rogers and he wrote the lyrics for a full album. In 1971 he returned to his native Texas, where he worked in Austin, first joined the movement to outlaw Willie Nelson.
The Nashville producer Bob Johnston became aware of him and gave him a contract with A & M label. In 1972, the album Geronimo's Cadillac was taken. An eponymous single reached a middle place in the pop charts. A year later, the album Cosmic Cowboy Souvenir was produced. Michael Murphey was now on the Cosmic Cowboy.
Career as a country musician
In the same year he moved to the Epic label. 1975 there appeared Blue Sky - Night Thunder, which went gold. Despite its proximity to the country music scene he was in the public still as a pop musician. His records but tended increasingly towards Country. His album from 1976 Swans Against The Sun was the first that could be placed in the country charts. Murphey remained until 1979 by Epic. Then he married and made a three-year break from the music business. He was at this time with some films for which he wrote the music or the script for the part. During this time he also changed his name by inserting Martin, because there was already an actor Michael Murphey.
In 1982, he signed with the label Liberty. His first single, What 's Forever For reached No. 1 on the country charts. In the same year he was honored by the prestigious Academy of Country Music Newcomer of the Year.
In 1985 he changed the label again. At Warner Brothers, a series of successful singles was released, including in 1987 his second number - one hit A Long Line Of Love. After a few more fairly successful records came in 1990 to an abrupt change of style. Murphey began einzuspielen albums with classic western and cowboy songs, a rarity in those years. The previous sales figures could not be achieved, but there was an enthusiastic response from cowboy circles. The unexpected success prompted his record company even to start their own label for Western songs: Warner Western. Michael Martin Murphey is now known almost exclusively as a performer of cowboy songs.