Elliott Murphy
Background information
Birth name	Elliott James Murphy
Born	March 16, 1949 New York, United States
Genre(s)	Rock
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter, novelist, journalist
Website	http://www.elliottmurphy.com/

Elliott James Murphy (born March 16, 1949 in New York, Long Island, New York) is an American rock singer-songwriter, novelist, producer and journalist living in Paris. Image File history File links Elliott_Murphy. ... March 16 is the 75th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (76th in leap years). ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_States. ... NY redirects here. ... A music genre is a category (or genre) of pieces of music that share a certain style or basic musical language (van der Merwe 1989, p. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Rock and roll. ... March 16 is the 75th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (76th in leap years). ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ... NY redirects here. ... Map showing Long Island; to the north is Connecticut and to the west are New York City and New Jersey. ... State nickname: Empire State Other U.S. States Capital Albany Largest city New York Governor George Pataki Official languages None Area 141,205 km² (27th)  - Land 122,409 km²  - Water 18,795 km² (13. ... Rock is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars, and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles, however saxophones have been omitted from newer subgenres of rock music since the 90s. ... The term singer-songwriter refers to performers who both write and sing their own material. ... A novel is an extended work of written, narrative, prose fiction, usually in story form; the writer of a novel is a novelist. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... This does not cite its references or sources. ... City flag City coat of arms Motto: Fluctuat nec mergitur (Latin: Tossed by the waves, she does not sink) Paris Eiffel tower as seen from the esplanade du Trocadéro. ...

Biography

In true rock 'n roll fashion Elliott James Murphy Jr. was born in Mercy Hospital, Rockville Center, New York in 1949 to a successful show business family. Mother Josephine was a former actress while father Elliott Sr. was the well-known impresario whose multi-faceted Aquashow ran all through the 1950's on the site of the 1939 New York World's Fair. The spectacular show was staged in an Art Deco outdoor theatre and featured diving clowns, ballet swimmers, jugglers, comedians and The Duke Ellington Orchestra. Later, Elliott Sr. opened the Sky Club in Roosevelt Field, Long Island not far from where Charles Lindbergh took off for his historic flight to Europe. The Sky Club was a politically connected restaurant/private club hosting such famous politicians of the time as Bobby Kennedy and Nelson Rockefeller. But more impressive to the young Elliott were the Sky Club's dance soirees, which featured The Ronettes, Jay and the Americans and The Seeds. NY redirects here. ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ... Asheville City Hall. ... Edward Kennedy Duke Ellington (April 29, 1899, Washington, D.C.; d. ... Map showing Long Island; to the north is Connecticut and to the west are New York City and New Jersey. ... For the U.S. Representative from Minnesota (1859 – 1924), see Charles August Lindbergh For Charles Augustus Lindbergh, Junior, see Lindbergh kidnapping Charles Augustus Lindbergh (February 4, 1902 – August 26, 1974), known as Lucky Lindy and The Lone Eagle, was an American pilot famous for the first solo, non-stop flight... Robert Kennedy Robert Francis Bobby Kennedy, also called RFK (November 20, 1925–June 6, 1968) was the younger brother of President John F. Kennedy, and was appointed by his brother as Attorney General for his administration. ... This does not cite its references or sources. ... Ronettess Album The Ronettes were an American girl group of the 1960s, best known for their work with producer Phil Spector. ... Jay and the Americans were a pop music group popular in the 1960s. ... The Seeds were a 1960s rock and roll band whose raw and abrasive energy and simple, repetitive lyrics came to exemplify the garage rock style. ...

Elliott grew up in nearby Garden City, started playing the guitar at 12 years old and with his band The Rapscallions he won the 1966 New York State Battle of the Bands. He began writing songs while singing on the streets of Europe in 1971 and returned to New York after a brief stay in San Francisco to secure a record contract with Polydor Records. His debut album Aquashow (1973) was a huge critical success landing on many "best of" lists for the year and feature stories on Murphy appeared in Rolling Stone, Newsweek and The New Yorker. Follow up albums Lost Generation (1975), Night Lights (1976) and Just A Story From America (1977) received equal acclaim. Special guests included Mick Taylor, Billy Joel, Phil Collins. His music was post-Bob Dylan poetic rock heavily influenced by New York's Velvet Underground and propelled by Murphy's driving electric guitar and harmonica. After four albums on major labels Murphy was one of the first American artists to go independent (by both choice and necessity) with the release of the EP Affairs (1980) that sold well in Europe and set the stage for the successful Murph The Surf (1982). In 1985 the Jerry Harrison (Talking Heads) produced Milwaukee began his long relationship with New Rose Records in France. By this time Murphy was touring Europe constantly and finally moved to Paris in 1989 where he continues to live with his wife and son. Selling The Gold (1995) featured a duet with Bruce Springsteen, long-time friend, who often has invited him on stage during his European shows. Garden City is the name of several places around the world. ... NY redirects here. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... Polydor Records is a record label once headquartered in Germany. ... Debut album by singer-songwriter Elliott Murphy. ... This article is about the magazine. ... The Newsweek logo Newsweek is a weekly news magazine published in New York City and distributed throughout the United States and internationally. ... The New Yorker is an American magazine that publishes reportage, criticism, essays, cartoons, poetry and fiction. ... Lost Generation is traditionally attributed to Gertrude Stein[1] and was then popularized by Ernest Hemingway in the epigraph to his novel The Sun Also Rises,. and his memoir A Moveable Feast. ... Michael Mick Kevin Taylor (born 17 January 1949 in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire) is an English musician best known as the former lead guitarist for The Rolling Stones. ... William Martin Billy Joel (born May 9, 1949, in Bronx, New York, USA) is an American singer, pianist, and songwriter. ... Philip David Charles Collins (born January 30, 1951 in Chiswick, London) is an English rock and pop musician. ... Bob Dylan (born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941), is an American singer-songwriter, author, musician, and poet who has been a major figure in popular music for five decades. ... The Velvet Underground and Nico (from left to right: John Cale, Nico, Lou Reed, Sterling Morrison, and Maureen Tucker) The Velvet Underground (Affectionately known as The Velvets, or V.U. for short) was an American rock and roll band of the late 1960s. ... Extended play (EP) is the name typically given to vinyl records or CDs which contain more than one single, but are too short to qualify as albums. ... Jerry Harrison (born February 21, 1949) was the keyboardist and guitarist for the influential New Wave group Talking Heads. ... Talking Heads was an American rock band existing between 1974 and 1991, composed of David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth, and Jerry Harrison. ... City flag City coat of arms Motto: Fluctuat nec mergitur (Latin: Tossed by the waves, she does not sink) Paris Eiffel tower as seen from the esplanade du Trocadéro. ... Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American rock singer-songwriter and guitarist. ...

In addition to his music Murphy has written for Rolling Stone, Spin, Mucchio Selvaggio 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). In a recent Spanish TV appearance he said, "Literature is my religion and Rock and Roll is my addiction." In 2005 he published his neo-western novel Poetic Justice(Hachette, France) with an Italian version expected in 2007. The novel has attracted interest from film producers as well. This article is about the magazine. ... Spin is a music magazine that reports on all the music that rocks. Founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione, Jr. ... Hachette is a large French media group, now a multinational. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... DVD cover Poetic Justice is a 1993 drama/romance film starring Tupac Shakur and Janet Jackson and directed by John Singleton. ... Hachette is a large French media group, now a multinational. ...

His recent albums Beauregard, Rainy Season, Soul Surfing and La Terre Commune (a duo with Iain Matthews) have marked a renaissance in his recording career with many critics calling his double album Strings Of The Storm his finest to date. With French guitar wizard Olivier Durand he tours constantly, playing well over 100 shows a year all over Europe and to sum up their 10 years together is Never Say Never...The Best of 1995-2005 a CD + bonus DVD package of performances, videos and a discography showing all 26 album covers was released in 2005 which also saw the publication in France of Poetic Justice, Elliott's neo-western novel that will soon be translated into Italian and (hopefully) English. The year ended with Murphy Gets Muddy an album of 10 classic blues covers and 5 Murphy blues originals. In early 2007 his long awaited new album Coming Home Again will be released in Europe. Of the 20 Elliott Murphy albums that are currently rated by All Music Guide 11 received over 4 stars. Iain Matthews (known in the 1960s first as Ian McDonald, and from the late 1960s until 1989 as Ian Matthews) is an English musician and songwriter. ... Never Say Never is an album by R&B singer Brandy. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ...

Discography

Albums and EPs:

• Aquashow (1973)
• Lost Generation (1975)
• Night Lights (1976)
• Just a story from America (1977)
• Affairs (1980)
• Murph the surph (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 Ian Matthews (2001)
• Soul surfing (2002)
• Soul surfing - the next wave EP (2002)
• Strings of the storm (2003)
• Murphy gets muddy (2005)
• Coming Home Again (2007)

Compilations: Debut album by singer-songwriter Elliott Murphy. ... Iain Matthews (known in the 1960s first as Ian McDonald, and from the late 1960s until 1989 as Ian Matthews) is an English musician and songwriter. ... Extended play (EP) is the name typically given to vinyl records or CDs which contain more than one single, but are too short to qualify as albums. ...

• 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: DVD (commonly known as Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc) is an optical disc storage media format that can be used for data storage, including movies with high video and sound quality. ...

• Live Hot Point (1991)
• April - a live album (1999)
• The last of the rockstars... and me and you (2001)

Other related musicians

Beside his close friend Bruce Springsteen and co-author Ian Matthews, many musicians have often appeared in Elliott Murphy albums as guests. Amongst those: Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American rock singer-songwriter and guitarist. ... Iain Matthews (known in the 1960s first as Ian McDonald, and from the late 1960s until 1989 as Ian Matthews) is an English musician and songwriter. ...

• Mick Taylor
• Billy Joel
• Violent Femmes and Brian Ritchie
• David Johansen (aka Buster Poindexter, former singer of the New York Dolls
• Michael Niemayr
• Cindy Bullens
• Garland Jeffreys
• Chris Spedding
• Kenny Margolis

• Fred Prellberg is a musician whose style pays, both in lyrics and music a strong homage to Elliott's, to the point he covered "Last of the rock stars" as title track of his debut album.

His current backing band, sometimes referred to as The Normandy Allstars, is formed by Michael Mick Kevin Taylor (born 17 January 1949 in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire) is an English musician best known as the former lead guitarist for The Rolling Stones. ... William Martin Billy Joel (born May 9, 1949, in Bronx, New York, USA) is an American singer, pianist, and songwriter. ... This article is about the band. ... Brian Ritchie (born 21 November 1960) is the bass guitarist for the Violent Femmes. ... David Johansen on the cover of his 1987 eponymous debut as Buster Poindexter David Johansen (born January 9, 1950, Staten Island, NY) is an American rock, punk, blues and pop singer, songwriter and actor. ... Buster Poindexter, is a musician, better known for its collaborations with the Saturday Night Live band. ... The New York Dolls are a rock band formed in New York City in 1972. ... Garland Jeffreys (born January 1, 1944 in Brooklyn, New York) is an African-American singer-songwriter. ... Christopher John Spedding (born June 17, 1944) is an English rock and roll and jazz guitarist best known for his session work. ... A debut album is the first released record album by an artist or a band. ...

• Olivier Durand
• Laurent Pardo on bass and cello
• Alan Fatras on drums

Taping-friendly policy

Elliott is one of many artists who have issued a "non commercial tapers-friendly" official policy. His shows may be freely recorded and spread as long as it's done in an entirely non-commercial way. Many bootlegs have always existed of his concerts, mostly of great quality. Elliott's live show are unique in energy and charm, and, usually, such qualities are faithfully reflected on the recordings, to the point that a minority of the fans regard (but this is a personal opinion of them) them as even better than the official live recordings.

Sound and Instrumentation

Even if Elliott himself is not a guitar wizard, his electric albums (up to the 90's) always had a "signature sound" given by his faithful Stratocaster. Since he started working with guitarist Olivier Durand in 1996, his sound has dramatically turned much more acoustic for two reasons: the acoustic set is easier to set up allowing better results for an artist who play relatively small (100-300 places) venues and who plays a lot (100+) of gigs a year, and Olivier Durand is a true guitar virtuoso who regularly impresses audiences with the sound of his acoustic guitar who is now a trademark of Elliott's music. After a short time using Guild guitars (mostly on the Beauregard album) he started using Taylor guitars for they uniquely versatile sound. He always played harmonica, traditionally the classic Hohner and more recently Tombo's Lee Oskar. This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Hohner is a company specialising in the manufacture of musical instruments. ... Lee Oskar (b. ...

References

• Official site
• Elliott Murphy Fan site