From:   "Dik de Heer" 
Date:  Fri Oct 11, 2002  1:23 am
Subject:  Born To Be With You : Jimmy Murphy
 
JIMMY MURPHY (By Shaun Mather)

Born 11 October 1925, Republic, near Birmingham, Alabama
Died 1 June 1981, Corbin, Kentucky

Jimmy Murphy was a gifted guitar player / songwriter who left his mark on
the music world without really hitting it big, despite a few near misses, the
closest being Sixteen Tons Rock N' Roll in 1956. He grew up with an
appreciation of the blues as his father was a blues fan with a particular
penchant for Blind Boy Fuller and Leadbelly. In the mid-1940s, Murphy was an
occasional guest on the Happy Hal Burns Show on Birmingham's WBRC before
moving to Knoxville, Tennessee in late 1949. He got a spot on Archie
Campbell's Dinner Bell Show on WROL, then moved over to WNOX. Campbell
introduced Murphy to Chet Atkins, which resulted in a publishing contract
and a recording session for RCA-Victor in January of 1951. Backed only by
Anita Carter's bass, he cut Electricity, whic despite promising reviews,
failed to hit the charts. He had a couple of singles for RCA including Big
Mama Blues and Ramblin' Heart but was dropped by the label after a year.

In late 1955 he was signed by producer Don Law to Columbia Records where
he cut his first session in November of 1955. His sound was sparse and dated
though, which he tried to rectify on his second session in May 1956 when he
cut Sixteen Tons Rock N' Roll. When this also failed he was dropped by
Columbia, forcing him to work as a bricklayer in Knoxville, playing just the
occasional gig. In 1962 he recorded for the Cincinnati-based Ark label (I Long
to Hear Hank Sing the Blues), he also recorded for the Midnite label in Grand
Rapids, Michigan, and for King/Starday, as well as the Loyal and Rimrock labels.

Richard Spottswood recorded him for Sugar Hill in 1978 and the album, called
Electricity was a success. There were plans to record a follow-up, but Jimmy
Murphy died in 1981 before he could capitalise on his encouraging debut. In
1989, Bear Family Records issued his complete RCA and Columbia recordings
on the CD, Sixteen Tons Rock N' Roll.

Recommended listening:
Sixteen Tons Rock N' Roll - Bear Family BCD 15451
Electricity - Sugar Hill (CD reissue).
The RABHOF site shows only a picture of Jimmy at
http://www.rockabillyhall.com/JimmyMurphy.html
but promises "Text to come".