Violinist, composer and band leader Chris Murphy has been writing, performing and recording original music for a quarter of a century now.
He was born into an Irish-Italian family near New York City, and of his upbringing says: “I heard and was influenced by everything – from Italian-mandolin music, to bluegrass and folk, to Latin music”.
But it was hearing David Lindley play fiddle and lap steel with Jackson Browne that really captivated him.
Now based in Los Angeles, Murphy earns his living by teaching - guitar, mandolin and violin - working on music for films, and, above all, by playing live.
Red Mountain Blues, taps into the Bluegrass of Bill Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs, and Bob Wills with its mix of fiddle, banjo, mandolin and "high-lonesome harmonies".
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Murphy is backed by a band that includes DJ Bonebrake , Ted Russell Kamp and Herb Pedersen on banjo and vocals while Tim O’Brien guests on vocals (Kitchen Girl) and mandolin.
In the fourteen, mostly uptempo, tunes and almost an hour's worth of music, half are 'grab your partner' instrumentals and the rest are songs about working men and women.
There's not a great deal of variety so it feels over long but since it's performed with such passion and panache you can forgive the indulgence.
Chris Murphy's website
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