April 2004
Click Here 
to Hear
Garrison Keillor Reading Willie Murphy's Biography
on Nation Public Radio's "A Prairie Home Companion"
...Real Audio
Born: Minneapolis, Mn, USA
Took:
Piano lessons from age 4, first from mother, then nuns. Sang in choir at age 3.
Became:
juvenile delinquent while at St. Stephens School. Wore
D.A., engineer boots, etc. by Fifth grade; charter member of Little Richard
Fan Club (with jackets) in fifth grade.
Listened:
To records by little Richard, Fats D., Screaming Jay
H., Carl Perkins, Billie to Lillie, The Penguins, Monotones, Charts, Moonglows,
Chantels, Coasters, etc.; J. L. Lewis, Young Jesse, Andre Williams, Shirley
& Lee, La Verm Baker, Everly Brothers, Ruth Brown, Treniers, Eddie C., Teen
Queens, Clyde McPhatter, Dinah Washington, Muddy Waters, Warren Smith, Wanda
Jackson, Brenda Lee, etc.; Read a lot (Kerouac, etc.)
Started to Play Piano Like:
Fats Domino, Huey "Piano"
Smith, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, and later, Ray Charles; skipped school
often to hang out, smoke, and "pound out a little beat", sang doo wop with
friends on nighttime corners after sneaking out of the house.
Teenage:
Cruised Lake Street in hot cars, dragging, trying to
pick up girls, listened to music, learned to play guitar; played in first bands
(piano in "jazz trio", guitar in R & B bands), started listening to jazz.
High school is grey, except for all the great musicians at Minneapolis Central
High. Read more, wrote poems, started writing songs, hung out at coffee houses,
wore beret.
After High School:
Got in South Minneapolis R & B band "The
Versatiles". Played Mattie's Bar-Be-Que. (Pay $2-$10, depending) - Got in
Val-Dons, (singing group with Choreo.) Got in Big Ms, later Nobles. These groups
played Wilson Pickett, Ray Charles, the Impressions, Blue Moon by the ,Marcels,
etc. Read a lot, smoked pot, drank, wrote songs, heard the Beatles, Motown.
Played with Dave Brady and the Stars; Did Temps, Impressions, 4 Tops, etc.
Grew Hair:
Long, beard, pierced ears (3).
Hung Out:
With Art School crowd, took drugs, listened to Mose
Allison, 'Trane, Cannoball,, Messengers, Mingus, B.B. King, Ray Charles,
Motown, Atlantic ... Drank, read a lot, dropped acid, stopped reading, played
and sang and wrote songs, back porch, party, and band. Free love, change the
world, drop out.
Met:
John Koerner, played folk circuit, wrote together,
recorded for Elektra, toured the country, hung in New York, Berkeley, Chi,
Boston, Toronto, etc. Got refused service in most restaurants in Atlanta. Shows
with Airplane, J. Baez, J. Taylor, Taj M., etc. Played Newport 69 biggest ever.
Hung and jammed with Sleepy John Esters, Phil Everly, Muddy, Carl Perkins, Son
House, Mama Thomton, Van Moron, et al.
Koerner:
Decided to:
Make movies instead of band
tours.
Murphy:
Decided to:
Start big R & B band, started
reading again.
Elektra Records:
Wanted another Koemer-Murphy album -
didn't get it. Offered Murphy a job as house producer on strength of Murphy's de
facto producing of the K/M album "Running, Jumping, Standing Still". One of
Elektra founder Jac Holzman's faves
Murphy:
Turned down offer not wanting to live in N, Y. or
L.A.
go back to ,Weapons and make records there"
(anti-establishment rebel, etc.)
Acted:
In Koerner movie "The Secret of Sleep."
Started:
Willie and the Bees, big R & B band, played lots
of originals, lots of R & B covers, soul, funky. Dance your brains out
forever..
Produced:
First album by Bonnie Raitt (met in Boston) for
Warner Brothers.
Kept On:
Playing with the Bees, touring old Greyhound bus,
drinking, drugs, having a ball, shows with J. Brown, Muddy, B.B., Dr. John,
Bonnie R., etc. Arrogant of "Success". Never tried to get a
"deal". Challenged Stones to pool tournament and battle of the
bands. Would have won. They were scared.
Recorded:
Two albums with W. and the Bees - one a @ four track
on Dave Ray's label SJL; the other an (at the time) state of the art 32 track
digital on Sound 80, an audiophile label. Neither record captured the
live throb of the Bees.
Burned:
Out on drugs, drinking, insanity; quit the first two; a
couple of years later quit doing W. and the Bees (after 14 years) realizing
"this shit could go on forever, I want to try some other things. "
Played:
Solo blues and rock piano (always a hobby); solo folky
guitar gigs, sessions, etc.
Got Pegged Inaccurately AS:
A "Bluesman".
Wrote:
Songs, songs, songs, some other stuff.
Started:
A record label, Atomic Theory, producing and issuing
records by mostly local Minneapolis people such as Becky Thompson, Boiled
in Lead, The New International Trio, Four Brothers, Phil Hayseed, and W.
Murphy.
Wrote
Produced, &
Performed:
Assorted
movie scores, theater productions, video music, radio and TV commercials,
etc. Did some acting.
Enjoys:
Life with Elka - 10 years and still wonderful.
Is Mostly:
Happy, but
Is Somewhat
Frustrated in
Midlife By:
Not
getting his music to a wider audience; not yet becoming a director of films (a
longtime desire from a longtime love); not having his immense talents utilized
more by others; and the continuing ignorance of the local press everywhere.
Nevertheless,
Willie Loves:
Elka, his fantastic new band, his latest song,
nearly all people, animals, plants, and the gift of life.