Michael Murphy
West Bountiful, Utah
Mike Murphy began his adventures in music at the age of 10 when he began playing trumpet. It was apparent right away that he had a real talent for music. Two years later a friend introduced him to the guitar and within a few minutes he was better than the kids who were teaching him. He bought a second hand, crappy guitar and learned chords and popular songs but didn't have the confidence to play for anyone. Mike had always had a pretty good voice and had no trouble learning songs. Once, when he was practicing in his room, using a pick on his acoustic guitar (so playing quite loudly) his mother came into his room and said "you need to learn to play pretty". Peter, Paul, and Mary was a popular group at the time and Mike got a PPM book that showed how to play fingerstyle guitar. Then came Simon and Garfunkle, Glen Campbell, Gordon Lightfoot, The Carpenters, and John Denver. Mike ate all that music up and gained enough confidence to start playing for others. He also began experimenting with songwriting and wrote a few really awful songs until he finally wrote a couple that worked. In the meantime he met his wife, Sherie, while performing in Colorado, got married and finished his Bachelor's degree in Music Education at Texas Tech. He moved to Utah to teach Band and Guitar at Viewmont High School, where he taught for 37 years. During that time he continued to work on perfecting his songwriting craft and worked with many others, to develop his skills. His first album of original songs was released on cassette in 1985 and a second one in 1988. Mike played In several bands In the late 80's and early 90's and In 1996, Mike and a friend, Jace Nuzback, built and ran a recording studio out of an addition built on Mike's home. They produced several CD albums for others as well as Mike's first CD, Standing at a Crossroads. When Jace moved to California, they closed the studio and sold the equipment but Mike continued to write and record at a friend's project studio, producing two more CD's, Friends, and Boyhood Dreams. In 2007, Mike saw an opportunity to open a guitar store in Bountiful, Utah, and Murphy's Guitars was born. In 2011, Mike retired from his teaching career and after 14 very successful years, Mike sold the music store and is fully retired but with a new commitment to continue to write and record his original songs. His philosophy is summed up in his song "This Guitar" when he says "It may not be a masterpiece, it may not hit the charts. That doesn't really matter if it touches just one heart".
Michael Murphy 102’s tracks
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