Alan Murphy
| Alan Murphy | |
|---|---|
| Born | 18 November 1953 |
| Origin | Islington, London |
| Died | 19 October 1989 (aged 35) |
| Genres | Fusion, Rock |
| Instruments | Guitar |
| Years active | 1975–1989 |
| Labels | Polydor, EMI, Chrysalis |
| Associated acts | Kate Bush, Level 42, Go West, Fusion Orchestra, Paparazzi, Zaine Griff |
Alan Murphy (18 November 1953 – 19 October 1989) was an English rock session guitarist, best remembered for his collaborations with Kate Bush and Go West. In 1988 he joined the group Level 42 as a full-time band member, and played with them until his death from pneumonia, resulting from AIDS, in 1989. He also played lead guitar on select recordings by Mike + The Mechanics, including the hit single "Silent Running".
Alan Murphy's first musical group was called Blackmass and consisted of Murphy, Roy Phillips, James Hedges, Terry Eden, Steve Paget, and Vincent Duffy. Long-time friend Tony Forder also used to rehearse with Murphy. Blackmass were named in tribute to Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, an early influence of Murphy's, and existed for about two years until some of the band's equipment was stolen and the group disbanded.
SFX was an instrumental jazz-rock fusion band featuring Murphy and fellow luminaries of the session world, Felix Krish on bass, Tony Beard on drums and Richard Cottle on keyboards. SFX originated from the covers band "The Stapleton Allstars", morphing into SFX after creating a set of original instrumental fusion tunes. They played the occasional interrupted residency at the Cricketers pub, near The Oval cricket ground. The band recorded an album which was subsequently released after Murphy's death.
Murphy performed with Fusion Orchestra for the better part of 1975. In 1982 he handled onstage guitar duties for London-based New Wave vocalist Zaine Griff (originally from New Zealand), performing music that was in many ways a stylistic precursor to the Go West sound that he would help forge several years later. In 1984, Murphy worked on the album 'Cold in a Warm Climate' with the band Paparazzi, becoming a member in preparation for a major European tour. When Paparazzi unexpectedly dissolved over internal disagreements and managerial problems, Murphy was recruited to play on the debut Go West album in 1985, shortly thereafter becoming an official member and a key component in the band's sound.
Murphy was enlisted to play on the first and only Kate Bush tour of the Europe & UK (1979). Both a live video and EP were released with material taken from this tour. He also contributed to her albums Never for Ever, The Dreaming, Hounds of Love, The Sensual World, and the single "Rocket Man".
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