Michael Murphey

Michael Martin Murphey
Michael Martin Murphey at the Flying Monkey, Plymouth, NH, October 13, 2012
Background information
Born	(1945-03-14) March 14, 1945 (age 72) Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Genres	Western, country, Outlaw country, folk, pop, bluegrass, soft rock
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, banjo, piano, harmonica, mandolin
Years active	1964–present
Labels	A&M, Epic, Liberty, Warner Bros. Records, Valley Entertainment, Real West Productions, Rural Rhythm Records, Western Jubilee Recording

Michael Martin Murphey (born March 14, 1945) is an American singer-songwriter best known for writing and performing Western music, country music and popular music. A multiple Grammy nominee, Murphey has six gold albums, including Cowboy Songs, the first album of cowboy music to achieve gold status since Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs by Marty Robbins in 1959. He has recorded the hit singles "Wildfire", "Carolina in the Pines", "What's Forever For", "A Long Line of Love", "What She Wants", "Don't Count the Rainy Days", and "Maybe This Time". Murphey is also the author of New Mexico's state ballad, "The Land of Enchantment". Murphey has become a prominent musical voice for the Western horseman, rancher, and cowboy.

Michael Martin Murphey was born on March 14, 1945, to Pink Lavary Murphey and Lois (née Corbett) Murphey, in the Oak Cliff section of Dallas, Texas, where he grew up. He has a brother Mark (three years younger). When he was six years old, he started riding horses on his grandfather's and uncle's ranches. Years later he would remember sleeping on his grandfather's porch under the stars listening to the older man's stories and cowboy songs.

He enjoyed being around these men of the land as they went about their work. These experiences made a deep impression on the young boy. During these early years, he developed a special love for cowboy songs and stories. He was also an avid reader, especially drawn to the books of Mark Twain and William Faulkner. As a youth, he enjoyed writing poetry and loved listening to his uncle's old 78 rpm records—particularly the music of country and folk artists such as Hank Williams, Bob Wills, and Woody Guthrie.