His first FM radio hit was a left-of-center gem he called “Geronimo’s Cadillac.” The song tapped into the country’s growing consciousness surrounding Native American rights, and became a bit of an unofficial anthem at the time. It also set the table for critical and commercial successes to follow. His seventies megahits include “Cosmic Cowboy,” “Carolina in the Pines,” and his signature song, “Wildfire.” It is a poignant tale based in part on the story of a ghost horse his beloved step-grandfather, known as “Granddaddy Ed,” told him as a boy. “Rather than sitting around watching TV or listening to the radio I spent most of my Saturday nights, when I was out on his ranch, listening to him tell stories,” said Murphey. “It was oral culture. The whole idea of entertainment was driven by somebody sitting on a front porch rattling ice in a Mason jar with tea in it, telling a story. That’s why I have a lifelong love of telling stories with my songs.” Murphey was a horse of another color, unlike many of the Austin musicians he worked with back in those days. Ultimately it was his differences that took him away. “I finally got fed up with the drug culture and I moved to the top of a mountain in Colorado,” he said. “That’s where I made the album that had ‘Wildfire’ and ‘Carolina in the Pines’ on it.” When he talks about his time in Austin however, it is with genuine affection, not a preachy judgmental tone. “I never wanted to focus my material around getting drunk and getting stoned,” he said. “There was a whole lot of that going on…so I left. I’m not condemning anybody. I just couldn’t do it myself.” Right before he left Austin for good, Murphey wrote a song called “Southwestern Pilgrimage,” which he re-recorded for one of his more recent albums. The lyrics speak directly to the Austin experience: I’m tired of drinking your muddy water And sleeping in your hollow log I’m gonna take up with a stranger I’m gonna get myself a fast moving dog I’m gonna take along a lady Who ain’t never seen a mountain before I’m on a Southwestern pilgrimage Where the middle class can’t hunt me down no more In 1983, after years of touring, writing and hard work, Murphey was named the Academy of Country Music’s best new artist. It was also about
this time he officially added his middle name to distinguish him from a popular actor named Michael Murphy (“Manhattan,” “Tanner”). A few years later Murphey performed with the New Mexico Symphony, and has since performed with over 100 symphonies around the world. By the late 1980s he had launched a new phase of his career emphasizing his affection for classic western music and culture bringing it back into the American mainstream. Murphey’s career boasts six gold albums, spanning four decades laced with distinctive hints of folk, country, rock and western music. He has also played a significant role in the resurrection of American cowboy songs and culture, recording some of the most memorable and critically acclaimed western music in years. Murphey is a member of the Western Music Hall of Fame and recognized as the bestselling cowboy music singer in the world.
These days he splits his life between homes scattered around the U.S. where he ranches, writes music and pays close attention to environmental issues. “Over the last 20 years I have divided my time between Colorado and Wisconsin,” said Murphey. “I still have a ranch in Texas.” He continues to record and tour, and his early music remains front and center on classic rock stations. According to BMI, back-to-back performances of his hit songs alone, with each averaging about three minutes, would tally over 60 years of continuous airplay. “Tall Grass & Cool Water. Cowboy Songs VI, Buckaroo Blue Grass III,” is his latest release, produced by his son Ryan, a musician Murphey calls, “The driving creative partner in my life since he was six years old.” It is the third in a critically acclaimed “Buckaroo Blue Grass” series of
recordings and features crackerjack bluegrass players such as Sam Bush, Pat Flynn and Andy Leftwich. “It occurred to me that there’s a real strong connection between cowboy music and bluegrass,” said Murphey. “That’s what I listened to as a kid so I came up with the idea. Songs played bluegrass style, by bluegrass musicians all about the west and all about cowboys, all about my lifestyle in Texas, the Rocky Mountains, New Mexico, out on the prairie in Wisconsin, running cattle in Kansas…the places that I have lived.” These days his trademark “Cowboy Christmas” concerts take Murphey to cities around Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and New Mexico for 15 or more performances every holiday season. He modeled the concept around an annual event in small town Anson, Texas called the “Cowboy’s Christmas Ball,” where the community has celebrated the holidays every year since the 1930s. Last fall Murphey performed at the wedding of Lauren Bush, niece of President George W. Bush, and David Lauren, son of his old friend Ralph Lauren. He reportedly played his classic “Vanishing Breed” for the couple’s first dance together. Murphey remains close to his Texas roots, and many of the musicians that he started with years ago. “I just saw Bob Livingston at the Larry Joe Taylor Festival…and a whole bunch of my old Texas buddies that I worked with in the Austin days,” said Murphey. “I see Gary P. Nunn (“London Homesick Blues,” “What I Like About Texas”) quite often. Herb Steiner comes and plays steel guitar with me from time to time. We’re all having a big reunion of the Lost Gonzo Band/ Cosmic Cowboy Band in Steamboat Springs.” A self-proclaimed “preservationist,” the American wilderness he learned to appreciate as a child is still one of his deepest passions. The Department of the Interior recognized Murphey with a Golden Smokey Award for his vigorous work in conservation and wild lands fire awareness.
Dueling cowboy hats with Murphey and Livingston at an Austin club in the 1970s (Courtesy: Bob Livingston)