Dan Murphy (musician)
{{Short description|American musician (born 1962)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2015}}
{{BLP sources|date=October 2009}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Dan Murphy
| image = 1986 Murphy Practicing.jpg
| caption = Murphy practicing at Soul Asylum's Studio on Nicollet Avenue in South Minneapolis in 1986
| birth_name = Daniel Murphy
| alias =
| origin =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1962|7|12}}
| birth_place = Duluth, Minnesota, U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| instrument = Guitar, vocals
| genre = Alternative rock
| occupation = Musician, songwriter
| years_active = 1981–2012, 2019-present
| associated_acts = Soul Asylum
Golden Smog
| website =
}}
Daniel David Murphy (born July 12, 1962, in Duluth, Minnesota) is an American musician best known as a co-founder{{cite web|url=http://www.mnhs.org/collections/mplsmusic/band_histories.htm|title=A Brief History of the Bands and Artists|year=2012|work=Review of rock bands from Minnesota|publisher=Minnesota Historical Society|accessdate=June 27, 2012}} lead guitarist for the alternative rock band, Soul Asylum from 1981 to 2012. He is also a member of Golden Smog.
History
Murphy was the secondary songwriter in Soul Asylum, with Dave Pirner responsible for writing most of the band's material. Some of Murphy's solo writing credits include "Can't Go Back" from Made to Be Broken, "Cartoon" off Hang Time and "Gullible's Travels" from And the Horse They Rode in On. Additionally, he and Pirner co-wrote "Easy Street" which appeared on And the Horse They Rode in On, and he co-wrote "Promises Broken" off Let Your Dim Light Shine with Marc Perlman.
In 1988, Murphy formed Golden Smog, a Minneapolis supergroup made up of members of The Replacements, The Jayhawks and Run Westy Run. Murphy was credited as 'David Spear' on the group's second album, Down by the Old Mainstream, because of contractual obligations.[http://www.westword.com/issues/1996-08-01/music3.html Westword.com] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050921034024/http://www.westword.com/issues/1996-08-01/music3.html |date=September 21, 2005 }}
In 1992, Murphy appeared on the debut solo album by former Replacements drummer Chris Mars, Horseshoes and Hand Grenades.
Soul Asylum's success in the early 1990s gave Murphy the funds to start collecting pin-up art. This interest led to the opening of his own art gallery, the Grapefruit Moon Gallery, in 2003.{{Cite web|url=https://www.twincities.com/2014/05/07/ex-soul-asylum-rocker-is-stuck-on-pin-up-art-and-hopes-you-will-be-too/|title=Ex-Soul Asylum rocker is stuck on pin-up art and hopes you will be, too|last=Press|first=Amy Carlson Gustafson {{!}} Pioneer|date=2014-05-07|website=Twin Cities|language=en-US|access-date=2020-04-23}}{{Cite web|url=https://grapefruitmoongallery.com/about|title=About • Grapefruit Moon Gallery|website=Grapefruit Moon Gallery|language=en-US|access-date=2020-04-23}}
On October 9, 2012, Murphy announced his departure from Soul Asylum on the forum of "EnterTheSoulAsylum.com".{{Cite web|url=http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/dan-murphy-quits-soul-asylum-after-31-years.298748/|title=Dan Murphy Quits Soul Asylum (after 31 years)|last=|first=|date=October 10, 2012|website=Steve Hoffman Music Forums|language=en-US|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-04-23}}{{Cite web|url=http://enterthesoulasylum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=1525|title=enterthesoulasylum.com forum|last=|first=|date=Oct 10, 2012|website=enterthesoulasylum.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190228032941/http://enterthesoulasylum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=1525|archive-date=February 28, 2019|access-date=}} In his announcement, he explained that "To survive in the game of music...one needs an unhealthy and combustive internal combination of two seemingly distant attributes - naivety and swagger. I no longer have either..." He further stated that he "look[ed] forward to a quieter life with friends and family".{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/soul-asylum-co-founder-dan-murphy-leaves-band-244554/|title=Guitarist Dan Murphy Leaves Soul Asylum|last=|first=|last2=|first2=|date=2012-10-09|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181203010948/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/soul-asylum-co-founder-dan-murphy-leaves-band-244554/ |archive-date=December 3, 2018 |access-date=2020-04-23}}
On the occasion of his retirement he donated his Gibson Les Paul guitar, which he had used on every Soul Asylum album, to the Minnesota Historical Society.{{Cite web|url=http://discussions.mnhs.org/collections/2013/11/dan-murphy%e2%80%99s-les-paul-goldtop-guitar/|title=Dan Murphy's Les Paul Goldtop Guitar {{!}} Museum Collections Up Close : MNHS.ORG|last=Williamson|first=Lori|date=|website=Minnesota Historical Society|language=en-US|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131208110006/http://discussions.mnhs.org/collections/2013/11/dan-murphy%e2%80%99s-les-paul-goldtop-guitar/ |archive-date=December 8, 2013 |access-date=2020-04-23}} Since 2012, he has focused on running Grapefruit Moon Gallery.
In July 2019, Murphy reunited with members of Golden Smog for a one-off performance celebrating his 57th birthday.{{Cite web|url=https://www.startribune.com/birthday-surprise-golden-smog-dusts-off-the-cobwebs-in-unannounced-minneapolis-gig/512682712/|title=All-star band Golden Smog dusts off the cobwebs in unannounced Minneapolis gig|last=Riemenschneider|first=Chris|date=July 14, 2019|website=Star Tribune|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190713201757/http://www.startribune.com/birthday-surprise-golden-smog-dusts-off-the-cobwebs-in-unannounced-minneapolis-gig/512682712/ |archive-date=July 13, 2019 |access-date=2020-04-23}} This performance was followed by the announcement of a Golden Smog show in April 2020.{{Cite web|url=http://first-avenue.com/performer/golden-smog|title=GOLDEN SMOG|last=|first=|date=|website=first-avenue.com|language=en|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200212164357/http://first-avenue.com:80/performer/golden-smog |archive-date=February 12, 2020 |access-date=2020-04-23}} This latter performance was postponed due to COVID-19 concerns, eventually taking place on April 4, 2022.{{Cite web |title=Review: Golden Smog reunite at First Avenue |url=https://www.thecurrent.org/feature/2022/04/04/review-golden-smog-reunite-to-celebrate-first-avenue-52nd-birthday |access-date=2023-04-02 |website=www.thecurrent.org |language=en}}
In January 2020, Murphy started writing and recording new music with Jeff Arundel for a new music project called The Scarlet Goodbye. Their debut album "Hope's Eternal" was released March 24, 2023.{{Update inline|date=April 2022}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- The Soul Asylum [http://www.mnhs.org/library/findaids/00567.xml Band records] are available for research use at the [https://web.archive.org/web/20090131030751/http://www.mnhs.org/ Minnesota Historical Society.]
{{Soul Asylum}}
{{Golden Smog}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Murphy, Dan}}
Category:American rock guitarists
Category:American male guitarists
Category:American alternative rock musicians
Category:Musicians from Duluth, Minnesota
Category:Columbia Records artists
Category:American alternative rock guitarists
Category:American lead guitarists
Category:Guitarists from Minnesota