SCRATCH'S BLUES - by Michael Murphy

I wrote this for a dear friend who passed many years ago.  He was angry with me at the time of his passing, and that makes me sad.

New Moon Unpluged

Don't Want No Tears When I'm Gone

From our debut E.P. featuring our very own Kim Yang

Life Of A Working Man

Pursuit of a music career is not for the faint of heart.  It takes faith in yourself, your music and perseverance.

Brighter Days

Good Ol' Days

The music is called, "Blues". What is it? Who knows? There are so many different styles and nuances within styles, that labeling blues these days is a very difficult thing to do. There's Chicago blues. St. Louis, Piedmont, and Delta blues. Texas blues. West coast, East coast and Country blues. Folk blues. Memphis blues. Blues rock. The list can go on and on.

Big Dog tries to share his enthusiasm for the blues, and attempts to convey the idea that blues is exciting! Regardless of the circumstance or situation of the subject or topic, no one is really above the blues. Everyone deals with it sooner or later, and his feeling is that there are lessons in the blues to benefit all who hear it, and try to understand it!

Suffice it to say, that the blues Michael plays, is a combined influence of all music to which he found himself drawn. Probably, for the sake of argument, his style could be called "MemCago" blues. As he is heavily influenced by that Memphis sound - Sun, Ardent, and of course Stax records, as well as that great Chicago sound - Chess, Alligator, and many more!

He grew up in a household listening to a wide variety of music, from Southern gospel to folk to rock and roll to Mitch Miller. He was no stranger to Elvis Presley, nor to Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley or the Beatles! As well, he listened to the LeFevre's, the Chuck Wagon Gang, Patsy Cline, and the list goes on and on. But his main influences came from a prime list of bluesmen, such as: Jimmy Reed, Jimmy Rogers, B.B. King, Freddie King, Muddy Waters, Lightnin' Hopkins, Lil Milton, Buddy Guy, Magic Slim, and Howlin' Wolf.

Michael is a prolific songwriter, having penned songs for over thirty years. His latest CD, "No Bar, Too Far", features several of his newest tunes, including - "Supermarket Blues", "Bluesman Blues", "The Ice We're Skatin' On Is Thin", and "If Things Don't Change". You'll also hear the Dog's versions of Frank Frost's "My Backscratcher, A.C. Reed's "Junk Food", and a very new twist on an old, traditional favorite "Rising Sun Blues".

The songs he writes are about - everything! They are so much about life, that you may think he is singing about - you! Besides writing blues, he also writes folk style songs. All of the "Dogs" songs are emotional, introspective lyrics, usually related to his own life. Songs of a life lived hard. A combination of life of the road, and, until a few years ago, and 'out-of-control" lifestyle, has given him an insight into life and death, that belies his age. He has lived through times of war, and times of peace. He has lived through busted homes and broken hearts. He has lived through rejection and failure. Success, according to the Dog, "Waking up in the morning ... alive!"

He also writes whimsical, real-life tunes as well. His "Big Fancy Car" tells of a guy who equates the reason he is not in demand, in the woman department, is because he doesn't have a - big fancy car! His song, "Why Get A Chevrolet, When You Can Have the Cadillac", is a diddy bragging about skills that make women smile - tastefully!

Don't Want No Tears When I'm Gone

Michael Murphy

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