The Steel Guitar Forum

Everything I've seen (and there isn't much) of Big Jim Has knocked me out. He seemed to be able to play anything with perfect execution and technique (right up there with Weldon and Lloyd). I always have one question: I wonder why there isn't more of him out there? It seems like a guy this good would've been in demand back in the

https://youtu.be/IvonApgwq1Mday.

I'm guessing that you searched YouTube for his name. Here's what came up when I searched.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_ ... jim+murphy

Yup. There is precious little. There is also a 10 minute or so vid called "Loretta 1969" that is great. The band is very tight - I guess she probably commanded that. He was really really good on either E9 or C6 with monster right hand technique. Wonder why he didn't do more.

This one works fine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvonApgwq1M

Pick up Redd Volkeart's CD Telewacker. Redd and Murph were really good friends and Murph's steel playing is very prominent on this recording, which was his 1st solo CD. Also, both him and Redd played with a singer named Ron Sweet. They played at Gabes in Nashville in the 1990's and Ron's singing was as good as it gets. I believe there is a Ron Sweet record with both Murph and Redd on it. IMHO, Big Jim Murphy was one of the best steel players to ever play the instrument. Taste, tone, any style, he could do it all.

If you can find the old Stoneway label LP by Dale Potter, Jim is prominently featured. I especially remember a great ride on the back neck on "Dragging The Bow". My dad had that LP but, sorry to say, it disappeared somewhere along the way.


Bill

Here's about an hour of him and Redd.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7n6jcSP06w

Johnny Paycheck Family and Friends and Live in NYC. BJM dominates those records and drives the rhythm section too. Also check for a bunch of my old SG Forum posts of BJM with Carl Smith and Hank Thompson.

I arrived in Nashville in 98 and Gabe's was the place to go Monday thru Thursday..you'd see Dave Robbins for 2 nights the Big Jim the other 2 with a multiple of guitarists like Redd or Rick Johnston etc. Wolfy's on Weds. To see Jamie Hartford And Roberts across the street with Redd yet again...he is an Incredible guy and player! Big Jim and Redd have played so long together they know what the other guy is going to do by osmosis! I got up to play one night trying to get my name out and was navigating Jm's guitar and trying to play as solid and confidently as possible, Jim comes right up in front of me, watching and listening and I'm trying not to be nervous when all of a sudden out of the blue Jim takes his hand and puts it on my volume pedal foot and slams it to the ground and laughs! I'd been initiated!...welcome to Nashville! Waching them play music together was an education!

I'm with Bob W: he seems as good as any Hall of Famer to me.

Thanks for all of the info on where to here more of him.

Wandering into Gabe's by accident in the early-'90s was an education for me, too!

(But I just sat and watched. )

Austin based Haybale..CD Live from 1-A,,Lot's of good Murph on it especially Midnight in Amarillo!!!

Greg Cutshaw wrote:Johnny Paycheck Family and Friends and Live in NYC. BJM dominates those records and drives the rhythm section too.

Any other good Paycheck recordings he's on?

Look for "Johnny Paycheck Live at Gilley's" I have the cd and Murph is all over it.

I saw him with Asleep At The Wheel about 20 years ago, He had his ShoBud D8, a medium scale Stringmaster and a tenor sax. He blew me away!

That's a D10 ShoBud!

In Sellersville Pa. Murph was wih Asleep At The Wheel and I have never heard more music come out of a non-pedal steel as I did that night!

I'd like to hear what he could do on a non-pedal.

his playing on that show at the airport with Red is the reason I sold my S-10 and only have doubles, his C6 skills are amazing especially on sections most people would play the E9, I've never understood how he's not more of a house hold name in the steel community, my favorite by far!!!!

I've posted these before but these are some choice cuts including one from Hank Thompson's Cab Driver Mills Brothers tribute album: and some feature Jim's sax playing:


http://www.gregcutshaw.com/Samples/27%20Track%2027.mp3

http://www.gregcutshaw.com/Samples/26%20Track%2026.wma

http://www.gregcutshaw.com/Samples/Cab%20Driver.mp3

http://www.gregcutshaw.com/Samples/28%20Track%2028.wma

Oops guess last one is actually Julian Thorpe and Zane Beck (how can I delete that!)

Well first off; I miss Murph so much. Ok ya'll ready for this?? Many didn't know how Murph's C6 copedent was set up; but the last few years Big Jim lived here in Austin area before he passed....I set up and changed strings and tweeked all of Murph's Pedal steels; and they all were>

Sho~bud D-10 Pro II barrel tuning 10 pedals 8 knees; that was originally built for Doug J. but was turned over to Murph after Doug played it for a year(then when I got it; I restored it for him and it's pictured below). It was a Two tone; Green apron and necks and clear/blonde top.

Sho~bud Pro II Custom that Dick Miller did a custom finish and inlay and a "Leaf" on the front....that you will see me playing below; as Murph let me play it for a year while he played his new Bethal(I also set up for him).
So here is his D-10 Copedent that was on All of his pedal steels and below that is the Pro~II Barrel tuning Two-tone I restored for Big Jim) And me playing his special Pro~II Custom done by Dick Miller.








Ricky Davis
RIP Big Jim

Donald Horne wrote:his playing on that show at the airport with Red is the reason I sold my S-10 and only have doubles, his C6 skills are amazing especially on sections most people would play the E9,

Agreed. Watching that was really the main thing in me wanting to eventually get a D-10.

I wish Redd would take those recordings and release a live cd.

I'm with you Donald. That's what this post was about: Why isn't he more well known, and why isn't there more of him to hear? I almost hate to say this but, I don't think anyone but maybe Emmons could keep up with his chops.

Thanks Ricky, as always, that's a lot of really fine info - man was hid C6 extensive! If you have any stories about him, please share!

The first thing I saw was the Paycheck at the Lone Star thing and I was thinking, my God this guy has a never ending supply of licks. So I looked around and found the Loretta 1969 thing (my favorite), and the Austin airport thing. I must admit, the reason I definitely wanted a D10 with the C6, was because of John Hughey - another C6 monster. John is the one that got the PSG so far up in me to begin with, and, the only one I've really been listening to for 40 yrs - until the last year or so. The Dickey Betts album with him got me into it. But the airport thing is really really good, and, had I heard it, I would have been with you guys.

I have to take back the statement above I think: I've been listening to Greg's stuff (thanks for that by the way Greg) and just heard a lick on the last one that I think would take Buddy Emmons around the block - he may have had the best chops ever!

Jim Fogarty wrote:I wish Redd would take those recordings and release a live cd.

Well, I took matters into my own hands.......errr, mouse.

For anyone that wants it, here are all the music tracks, edit'd and labelled, from the Redd and Murph at Austin airport video.

I may not keep it up forever, so download it soon.

Enjoy!

http://www.jimfogarty.com/tunes/reddmurphaustin/

Speaking of copedants, when I first met Jim he was playing with Hank Thompson at a bowling alley on Grand Island, NY in 1971. Total audience was 4 people including me! He played a lot of Merle Travis finger style riffs when Hank sang and since it was only a 4 piece band, Murph's sound was way out front. He told me what his tuning was.I thought it had to be something really unique to play all that stuff. He said, "kid, nothing special here. My C6 tuning is just like yours except I dropped the high G string and added a string on the bottom." At some point it appears that he went back to a standard C6 open tuning. Wally Murphy plays a lot of the same style stuff and also has a great tone in person.

Dick Miller also let me play Murph's Bethel guitar for a few hours when I was at Dick's trailer/shop. What a great person he was to let me do that! Truly an awesome guitar with smooth mechanics.