- Lillian McMurry
Lillian Shedd McMurry (
December 30 ,1921 -March 18 ,1999 ) was an American record producer, influential in the development ofblues music.Lillian Shedd was born in
Purvis, Mississippi , and married furniture-store owner Willard McMurry in 1945, settling in Jackson. In 1949, she was helping her husband clear out a shop he had bought when she came upon a pile of old shellac 78rpm phonograph discs, includingWynonie Harris ' recording of "All She Wants to Do Is Rock". Curious, McMurry played it on the store's record player and became so inspired that, as well as selling the stock she had discovered, she also decided to record more music like it. By her own account, until that point she, as a white woman, had been completely unaware of the music being made on her doorstep by her African-American neighbours.She formed
Trumpet Records in Jackson in 1950. The first releases were of gospel music, but she soon auditioned and recorded both slide guitaristElmore James , on his original recording of "Dust My Broom", and "Sonny Boy Williamson" (Aleck "Rice" Miller). Initially, McMurry apparently thought that "Williamson" was the original musician of that name. Many of the sides he first recorded for Trumpet, such as "Eyesight to the Blind" and "Nine Below Zero", later became blues standards.Rising debts caused Trumpet to fold in 1955, and McMurry went back to working in her husband's shop. In 1998, she was inducted into the
Blues Hall of Fame , one of the few record producers to be granted that honour.She is remembered today as one of the industry's most honest persons, often paying her musicians even if there was no money left for her own family. Her loyalty set a gold standard for others to follow. Her dedication continues to affect the music industry to this day.
On
November 17 ,2007 , Lillian Shedd McMurry and Willard McMurry were honored with a historical marker on their former recording studio in Jackson. Her daughter, Vitrice, her son-in-law, and her granddaughter attended along with Dr. Woody Sistrunk. The McMurry family was awarded a plaque to go along with the historical marker.External links
* [http://www.baddogblues.com/archives/5.99/essential.htm Obituary at Bad Dog Blues]
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