Chris Murray (musician)

For other people with the same name, see Chris Murray

Chris Murray
Origin	Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Genres	Ska, Acoustic, Rock
Occupations	Musician Singer Producer
Years active	1989–present
Labels	Raw Energy Asian Man Rebel Alliance
Associated acts	King Apparatus The Chris Murray Combo Da Whole Thing
Website	www.chrismurray.net

Chris Murray (born September 26, 1966) is a Canadian-born singer-songwriter and guitarist working primarily in the genre of ska. In Canada, he was a member of the now-defunct ska band King Apparatus during the late 1980s and early 1990s. He now lives in the Los Angeles, California area, where he performs regularly, both solo as well as with the Chris Murray Combo. From 2003 until the venue's closure in 2009, Murray organized a weekly ska/reggae show called "The Bluebeat Lounge" which featured both local and out of town artists every Wednesday at the Knitting Factory in Hollywood.

As a child, Murray was exposed to popular ska-influenced songs such as "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" by The Beatles, "I Can See Clearly Now" by Johnny Nash, and Eric Clapton's cover of "I Shot the Sheriff" on the radio. At the age of 12 he heard Madness' cover of "One Step Beyond" for the first time and instantly fell in love with two-tone ska and listened to it through his high school days, during which he also played the trumpet.

Equally capable as a producer, Murray produced Life of the Party (1999) and Attack of The Planet Smashers for the Montreal third-wave ska band The Planet Smashers, as well as Tooth for the eclectic New York City ska/jazz supergroup Da Whole Thing. Murray also appears as a vocalist on several Da Whole Thing songs, including "Graveyard Dance" and "Running for the F Train". More recently, Murray recorded Slackness, a collaboration with the seminal New York City ska band The Slackers. The 11-song album features Murray singing lead vocals on new arrangements of his solo material, as well as some entirely new songs and a cover of The Clash's "Janie Jones" .

Murray has performed throughout North America, Europe, Japan, and South America, sharing the stage with such notable acts as The Specials, The Slackers and Laurel Aitken. He is known for the collegial and informal atmosphere of his live shows, during which his set list is determined almost exclusively by live requests from audience members.

Murray has released three CDs on the Asian Man Records label: 4-Trackaganza!, Raw, and 4-Track Adventures of Venice Shoreline Chris. His CDs are often recorded with a four-track tape recorder, giving a distinctly lo-fi sound. Raw is especially lo-fi, as it was recorded on a hand-held walkman. In late 2009, it was announced^[1] that Chris Murray had signed to Sonic Boom Six's Rebel Alliance record label for the UK.

External links

• Chris Murray official site
• Chris Murray audio and video
• Chris Murray on CBC Radio3
• Chris Murray's page from Asian Man Records site
• The Ruckus - Audio Interview with Chris Murray from March 2009

Interviews

• Interview with Chris Murray
• Interview with Chris Murray from Ska Blah Blah (2006)

References

1. ^ Rebel Alliance Recordings website

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Name	Murray, Chris
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Date of birth	September 26, 1966
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