Red Murrell

Infobox musical artist
Name = Red Murrell


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Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Joyce Wayne Murrell
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Born = birth date|1912|6|27|mf=y Willow Springs, Missouri, U.S.
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Instrument = Vocals, Guitar
Genre = Western swing
Occupation = Musician, Songwriter, Bandleader, Disc jockey
Years_active = 1940s-1960s
Label = Capitol - Signature
Associated_acts = Red Murrell and His Ozark Playboys
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Joyce Wayne "Red" Murrell was a Western swing performer from Missouri. He lead one of the more notable Western swing bands in California, "Red Murrell and his Ozark Playboys". [Malone, "Country Music, USA", p. 202: "Many country entertainers appeared on the program ["Dinner Bell Roundup", KXLA, Pasadena] , one of the most notable being the swing fiddler and bandleader Red Murrell, who had one of the most popular bands in California."] He was a popular session guitar player for many other artists as well. [La Chapelle, "Proud to Be an Okie", p. 95: "Porky Freeman and Red Murrell, the session musicians on Jack Guthrie's 'Oakie Boogie,' even recorded a guitar instrumental, 'Porky's Boogie Woogie on Strings' which many enthusiast argued invoked Memphis barrelhouse music and anticipated rock and roll. Cut during the war, the independent release proved so popular that Freeman and Murrell released it, putting it on both side of the disc to keep jukebox listeners from wearing out the groove."] Early in his career, he played with Billy Hughes's band, "The Pals of the Pecos". In 1954 he went to work as a disc jockey for KEEN radio (1370 AM) in San Jose. [Komorowski, "Swinging Hollywood Hillbilly Cowboys", p. 14.]

References

Bibliography

*Malone, Bill C. "Country Music, U.S.A.". University of Texas Press, 2002. ISBN 0-292-75262-8
*Komorowski, Adam. "Swinging Hollywood Hillbilly Cowboys" (Properbox 85, 2004) booklet.
*La Chapelle, Peter. "Proud to Be an Okie: Cultural Politics, Country Music, and Migration to Southern California". University of California Press, 2007. ISBN 0-520-24888-0