Murph

Willie and the Bees, Southern Theater, 1982: Joe Demko, Willie Murphy, Maurice Jaycox 

Willie Murphy died the other day.

He was truly a legend in Minnesota Music, his various incarnations in R&B bands, his solo work and numerous other collaborations (he produced Bonnie Raitt’s first album) never quite polished the rough edges off this unique character. I had the good fortune to work with him for a few months in 1983, Willie offered me a job, but the music of his hard-core funk/blues band just wasn’t a good fit for me:



His most joyful noise, however, was the 1969 Running, Jumping and Standing Still album that he made with John Koerner: