Biography
Hailing from Tupelo, Mississippi, the enigmatic singer/songwriter John Murry pursues a minimal, word-focused approach that merges rough-edged indie rock with gently sorrowful folk. Having spent time in the Memphis band circuit during the early 2000s, Murry shifted to San Francisco in 2004, where he pursued solo work and collaborated with American Music Club producer Tim Mooney. While still based in Tennessee he formed a friendship with the reclusive folk icon Bob Frank, and the pair completed their joint album World Without End in 2006. The record earned strong reviews abroad on the U.K. imprint Decor Records, yet the absence of American distribution led the two musicians to launch their own Evangeline Records, which issued the album domestically as Stateside. Two further joint projects appeared—the 2006 Gunplay EP and 2009’s Brinkley, Arkansas, and Other Assorted Love Songs—before Murry issued his first solo album. That intensely personal 2012 release, The Graceless Age, addressed his battle with substance abuse and surfaced in Britain via Bucketfull of Brains while Evangeline handled the U.S. edition. Critics named it among the year’s finest records, bringing Murry attention from reviewers though not from mainstream buyers. Momentum stalled when Tim Mooney, Murry’s close friend and the album’s producer, died in June 2012, a loss felt throughout the San Francisco music community. Additional delays arose from personal and professional ruptures together with financial strain. Following the end of his marriage, Murry left the United States for Kilkenny, Ireland, where he joined a close circle of local musicians and received residency status. In 2015 an unexpected invitation from Cowboy Junkies guitarist Michael Timmins brought him back to North America to track his next album in Toronto. With support from the Junkies and former Pogues bassist Cait O’Riordan, Murry and Timmins finished A Short History of Decay in five days. Issued in 2017, the album also inspired a documentary of the same name centered on Murry.
Albums
