Alan Murphy
As November 2023 would have marked Alan Murphy’s 70th birthday, we look back at the man, his music and his gear, with personal recollections from several key figures who knew and worked closely with the talented guitarist
Talk to any guitarist who was around in the early to mid-80s about Alan Murphy and you’re certain to get an enthusiastic response. In fact, it would also be fair to say that younger players who discover his work now are just as impressed. Alan was an in-demand session player, rather than a household name. But that suited him just fine – he was motivated by a love of music, not the spotlight. Nevertheless, his talent and style became duly renowned in industry circles.
Not only did Alan play for Kate Bush, Go West, Level 42, Scritti Politti, Mike +The Mechanics, Berlin, Hans Zimmer and Trevor Horn among a host of others, he also worked extensively with Fender’s John Hill (director at London’s AR&D Centre) as a tone consultant, demonstrator and content artist until his untimely passing in 1989. “Alan was a major part of turning around people’s perception of CBS-era Fender into what post-CBS Fender became,” John tells us today. “We created the ‘Fender Hot Squad’ and toured all over the UK and Europe telling the Fender story through the music of every Fender era, from country and rockabilly to rock ’n’ roll, rock, prog and punk. Alan’s amazing playing and phenomenal sound turned heads wherever he went.”
Born To Play
Alan was born in London in 1953, perfect timing for the British blues boom a dozen or so years later. Alan very much became a ‘man on the scene’, attending various gigs, such as Blind Faith, T.Rex and The Rolling Stones, which inspired him to acquire his first guitar. His influences quickly expanded from the blues to jazz fusion and beyond, and Alan would search for gigs through adverts in Melody Maker, a weekly musician’s paper then used by everyone, from pub singers to major acts. Armed with his trusty Gibson ES-335, Alan racked up local then international gigs as both his reputation and contacts list grew, associating him with the likes of Long John Baldry and Ace (featuring Paul Carrack), plus the occasional recording session.
Demand for studio work increased after Alan joined Kate Bush’s band in 1979, though the first mainstream recording of his soloing skills appears on Nick Heyward’s Warning Sign in 1984. By then, Alan had switched largely to Strats or Strat-style guitars. Listening back today, his distinctive style was already formed –and people were sitting up to take notice…
Alan
