Exclusive Interview with Shaun Murphy! by Richard Lhommedieu on Mixcloud

She found her way to the Blues stage in 1969 at the first Ann Arbor Blues Fest, and was completely smitten. Getting to play at such an important milestone festival had my head spinning. That was my awakening to the Blues, and I couldn’t have been among a better line-up: Son House, Muddy Waters, BB King, Freddy King, Lightin’ Hopkins, and the list went on and on.

Solidified into the Detroit music scene, I found my calling, but it was to be a bit illusive, while I continued my music education over the years, I was also free to pursue another of my loves, acting, where I was able to snag two different life changing musical plays: Hair and Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band On The Road. Appearing in both of the Broadway productions, as well as a number of other run of the play casts. Having been in Hair afforded me the opportunity to land a recording contract with Motown Records, along with Meatloaf, to record the album Stoney And Meatloaf.

Right after the recording of the record, Stoney and Meatloaf, Motown moved out to Los Angeles taking me with them. After a short stay in LA, I got back in touch with Seger’s manager, Punch Andrews, and it just so happened, Bob was, again, looking for a singer. So I headed back to the music scene I was so familiar with, Detroit. Starting with the Recording of Katmandu, under the pseudonym, Stoney. I was in Detroit and, again, working with Bob and his band; The Borneo Band, along with some of the Silver Bullet boys, Chris Campbell, Alto Reed, and Drew Abbott, and throw in a couple of Tulsa boys: Jamie Oldaker and Dick Sims, along with my pal Marcy Levy. I did a couple of my own bands for a bit, then yet another call came in from Punch and I started working with Bob immediately on the road. By then, the Silver Bullet Band was pretty much intact and I’ve been touring with Bob constantly since 78.

When Bob Seger decided to take some time off the road, I was contacted again by my old friend, Marcy Levy, (of Leon Russell and Eric Clapton fame) that Eric Clapton was doing a record with Phil Collins producing, and would I be interested in coming to Montserrat to record the BGs on his ‘Behind The Sun’ album. The experience was thrilling; to get back to my roots, and with the ‘guitar god’ himself. I, of course, said yes! With the volcano steaming in the background, near the studio, worrisome to say the least, we recorded this great record, and after the second song, Eric asked us if we’d like to do the tour, well, you can only imagine the walking on air feeling I had. One of my extreme idols was going to be a band mate, too good to be true. To sit on and off stage for the next few tours and listen to the golden tones that came off his guitar was almost too much. Later there was even another, although short lived, tour in Canada. I will always be thankful for the experience, and the grace of Mr. Clapton.

Back on the road with Seger, with hardly a couple of weeks off from Clapton, with his 86 tour, I met up with Bill Payne and Fred Tackett, two of the members of the legendary band Little Feat. As tours go, making friends comes easy and when the tour was over, Bill Payne asked Bob and me to sing some things on their new re-grouped band’s CD, Let It Roll. As it happened, I had moved back out to LA, and when Feat recorded their next CD, Representing The Mambo, I was asked to come in for more backgrounds, as well as the next, Shake Me Up.

I went on to tour with Seger to the present, with some other tours here and there along the way, with such notables as Bruce Hornsby, Joe Walsh and Glenn Frey with Television appearances with John Hiatt and Herbie Hancock.
I found myself back in Feat camp after the singer, Craig Fuller, left the band in ‘92, and they asked me to join as a full member in 93’, which I did without a bat of an eye. Seeing all of my favorite genres, wrapped into one with these boys, I couldn’t have been happier, and for the next nearly 16 years, it was my home. Till recently parting with my long time cohorts, I then realized, I’d come full circle back to where I started, in the world of the Blues, wanting to take my place along side some of my favorite idols; Koko Taylor, Etta James, Big Mama Thornton, and Big Maybelle, paying special homage to Miss Taylor and Miss James on my first solo CD.

I came back the next year with a powerful new CD; Trouble With Lovin’. Combining a litany of Blue themes, as well as some notable friends stopping by to lend a gracious hand. None other than Mike Finnigan, (Phantom Blues Band, Taj Mahal, Steven Stills, etc…..) playing on the title track, Trouble With Lovin and playing and singing a duet on Hopelessly In Love With You. Johnny Neel (Allman Bros.) playing and singing on four tracks; Deservin Of Love, Blue Tears, Did You Call, and The Blues Don’t Tell It All. Not to be outdone, my good friend, Danny Pelfrey on alto sax on Deservin’ Of Love.

Nominated for Best New Artist by Bluesblast for my first CD, Livin The Blues, I carried the torch into a new year with a stunning second CD, Trouble With Lovin’.

Having come off a Bob Seger tour in the Spring of 2011, I felt that Detroit was where I’d set my sites for a third CD, along with a DVD, both ‘Live At Callahan’s’, one of Detroit’s premier Blues clubs, and snagged some of my favorite pals; Laura Creamer, Barbara Payton, and last, but not least: The Motor City Horns to fill out some fav’s and a bunch of new tunes!