Charlie Murphy (singer-songwriter)

Charlie Murphy (July 4, 1953 – August 6, 2016) was an American singer-songwriter.

Charlie Murphy
Born(1953-07-04)July 4, 1953
DiedAugust 6, 2016(2016-08-06) (aged 63)
Occupation
  • Musician
Musical career
Genres

Music career

Murphy's album Catch the Fire (1981), released on the Good Fairy Productions label, contained the original version of 'Burning Times', later covered by Christy Moore and Roy Bailey. The album also contained the LGBT rights anthem 'Gay Spirit'. The album is notable for addressing LGBT issues and pagan spirituality within its lyrics. The song "Burning Times" concerns the persecution of women accused of witchcraft in the Middle Ages and early modern periods. Its chorus mentions several pagan female deities: Isis, Astarte, Diana, Hecate, Demeter, Kali... Inanna. It also mentions that nine million women died, ...in this holocaust against the nature people. The other key song, "Gay Spirit", expresses the frustration of growing up gay within a prejudiced society: When we were born they tried to put us in a cage, and tell our bodies what to feel, we have chosen to feel all the truth, that our bodies do reveal.... The chorus is a rousing burst of optimism: There's a gay spirit singing in our hearts, leading us through these troubled times, There's a gay spirit moving 'round this land, calling us to a time of open love.

According to his Facebook page[1], Whidbey Life Magazine[2], and a comment on the you tube video of The Burning Times posted by Aaron Cole, Charlie Murphy died on August 6, 2016 of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. He was born on July 4, 1953.

Catch the Fire track listing

Side One

  1. Gay Spirit (4:56)
  2. Double Love (2:59)
  3. Under Capricorn (3:17)
  4. Dear Men (4:14)
  5. Mother Ocean (6:04)

Side Two

  1. Love Life Enough to Struggle (5:43)
  2. No More (1:37)
  3. Burning Times (6:37)
  4. Healing Song (4:16)
gollark: no.
gollark: undefined badoption types good
gollark: Yes. Splice the virus into your DNA.
gollark: You can never escape the virus.
gollark: You *can*, if you want to for whatever reason, still implement that sort of thing using data types and functions with nicer haskelly syntax.

References
  1. https://www.facebook.com/charliemurphymusic/
  2. https://www.whidbeylifemagazine.org/singersongwriter-and-youth-development-leader-charlie-murphy-has-died/

Further reading
Hill, Ann (2005). "Burning Times". In Taylor, Bron R. (ed.). Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature. London: Continuum. p. 1239. ISBN 1-84371-138-9.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.