Dan Murphy (musician)

Daniel David Murphy (born July 12, 1962 in Duluth, Minnesota) is an American musician best known as a co-founder[1] lead guitarist for the alternative rock band, Soul Asylum from 1981 to 2012. He is also a member of Golden Smog.

Dan Murphy
Murphy on stage with Soul Asylum in 2010
Background information
Birth nameDaniel Murphy
Born (1962-07-12) July 12, 1962
Duluth, Minnesota, U.S.
GenresAlternative rock
Occupation(s)Musician, songwriter
InstrumentsGuitar, vocals
Years active1981–2012
LabelsA&M, Columbia
Associated actsSoul Asylum
Golden Smog

History

Murphy was the secondary songwriter in Soul Asylum, with Dave Pirner responsible for writing most of the band's material. Some of Murphy's solo writing credits include "Can't Go Back" from Made to Be Broken, "Cartoon" off Hang Time and "Gullible's Travels" from And the Horse They Rode in On. Additionally, he and Pirner co-wrote "Easy Street" which appeared on And the Horse They Rode in On, and he co-wrote "Promises Broken" off Let Your Dim Light Shine with Marc Perlman.

In 1988, Murphy formed Golden Smog, a Minneapolis supergroup made up of members of The Replacements, The Jayhawks and Run Westy Run. Murphy was credited as 'David Spear' on the group's second album, Down by the Old Mainstream, because of contractual obligations.[2]

In 1992, Murphy appeared on the debut solo album by former Replacements drummer Chris Mars, Horseshoes And Hand Grenades.

Soul Asylum's success in the early 1990's gave Murphy the funds to start collecting pin-up art. This interest led to the opening of his own art gallery, the Grapefruit Moon Gallery, in 2003.[3][4]

On October 9, 2012, Murphy announced his departure from Soul Asylum on the forum of "EnterTheSoulAsylum.com".[5][6] In his announcement, he explained that "To survive in the game of music...one needs an unhealthy and combustive internal combination of two seemingly distant attributes - naivety and swagger. I no longer have either..." He further stated that he "look[ed] forward to a quieter life with friends and family".[5][7]

On the occasion of his retirement he donated his Gibson Les Paul guitar, which he had used on every Soul Asylum album, to the Minnesota Historical Society.[8] Since 2012, he has focused on running Grapefruit Moon Gallery. [3]

In July 2019, Murphy reunited with members of Golden Smog for a one-off performance celebrating his 57th birthday.[9] This performance was followed by the announcement of a Golden Smog show in April 2020.[10] This latter performance has been postponed to an unspecified date due to Covid-19 concerns.

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References
  1. "A Brief History of the Bands and Artists". Review of rock bands from Minnesota. Minnesota Historical Society. 2012. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
  2. Westword.com Archived September 21, 2005, at the Wayback Machine
  3. Press, Amy Carlson Gustafson | Pioneer (May 7, 2014). "Ex-Soul Asylum rocker is stuck on pin-up art and hopes you will be, too". Twin Cities. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  4. "About • Grapefruit Moon Gallery". Grapefruit Moon Gallery. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  5. "Dan Murphy Quits Soul Asylum (after 31 years)". Steve Hoffman Music Forums. October 10, 2012. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  6. "enterthesoulasylum.com forum". enterthesoulasylum.com. October 10, 2012.
  7. "Guitarist Dan Murphy Leaves Soul Asylum". Rolling Stone. October 9, 2012. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  8. Williamson, Lori. "Dan Murphy's Les Paul Goldtop Guitar | Museum Collections Up Close : MNHS.ORG". Minnesota Historical Society. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  9. Riemenschneider, Chris (July 14, 2019). "All-star band Golden Smog dusts off the cobwebs in unannounced Minneapolis gig". Star Tribune. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  10. "GOLDEN SMOG". first-avenue.com. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
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