Subscribe to theHip Parade: Early Mark Murphy
Original Airdate: August 5th, 2006
Perennially-hip jazz singer Mark Murphy got his start recording for Decca in the mid-1950s, with albums that featured arrangements by Ralph Burns. Decca producer Milt Gabler, who signed Murphy, said he thought the vocalist “every bit as good as Mel Torme, and that the first record he’d make would scare Frank Sinatra.” Murphy went on to record three LPs with Capitol, utilizing the arranging skills of West Coast musician Bill Holman. Although none of these records was as commercially successful as Murphy and his labels hoped, they marked the start of a great career.
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