Turk Murphy

Turk Murphy
Background information
Born
Melvin Edward Alton Murphy

(1915-12-16)December 16, 1915
Palermo, California, U.S.
DiedMay 30, 1987(1987-05-30) (aged 71)
San Francisco, California, U.S.
GenresTraditional jazz, Dixieland jazz
OccupationsMusician, singer, bandleader
InstrumentTrombone
Labels

Melvin Edward Alton "Turk" Murphy (December 16, 1915 – May 30, 1987)[3] was an American trombonist and bandleader, who played traditional and Dixieland jazz.

Early life

He was born on December 16, 1915, in Palermo, California, United States.[3] Murphy was a stutterer, but not when singing or announcing.[4]

Career

From 1937, Murphy was a trombonist for Lu Watters and, in 1940, with Watters' Yerba Buena Jazz Band, formed to play at San Francisco's Dawn Club.[2] Murphy served in the Navy during World War II, during which, he played and recorded with Lu Watters and Bunk Johnson.[3] After the Navy, Murphy continued with Watters.[2]

From Friday the 13th, June 1947, through 1950,[5] Murphy performed with Lu Watters and the Yerba Buena Jazz Band at Hambone Kelly's,[6][7] a 500-capacity nightclub, the former Sally Rand's Hollywood Club on San Pablo Avenue in El Cerrito, California.[6] A county line bisected Hambone Kelly's. Hambone Kelly's had a front bar in Alameda County and a larger back-room bar in Contra Costa County.[8]

"Turk formed his own band in 1949.[9] They toured nationally with multiple residencies in New York City, making their San Francisco home base the Italian Village club (1952–1954),[10] The Tin Angel (1955–1957), and Easy Street[11][12] (1957–1959)."[13][14]

In 1951, Turk Murphy's Jazz Band played at the Beverly Cavern, in Hollywood, Los Angeles for six weeks.[15]

In 1952, Turk Murphy's Jazz Band,[3][9] included pianist Wally Rose, clarinetist Bob Helm, banjoist Dick Lammi, and tubaist Bob Short.

In April 1959, Turk's band was playing at Easy Street, 2215 Powell.[16]

After Earthquake McGoon's closed, Turk Murphy's Jazz Band performed at the New Orleans Room in the Fairmont Hotel on Nob Hill, San Francisco.[17][18]

In January 1987, he played Carnegie Hall.[19]

Earthquake McGoon's

Until 1960, Murphy stayed mostly on the road.[20] Then Murphy and pianist Pete Clute opened their nightclub,[17][20] Earthquake McGoon's,[19] at 99 Broadway, the former Mr. Z's and earlier, Sail'N,[16] which opened in 1960, then moved to 630 Clay Street, operated for sixteen years, moving to 128 The Embarcadero then Pier 39, closing in 1984.[14] KJAZ radio broadcast live from Earthquake McGoon's, at Pier 39, sponsored by See's Candies.[17]

Television

The band appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show twice, in 1959 and 1965. In 1979, Robert Schulz began an eight-year stint with the band. Other notable band members included trumpeters Don Kinch and Leon Oakley; pianists Pete Clute, Don Keeler, and Ray Skjelbred; banjoist Carl Lunsford, tuba and trombonist Bill Carroll, singers Pat Yankee and Jimmy Stanislaw.[21]

Murphy was the singer for the 1971 Sesame Street cartoon shorts, "The Alligator King" and "No. 9 Martian Beauty". They were animated and produced by his friend Bud Luckey. Murphy arranged and performed on many of Luckey's other Sesame Street animated shorts.

Personal life

In 1952, while living in a flat on Chestnut Street, Murphy and Grace broke up.[4][22]

He was friend of trombonist and Disney animator Ward Kimball, who created many memorable caricatures of Murphy, and Charles Addams, creator of the Addams Family.

He died on May 30, 1987.[3]

Discography

  • 1950 San Francisco Jazz, Vol. 1 (Good Time Jazz)
  • 1950 In Hollywood
  • 1951 San Francisco Jazz, Vol. 2 (Good Time Jazz)
  • 1952 Turk Murphy with Claire Austin (Good Time Jazz)
  • 1953 Barrelhouse Jazz (Columbia)
  • 1954 When the Saints Go Marching In (Columbia)
  • 1954 Music of Jelly Roll Morton (Columbia)
  • 1955 Dancing Jazz (Columbia)
  • 1956 New Orleans Jazz Festival (Columbia)
  • 1957 New Orleans Shuffle (Columbia)
  • 1957 George Lewis & Turk Murphy at Newport (Verve)
  • 1957 Music for Losers (Verve)
  • 1958 Turk Murphy at Easy Street (Verve)
  • 1958 Live at Easy Street, Vol. 1 (Dawn Club)
  • 1959 Turk Murphy at the Round Table (Roulette)
  • 1959 Music for Wise Guys and Boosters (Roulette)
  • 1962 Let the Good Times Roll
  • 1972 In Concert, Vol. 1 (GHB)
  • 1972 Turk Murphy and His San Francisco Jazz Band, Vol. 2 (GHB)
  • 1972 In Concert, Vol. 2 (GHB)
  • 1972 Turk Murphy (GHB)
  • 1972 Turk Murphy and His San Francisco Jazz Band, Vol. 1 (GHB)
  • 1972 Turk Murphy's Jazz Band (Merrymakers)
  • 1973 Frisco Jazz Band, Live! (MPS)
  • 1973 The Earthquake McGoon Recordings (Merrymakers)
  • 1980 A Natural High (Bainbridge)
  • 1986 Concert in the Park (Merrymakers)
  • 1986 San Francisco Memories (Merrymakers)
  • 1986 Southern Stomps (Lake)
  • 1987 Turk at Carnegie (Stomp Off)
  • 1995 San Francisco Jazz (Merrymakers)
  • 1995 Turk Murphy's San Francisco Jazz Band (Merrymakers)
  • 1995 Sentimental Journeys (Merrymakers)
  • 1995 Live from the Rathskellar, Vol. 2 (Merrymakers)
  • 1995 Live from the Rathskellar, Vol. 1 (Merrymakers)
  • 1998 Live at Carson Hot Springs
  • 2000 Recorded Live at the Cinegrill: 1950
  • 2006 Turk's DeLight (Jasmine)[23]

References

  1. ^ "Bunk Johnson-Lu Watters by J. S. Shipman". Jazz Review Vol 3 Num 5 (PDF). June 1960.
  2. ^ a b c "Murphy, Turk". Richard Cook’s Jazz Encyclopedia. The Jazz Tome. 2005. Retrieved February 4, 2026.
  3. ^ a b c d e Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. pp. 1781/2. ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
  4. ^ a b Leigh, James. "Traditional Jazz Scene in the SF Bay Area and Southern California, Part Two: Becoming Turk Murphy". JazzWest.com. Archived from the original on March 12, 2002. Retrieved February 4, 2026.
  5. ^ "Hambone Kelly's, Turk Murphy. reel no. 35". The San Francisco Traditional Jazz Foundation Collection. El Cerrito (Calif.): Stanford University. March 23, 1950. Retrieved February 3, 2026. Yerba Buena Jazz Band
  6. ^ a b "Hambone Kelly's Home to Lively Jazz Scene in Post-war El Cerrito". El Cerrito Historical Society. Archived from the original on November 27, 2025. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  7. ^ "The Gay Philosopher, Why Worry? by Henry Major". Artistica Fine Art. Archived from the original on February 3, 2026. Retrieved February 3, 2026. JPG
  8. ^ Runkle, R. Bret (1978). "Bay Area Jazz Clubs of The 'Fifties" (PDF). JAZZ RHYTHM jazzhotbigstep.com. Berkeley: Dave Radlauer. Retrieved February 4, 2026. Notes for Typed Version of Runkle Manuscript Typed by Joe Spencer, March/April 2015 from copy provided by Dave Radlauer; Typed verbatim (I was assisted generously and patiently in this undertaking by Walt Yost, Turk Murphy, Dick Oxtot, Ev Farey and PT Stanton. Russell Glynn, Sanford Newbauer, Bob Helm, Bob Meilke, Bill Bardin, Pete Clute, Lee Valencia, Burt Bales, Dave Polos, Earl Scheelar, Devon Hawkins, Bunky Colman, and Jack Buck also lent their memories. Ray Landsberg, Walt Yost, Mike Duffy and Ray Skjelbred assisted with interviews. Special thanks to Turk, who took the trouble to assemble his recollections in a comprehensive letter. Special thanks also to Dick Oxtot, who loaned me his newspaper clipping file.)
  9. ^ a b Wasserman, John (March 10, 1974). "Bookings in the Months to Come". The San Francisco Examiner. San Francisco, California. Retrieved February 2, 2026 – via Newspapers.com. Turk Murphy, whose Dixieland band is currently celebrating 25 years ... was recently the recipient of a citation ... from the White House.
  10. ^ "Turk Murphy at the Italian Village - 1953". www.sfmuseum.org - Virtual Museum of San Francisco. Archived from the original on February 17, 2025. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  11. ^ "Books". Playboy. April 1, 1958. Retrieved February 4, 2026. San Francisco's newest jazz rookery, Easy Street (2215 Powell), is the first of a series of similar across-the-country clubs operated by a corporation that boasts Mr. Turk Murphy as an exec.
  12. ^ "The Clubs". The San Francisco Traditional Jazz Foundation Collection. Stanford University. Archived from the original on July 3, 2019. Retrieved February 4, 2026. Easy Street, 2215 Powell Street; Dawn Club, 20 Annie Street; Club Hangover, 729 Bush Street; C.I.O. Hall, 150 Golden Gate Avenue, Bunk Johnson with members of the Yerba Buena Jazz Band, 1944, later, The Green Room, for Kid Ory's Creole Jazz Band, 1947; Italian Village, 901 Columbus Avenue; Sail'N, 99 Broadway ... building was purchased by Turk Murphy and Pete Clute in 1960; Tin Angel, 981 Embarcadero Bands led by Turk Murphy, Bob Scobey, Kid Ory, George Lewis, Lizzie Miles, Wally Rose, Bob Hodes, Bob Mielke, and others performed here before the club was sold to Kid Ory in 1958. Ory changed the address to number 987 and renamed the club "On The Levee" and led the house band; Hambone Kelly's 204 San Pablo Ave., El Cerrito;
  13. ^ "Turk Murphy's San Francisco Jazz Band - Live At Easy Street". discogs. Retrieved February 4, 2026.
  14. ^ a b "Turk Murphy". The San Francisco Traditional Jazz Foundation Collection. Stanford University. March 23, 2018. Retrieved February 2, 2026. In 1960, Turk opened his San Francisco nightclub, Earthquake McGoon's, at 99 Broadway. The second Earthquake McGoon's, at 630 Clay Street, operated for sixteen years before moving to two other locations and closing in 1984.
  15. ^ "Record Shops & Old Masters". JazzWest. Archived from the original on August 28, 2002. Retrieved February 4, 2026.
  16. ^ a b Leigh, James. "Traditional Jazz Scene in the SF Bay Area and Southern California, Part Four: Open That Golden Gate". JazzWest.com. Archived from the original on February 20, 2002. Retrieved February 4, 2026.
  17. ^ a b c "Earthquake McGoon's". The San Francisco Traditional Jazz Foundation Collection. Stanford University. Archived from the original on July 4, 2019. Retrieved February 2, 2026.
  18. ^ "Night Life". The San Francisco Examiner. San Francisco, California. June 2, 1985. Retrieved February 3, 2026 – via Newspapers.com. FAIRMONT HOTEL New Orleans Room, Tuesday through Saturday from 9:30 p.m.: Turk Murphy Jazz Band. Sunday and Monday: Jimmy Price and friends. Lobby level. Tonga Room: Tuesday through Saturday: Joe Alvarez Trio. Sunday and Monday: Lisa Sanchez Trio. Terrace level.
  19. ^ a b Wilson, John S. (January 9, 1987). "Turk Murphy to Perform at Carnegie". The New York Times. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
  20. ^ a b "Melvin "Turk" Murphy". Cypress Lawn Heritage Museum. September 4, 2020. Retrieved February 2, 2026.
  21. ^ Shaw, Lew (September 1, 2018). "Turk Murphy's Respect for the Past". The Syncopated Times. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
  22. ^ Leigh, James. "Traditional Jazz Scene in the SF Bay Area and Southern California, Part Three: Mister Leader Man". JazzWest.com. Archived from the original on March 12, 2002. Retrieved February 4, 2026.
  23. ^ "Turk Murphy - Album Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved December 30, 2016.

Other sources

"The collection comprehensively covers the career of Turk Murphy", with related materials about Earthquake McGoon's, Lu Watters, Kid Ory, Burt Bales, Clancy Hayes, Bob Scobey, Bob Helm, Wally Rose, Dick Lammi, Bill Dart, Don Noakes, William Miskell and similar; containing: texts, audio, visuals, images, film, and video;
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