Born in Syracuse, New York, in 1932, Murphy was raised in a musical family, his parents having met as members of the local Methodist Church choir. He grew up in the nearby small town of Fulton, New York, where his grandmother and then his aunt were the church organists. Opera was also a presence in the Murphy home. He started piano lessons at the age of seven.
Murphy joined his brother's jazz dance band as the singer when a teenager, citing influences from Nat "King" Cole, June Christy, Anita O'Day, and Ella Fitzgerald. The Jazz pianist Art Tatum was also an influence.
Murphy graduated from Syracuse University in 1953, majoring in Music and Drama. University life included performing on campus and also in a club – playing piano and singing.
In 1954, Murphy moved to New York City, working part-time as an actor and singer. He appeared in productions for the Gilbert and Sullivan Light Opera Company and a musical version for television of Casey at the Bat. Also, he twice took second place at the Apollo Theatre amateur contests.
Murphy was eventually introduced to record producer Milt Gabler, who was an artist and repertoire director (A & R) for Decca. His resulting debut recording was Meet Mark Murphy (1956), followed closely by Let Yourself Go (1957).
In 1958 Murphy moved to Los Angeles and recorded for Capitol, but returned to New York in the early '60s and recorded the album Rah! (1961) on Riverside Records, performing "Angel Eyes", a version of Horace Silver's "Doodlin'", and "Green Dolphin Street", featuring Bill Evans, Clark Terry, Urbie Green, Blue Mitchell and Wynton Kelly as accompanists. His favorite recording to date, That's How I Love the Blues, soon followed. In 1963, Murphy hit the charts across the country with his single of "Fly Me to the Moon" and was voted New Star of the Year in Down Beat Magazine's Reader's Poll.[citation needed]
In the late 1960s Murphy moved to London, England, where he worked primarily as an actor. He continued however, to cultivate his jazz audiences in Europe. He returned to the States in 1972 and began recording an average of an album a year for more than fourteen years on the Muse label. These projects - including the albums Nat King Cole Songbook Vol. I and II, Bop for Kerouac, Kerouac Then And Now, Living Room, Satisfaction Guaranteed, Beauty And the Beast and, Stolen Moments - gained numerous Grammy nominations.[citation needed] This last album contains Oliver Nelson's "Stolen Moments" with lyrics by Murphy.
In 1984 together with Viva Brasil he recorded the album Brazil Song (Cancões do Brasil), which featured original material written by Brazilian songwriters including work by Antonio Carlos Jobim and Milton Nascimento.
In 1987, Murphy recorded Night Mood, an album of songs by Brazilian composer Ivan Lins, followed by the Grammy-nominated September Ballads on Milestone Records. Murphy has also appeared on U.F.O.'s last two releases (for Polydor Records), in which he wrote and rapped lyrics on songs composed with the group. This collaboration opened up further new audiences in the acid-jazz and hip-hop genres, demonstrating jazz's timelessness while transcending generations and styles.
In August 1997, BMG/RCA Victor released Song For The Geese, for which he has received his sixth Grammy nomination. Also in August 1997, the 32 Records label Joel Dorn and Michael Bourne released a double CD anthology Stolen and Other Moments, which features some of his recordings for the now defunct Muse label. The CD features material from the two "Kerouac" albums and a selection of "the best of Mark Murphy".
Murphy’s release Once to Every Heart (2005), on the Verve label, features sensuous ballads, where the listener can capture him singing in top form, with superb musicians and sounding better than ever. In 2007 Love is What Stays was released on Verve. Both albums were produced by German trumpeter Till Brönner.
Murphy has also collaborated with Five Corners Quintet, a modern Finnish jazz band. He appears on their albums Chasin' the Jazz Gone By (2005) and Hot Corner (2008).
In 2010 he released the independently produced CD, Never Let Me Go, on which he is supported by pianist Misha Piatigorsky, bassist Danton Boller and drummer Chris Wabich. A limited edition EP/MP3, "Beautiful Friendship: Remembering Shirley Horn" on Gearbox Records was released in 2013.
Murphy continued to tour internationally into his 80s, appearing at festivals, concerts, in jazz clubs and on television programs, throughout the U.S., Europe, Australia and Japan, as well as other places. John Bush at AllMusic.com described Murphy as "a major name in vocal jazz." A longtime resident of the Lillian Booth Actors Home in Englewood, New Jersey, he died there on October 22, 2015.
Autumn Nocturne
Mark Murphy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And green leaves turn to gold
Then I remember last September
You and I said goodbye
Whispering that we would be returning
When autumn comes again
Now autumn roams the hills once more
Now here am I with, alone with only memories
Only lonely memories, autumn memories of you
Love, when the leaves are turning
I get a hungry yearning for your arms
Love, when a heart is so blue
It shadows bright October's golden charm
The flaming moon reminds me of
The night of love that we once knew
Each tiny star is but a prayer
That when it's fall again, love will call again
And you'll be beside me to make
My autumn dreams come true
Love, when the leaves are turning
I get a hungry yearning for your arms
Love, when a heart is so blue
It shadows bright October's golden charm
The flaming moon reminds me of
The night of love that we once knew
Each tiny star is but a prayer
That when it's fall again, love will call again
And you'll be beside me to make
My autumn dreams come true
Mark Murphy's song Autumn Nocturne starts off with the artist reminiscing about a previous autumn when he and a loved one parted ways, promising to be reunited the next year. The lyrics are beautifully descriptive, as they detail a stunning natural transition where the green leaves of summer turn into a sea of gold as the season changes. However, Murphy remains alone, and while autumn brings back comforting memories, it also reminds him of the emptiness he still feels. A chorus follows, where he expresses the intensity of his longing for the person he lost when the leaves turn to their golden state once again.
The second verse of the song sees Murphy continuing his lamentations. He speaks of how his former love forgot their promise to return with the autumn, leaving him alone with only memories from the year before. The artist elaborates on how the bright and beautiful colors of October mean nothing to him without the person he loves to enjoy them with, leaving him with "only lonely memories" of a time long gone. Through the lyrics, Murphy expresses that each little hope he has is carried within each shooting star - a reminder that with each autumn, love will call again, and he will find solace with someone whose arms will hold him tight, and a promise that his autumn dreams will come true.
Line by Line Meaning
When autumn sings her lullaby
As autumn transforms nature with its music and magic, it coaxes all living beings to take a rest and fall asleep.
And green leaves turn to gold
The subtle changes in the weather and nature signify the ending of summer and the onset of fall, as the leaves change hue and begin to decay.
Then I remember last September
As autumn returns, it triggers memories of the past, particularly in September when you and I parted ways.
You and I said goodbye
We parted ways, but we promised to reunite when autumn came again.
Whispering that we would be returning
We both whispered promises of returning once autumn made its presence felt.
When autumn comes again
Our fates were intertwined with the arrival of autumn, where we would fulfill our promise.
Now autumn roams the hills once more
With autumn's arrival, it takes over the hills and the grassy plains with its stark beauty.
But you forgot your vow
As autumn returns, it reminds me that you forgot the promise we made in September to come back together.
Now here am I with, alone with only memories
As I observe the autumn sights alone, it reminds me of the memories we created together in the past seasons.
Only lonely memories, autumn memories of you
Amidst autumn solitude, all that is left are the memories of the moments when we last spent time together.
Love, when the leaves are turning
The changes in the leaves carry a message of love, which rekindles a longing for their presence once again.
I get a hungry yearning for your arms
With the onset of autumn, the yearning begins to grow stronger to be in your arms again.
Love, when a heart is so blue
When the heart is low with sadness and grief, only the love of another person can help it shine and heal.
It shadows bright October's golden charm
Despite the bright charm of autumn, the heart still longs for love's company to make it shine brighter.
The flaming moon reminds me of
As the moon glows bright during autumn, it reminds me of the flaming passion that we once shared.
The night of love that we once knew
The passion and intimacy that we once shared are now only a memory to hold on to as autumn settles in.
Each tiny star is but a prayer
Every star in the sky becomes a beacon of hope, a prayer, to help fulfill the desire to be reunited again in the next autumn.
That when it's fall again, love will call again
The prayer of autumn's stars is for love to return, and for us to be reunited once more in its captivating season.
And you'll be beside me to make
As autumn approaches, I hold on to the hope that you will be next to me again to share in its beauty.
My autumn dreams come true
Our meeting again in autumn promises the possibility of fulfilling all of the dreams and desires that are associated with the season.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JOSEF MYROW, KIM GANNON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind