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.
Cantaloupe Island
Mark Murphy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where time doesn't care, it's dreamin' and swayin'
Plenty food and plenty wine
People dancing in the fine
A sure way to go, the island so free
You close both your eyes, believe what you see
You'll be there in no time flat
The winds are so warm, you wear just a smile
You eat and you love, alive all the while
But beware the happiness
You get lost in loneliness
The mist from the sea will hide you away
The game that you play will turn night to day
You'll be gone for sure, my friend
While a taxi wait to end
In Mark Murphy's song "Cantaloupe Island," the lyrics paint a picture of a utopian island somewhere in the middle of the ocean. The first verse describes the idyllic nature of the island: time doesn't matter, there's plenty of food and wine, and people are dancing in the streets. The island is presented as an escape, almost like a tropical paradise where one can leave all their troubles behind.
The second verse encourages the listener to embrace the idea of the island and to believe in its power to transport them there. The lyrics speak of the island's warm winds, the abundance of love and life, but also warn of loneliness that can be a byproduct of too much happiness. The final lines warn that while the dream may be enticing, ultimately, reality will come rushing back to you like a taxi waiting to take you home.
Overall, "Cantaloupe Island" is a song about escapism and the desire for a perfect world. It speaks to the idea that the grass is always greener on the other side, that maybe somewhere out there is a place where life is carefree and perfect.
Line by Line Meaning
Well yeah, they say, they say, they say there's an isle, an ocean away
According to popular belief, there exists an island that is situated in some far away ocean.
Where time doesn't care, it's dreamin' and swayin'
This island is not affected by time and exists independently, causing people to lose themselves in its dreamy reality.
Plenty food and plenty wine
This island is abundant in food and wine, providing people with their necessities.
People dancing in the fine
People on this island are enjoying themselves and dancing away in a state of joyous bliss.
A sure way to go, the island so free
This is a guaranteed method of finding the island, which is known to offer complete freedom from the constraints of reality.
You close both your eyes, believe what you see
To reach this island, one must surrender to their imagination and believe in their vision of the island, even if it's just in their mind's eye.
You'll be there in no time flat
Instantaneously, one would reach this island, and time suddenly would not exist anymore.
Baby, this is where it's at
The island is the ultimate destination where people can find happiness and joy.
The winds are so warm, you wear just a smile
On this island, the winds are warm, and people are content enough to simply wear a smile on their faces.
You eat and you love, alive all the while
People on this island are alive and lively, enjoying the pleasures of food and love.
But beware the happiness
However, people should be mindful of the dangers of overwhelming happiness, which can lead to isolation and loneliness.
You get lost in loneliness
Happiness can transform into crippling loneliness that can cause people to feel lost.
The mist from the sea will hide you away
If someone is to leave this island, the mist of the sea will cloak them and make them disappear, as though they never even went to the island.
The game that you play will turn night to day
The experience of reaching the island changes the reality of time and space for the person and makes way for a new discovery, leading them to feel as though day feels like night.
You'll be gone for sure, my friend
Going to this island is a one-way trip, and once someone goes there, there is no going back.
While a taxi wait to end
As someone leaves the island, they may wait for a taxi that may never come, signifying the end of their journey.
Writer(s): HERBIE HANCOCK
Contributed by Ethan D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@sebastianweitemeier3600
Great cover ! As always, David Sanborn. and the Brecker brothers are brilliant in keeping the spirit of the tune alive. And Murphy's voice makes it even more groovy !
@luizneto3453
Clássic!
@giuliardizanetta1082
Floating Great Mr.MurphyBand!
@Ewerb7
Just wonderful!
@andrewbibby3402
0 dislikes. That's fuckin right.
Jazz god here
@antoinebeck967
Neat
@haaveillawanderlust6312
Can someone write song lyrics? Thanks!
@leon55429
UOU.
@xavierboutillier988
Muse records ..
@fabienraynaut7921
Well, they say there's an isle an ocean away
Were time doesn't count, it's dreaming and swaying
Plenty food and plenty wine, people dancing, ain't it fine ?
A shore way to go an island so free
You close both your eyes believe what you see
You'll be there in no time
Baby this is were it's at
The winds are so warm you wear just a smile
You eat and you love, alive all the while
But beware the happiness
You'll get lost in loneliness
The mist from the see will hide you away
The game that you play will turn night to day
You'll be gone for sure, my friend,
While a taxi's waiting to the end