Mark Howe Murphy (March 14, 1932 – October 22, 2015) was an American jazz s… Read Full Bio ↴Mark Howe Murphy (March 14, 1932 – October 22, 2015) was an American jazz singer based in New York. He was known for his use of vocalese and vocal improvisations with both melody and lyrics. He was the recipient of the 1996, 1997, 2000, and 2001 Down Beat magazine readers jazz poll for Best Male Vocalist of the Year and also the recipient of six Grammy award nominations for Best Vocal Jazz Performance. He wrote original lyrics to the jazz tunes "Stolen Moments" and "Red Clay".

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.

I Got Rhythm
Mark Murphy Lyrics

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Days can be sunny, with never a sigh
Don't need what money can buy
Birds in the trees sing their day full of song
Why shouldn't we sing along?

I'm chipper all the day, happy with my lot
How do I get that way? Look at what I've got

I got rhythm, I got music
I got my man
Who could ask for anything more?
I got daisys, in green pastures
I got my man
Who could ask for anything more?

Old man trouble
I don't mind him
You won't find him 'round my door
I got starlight
I got sweet dreams
I got my man
Who could ask for anything more ?

Old man trouble
I don't mind him
You won't find him, 'round my door
I got starlight
I got sweet dreams
I got my man
Who could ask for anything more ?

I got rhythm, I got music
I got daisys, in green pastures
I got starlight
I got sweet dreams

I got my man
Who could ask for anything more ?

Overall Meaning

Mark Murphy's "I Got Rhythm" can be interpreted as an upbeat and optimistic response to life. The lyrics suggest that even on the darkest of days, one can find happiness in the simple things such as the beauty of nature and the presence of a loved one. The song reinforces the idea that material possessions are not necessary for happiness and that joy can be found in the little things.

The first verse establishes a bright and sunny day where birds are singing and the singer is content with life. The second verse discloses the secret to the singer's happiness--it is not having what money can buy but rather having rhythm, music, and a special person in their life. The chorus reiterates this sentiment and states that the singer has all they could ever need with their partner and the beauty of the world around them.

The last verse says that even when trouble arises, the singer is not bothered because they have everything they need to keep them happy. The song ends with a repeated chorus emphasizing the idea that one's loved ones and the beauty of the world are all that is needed to bring contentment.

Overall, "I Got Rhythm" exudes an optimistic attitude towards life and stresses the importance of finding joy in the simple things.

Line by Line Meaning

Days can be sunny, with never a sigh
Even the worst days can be brightened by a positive attitude

Don't need what money can buy
Happiness cannot be bought with wealth

Birds in the trees sing their day full of song
Nature is a source of joy and inspiration

Why shouldn't we sing along?
We should join in and appreciate the world around us

I'm chipper all the day, happy with my lot
I am content and satisfied with what I have

How do I get that way? Look at what I've got
Gratitude is the key to happiness

I got rhythm, I got music
These simple pleasures bring joy to my life

I got my man
The love of my life is by my side

Who could ask for anything more?
I am blessed beyond measure

I got daisys, in green pastures
I find beauty and peace in nature