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.
Time On My Hands
Mark Murphy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The moon is my light of love
In the night, I am quite a romancer
I find an answer above
To being me consolation, you're my inspiration
This is my imagination.
Time on my hands, you in my arms
Once and for all, I'll see my dreams come true
Moments to spare for someone you care for
Our love affair for two
With time on my hands and you in my arms
And love in my heart all for you.
The opening verse of Mark Murphy's song Time On My Hands sets a romantic mood with its descriptive language and imagery. The singer seems to be alone in the twilight, with only the moon for company. However, his imagination takes over and he becomes a romancer, searching for answers about love and inspiration from above. The line "To being me consolation, you're my inspiration" suggests that the singer is looking for comfort and solace in his love, and sees his partner as a source of inspiration.
The chorus brings a more upbeat tempo and a sense of hope for the future. The singer speaks of having time on his hands, with his beloved in his arms, and nothing but love in view. The phrase "Once and for all, I'll see my dreams come true" implies that the singer has been waiting for this moment and is ready to commit himself fully to the relationship. The lines "Moments to spare for someone you care for, Our love affair for two" suggest that the singer values the time he can spend with his partner, and that their love is something special that they want to keep between themselves.
Line by Line Meaning
When the day fades away into twilight
As the day comes to an end and darkness takes over, I feel a sense of longing.
The moon is my light of love
The sight of the moon brings forth my emotions of love.
In the night, I am quite a romancer
Under the cover of darkness, I am more open about expressing my feelings and desires.
I find an answer above
I feel like there's a higher power guiding me towards finding love and happiness.
To being me consolation, you're my inspiration
Your presence brings me comfort and joy, and you inspire me to be a better version of myself.
This is my imagination.
Even though it may seem like a dream, I believe that our love is real and can come true.
Time on my hands, you in my arms
Having free time and being with you brings me the ultimate happiness.
Nothing but love in view, then you fall
All I can see and feel is love, and it overwhelms me.
Once and for all, I'll see my dreams come true
I am determined that finally, my dreams of finding true love will be fulfilled.
Moments to spare for someone you care for
I value the time spent with loved ones and cherish it.
Our love affair for two
Our love is an intimate and special bond between just the two of us.
With time on my hands and you in my arms
With no obligations and just us together, I feel at peace and happy.
And love in my heart all for you.
All my love and affection is for you, and you alone.
Lyrics © DistroKid, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Harold Adamson, Mack Gordon, Vincent Youmans
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind