The Mystery of Murph

[David]

On the album sleeve of "The Wild Heart," buried among Stevie's typical litany of friends & associates in the THANKS section, is the name "Murf."

Who is--or was--Murf?

On the album "The Red Shoes," Kate Bush wrote a beautiful piano & strings ballad as a sort of tribute to friends & associates who died, including "Murph"--Alan Murphy, an English guitarist who died in 1989.



Do you think Stevie's "Murf" & Kate Bush's "Murph" are one & the same--i.e., Alan Murphy? Murphy was one of the most respected studio guitarists in the country. He was a member of Level 42, & played on hundreds of studio tracks, including Go West ("King of Wishful Thinking"), Kate Bush (that wild electric guitar solo on "Violin" is Murph), Joan Armatrading ("When I Get It Right"), Mike & the Mechanics ("The Living Years") & Scritti Politti.

I don't think Stevie's Murf & Alan Murphy are one & the same: Alan Murphy's discography shows absolutely no work with Stevie Nicks. So just forget this post.