Free MP3!: Visit the MP3 page for a free listen or download of Elliott's recent song about the economy, "What The Fuck Is Going On?" Recorded live in Stockholm in 2011 with the Normandy All Stars.

IT TAKES A WORRIED MAN: the new album by Elliott Murphy is now available on iTunes and in our webstore. The buzz begins... Click on the image above for a bigger version of the cover.

Elliott Murphy And The Normandy All Stars Annual December Tour – Elliott and the band will be in Philadelphia, New York, Amagansett, Ringwood, Piermont, Northampton and Teaneck this December. Full details on the tour page. Come on out for a fantastic evening of music, old and new! Click on the image above for a bigger version.

Elliott Murphy Awarded Prestigious French Award! – Elliott Murphy was awarded the prestigious Médaille de Vermeil de la Ville de Paris in a formal ceremony on October 1, 2012 at the Hotel de Ville in Paris. He joined the ranks of past winners that include fashion designers Valentino and Gianni Versace, actress Jane Fonda, Nobel Prize winning scientist Linus Pauling and Def Jam president Kevin Liles. Read Elliott's full acceptance speech.

Poetic Justice is finally available in English ! – Elliott's legendary neo-western novel Poetic Justice is finally available in an English version at Amazon.com. You can purchase a paperback edition or download a digital version to read on your iPhone, iPad, Kindle or other device. If you happen to be an Amazon.com Prime Member you can even borrow the book to read for free on a Kindle! It's a great summer read!

Lost Generation and Night Lights are finally available! – Sony/BMG has announced the re-release of these two classic albums as digital downloads after years of waiting by frustrated fans. Lost Generation (1975) was Elliott's second album where to escape the New York media frenzy following the release of his iconic first album Aquashow he relocated to Los Angeles to work with legendary Doors Producer Paul Rothschild and a who's who of the finest session players of the time including drummer Jim Gordon (Derek and the Dominos) and keyboardist Richard Tee (Paul Simon). For Night Lights, Murphy returned to New York's mythological Electric Lady Studios with producer Steve Katz (Lou Reed) and an amazing iconoclastic band including Ernie Brooks (Modern Lovers) and Jerry Harrison (Talking Heads). Both albums have long been rated 4 stars by the respected All Music Guide and are now available at iTunes (Lost Generation | Night Lights), Amazon (Lost Generation | Night Lights) and other digital download sites.

The great photos of Olivier Durand and Laurent Pardo are by Dany Wilmet whose credit was mistakenly left off the CD.

GB Music in the USA is proud to announce the release of three ELLIOTT MURPHY CDs:

• Elliott Murphy - The most recent studio album.
• Just A Story From New York - A brand new full band live album recorded in New York last December.
• Apres Le Deluge - A remastered reissue of the rare and out of print classic.

All three cds are in digipacks.There is also A Deluxe Signed Limited Edition of the new live Just A Story From New York. This 2 CD version has 4 bonus tracks and is limited to 100 copies. Each copy is hand signed by Elliott and comes with a print of the setlist from the show, hand signed and numbered as well. To order please go to the GB Records site.

Just like Mark Twain – Every Elliott Murphy concert is unique but this sold-out event, which was held on the vintage Swedish steamboat Blidösund on July 20, 2011, was very special indeed. The packed boat circled the incredible archipelago of Stockholm while Elliott played two personalized solo sets to the accompaniment of an awe-inspiring sunset. Everyone who returned to port said their life was indelibly changed for the better. We are trying to make it an annual event!

New Video! Watch the new video for Elliott's new single "Counterclockwise" by French director Ronan ... Time will fly by! [watch now]

New iTunes Exclusive Album! Elliott Murphy & The Normandy All Stars featuring Olivier Durand recently spent a day in an Amsterdam studio for the legendary 2 Meter Radio show. They recorded 7 songs including David Bowie's "Heroes" as well as selections from the recently released Elliott Murphy album and a slow, soulful version of Elliott's classic "Green River" and you can get it now on iTunes:

New Album! Elliott Murphy's new 2011 album, although musically rich and lyrically intense, has a very simple title - Elliott Murphy - and begins a new cycle in the Murphy career and legend as it was produced by none other then Elliott's 20 year-old son Gaspard Murphy. Once again featuring virtuoso guitarist Olivier Durand and The Normandy All Stars, the album was recorded in Le Havre, New York City, and Paris with guests Kenny Margolis on keyboards (Willy DeVille) and backing vocals by Laura Mayne (Native), Alain Chenneviere (Pow Wow) and Lisa Lowell (Bruce Springsteen). 11 Unforgettable songs like "Poise 'n Grace" and "Rock 'n Roll 'n Rock 'n Roll." A classic in the works!
Order the CD now from the website store!
It's also available at iTunes:

Fall Shows: Elliott Murphy and the Normandy All Stars featuring Olivier Durand will be playing shows all over Europe in anticipation of the January 2011 release of Elliott's new album simply titled Elliott Murphy and produced by Gaspard Murphy. Hear many of the new songs performed live! Check the tour section for details.

Elliott Immortalized: Hard rocking Bob Dye & The Usual Suspects have written and recorded a moving homage to Elliott with their incredible song "The Last Rock Star." Check out news section for song lyrics and links to the MP3.

Summer Shows: Elliott Murphy and the Normandy All Stars featuring Olivier Durand are about to start hitting summer festivals all over Europe - France, Italy, Spain, Belgium and Sweden. Check the Tour section for details.

The 2010 Annual Birthday Show: For Elliott's European fans (or those visiting Paris from the US) be sure not to miss his annual and legendary show at New Morning in Paris on Saturday March 27, 2010. (click on the image for a bigger version)

The Unfished Complete Lyrics Of Elliott Murphy Lenoir Ediciones announces the publication of The Unfinished Complete Lyrics of Elliott Murphy featuring the lyrics of 231 songs album by album. With a beautiful cover photo by Jack Mitchell from the Aquashow sessions and full of photos from all periods of Elliott's career inside. All the words from Aquashow to Notes From the Underground! Now available in the store on this site.

EM COME HOME...Elliott Murphy and the Normandy All Stars featuring Olivier Durand will play seven shows in the Northeast USA early December. Be there! Click on image for full schedule.

Cafe Heartbeat Concert On A USB Stick: Radio T in Chemitz, Germany recently recorded an Elliott Murphy And The Normandy All Stars Featuring Olivier Durand show at the great Cafe Heartbeat in Zwonitz and to satisfy the fans who wanted to take that great night home with them Radio T immediately burned engraved USB sticks to purchase after the show. The set list is:

1. The Valley Below
2. O Wyoming
3. A Touch of Mercy
4. Green River
5. Sonny
6. Pneumonia Alley
7. The Day after Valentine's Day
8. Razzmatazz
9. Canaries In The Mind
10. You Never Know What You're In For
11. The Last of the Rock Stars
12. On Elvis Presley's Birthday

Here's the link to purchase the USB. They still have a limited supply left so act fast.

We're so East Coast! Elliott Murphy will be returning to the East Coast of the U.S.A. for five shows in mid April 2009 on his Memory and Desire tour. Elliott will be performing with his incredible French backing band The Normandy All Stars featuring his amazing guitarist Olivier Durand. Once again, opening the show will be singer-songwriter Jann Klose and expect some surprises during Elliott's encores. Dates are confirmed in Fairfield CT, Fall River MA, Asbury Park NJ, Hoboken NY and Amagansett NY - check Tour section for details. These will be Elliott's first USA shows with a band in over a decade. For booking/gig information Anne Leighton and stay tuned for more information. "We're so East Coast - So here's a toast - Here's to everything that I wanted the most." ("Change Will Come")

Crawdaddy! Feature Article: One of the true original and long standing American rock 'n roll mags, Crawdaddy!, has posted a long interview and feature article on Elliott on their site written by legendary rock writer and long time Murphy admirer Mick Skidmore. Check it out.

I wish they all could be California Girls! Elliott Murphy will be playing his first West Coast shows in the U.S.A. in twelve years in January 2009 on his Hollywood Tour! Opening the show will be up and coming singer songwriter Jann Klose and Elliott will be appearing as a duo with his amazing guitarist Olivier Durand. Dates are confirmed in San Francisco, Santa Cruz, Tehachapi, San Diego, Long Beach and at the NAMM show in Anaheim - check Tour section for details. Plans for an April 2009 Mid West tour with band are in the works. For booking/gig information Anne Leighton and stay tuned for more information. Hollywood - you shaped my life with a technicolor carving knife ...

Hometown boy makes good! The Marie of the 6th Arrondisement in Paris, along with the University Paris Diderot, will host a two week long exposition honoring the 35 year career in music and literature of Elliott Murphy from September 10 - 26, 2008 entitled Elliott Murphy - Last of the Rock Stars - Retrospective that will culminate with a live concert on 26 September. It will be located in the beautiful Mairie (town hall) of the 6th Arrondisement in Paris right near the famous cafés of St. Germain. If you're planning a trip to Paris and you're an Elliott Murphy fan it's a great time to visit the city of light which Elliott has called home for the past 18 years. Right click on the image to download a full size, press quality PDF poster. (It's a big file.)

Elliott, Gaspard and Bruce: On June 27, 2008 Elliott Murphy and his talented guitarist son Gaspard Murphy joined Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band for "Born To Run" in front of 50,000 ecstatic fans at Parc de Princes in Paris, France. When Bruce invited Elliott to join him on stage shortly before the show and suggested "Born to Run" Elliott thought he might be unsure of the chords but Gaspard piped in that he could teach Dad as he knew the song by heart. And Bruce, in an incredible gesture of generosity, said "Well, if you know the song Gaspard then you can come up and play it too!" An unforgettable night for a father and son reunion and a memory that will last forever. See a larger version of the photo.

US radio airplay! "What's That" - an exciting up-tempo track from Elliott's recent release Notes From The Underground in which he sings his way through the entire alphabet ("A is for amazed when you walk out of the show - B is for bedazzled its the witching hour") is receiving airplay on NEXT: A New Music Show on radio station The Peak 107.1 from White Plains, New York. If you listen to The Peak and would like to hear more Elliott Murphy music on that great rock station send them an email at studio@1071thepeak.com and let them know.

New album now available! Elliott Murphy's new album Notes From The Underground is now available in the store here at elliottmurphy.com. It's also available at iTunes:

New online store! We've launched a new store here at elliottmurphy.com. Most of the items are available at our special "nice" price. We'll be adding more items soon. Visit the new store HERE.

Remember though, this is just a small portion of the Elliott Murphy CDs and LPs available. You can find a much larger collection at the "Official" Elliott Murphy store located HERE. You'll also find T-Shirts and books there.

New MP3 of "Canaries In The Mind." A solo acoustic version of the song from Coming Home Again. LISTEN NOW

Elliott Murphy and Red Lounge Records announce the release of The Murphys - The 1973 Aquashow Demos - on a limited Vinyl edition:

The album features a stunning photo from the original Aquashow sessions taken at the Plaza Hotel in New York City and consists of the very high quality demos that Elliott Murphy, Matthew Murphy and friend George Gates recorded before the final Aquashow sessions. Click here for more information and to order.

Purchase Downloads
You can now purchase selected song downloads directly from this site. Currently you can purchase individual songs from Coming Home Again for $0.99 each. More songs will be added in the future.

New CD! Coming Home Again

From the opening drum fill of "Pneumonia Alley" it's clear that Elliott Murphy's 29th album Coming Home Again is something very special in the career of this legendary singer-songwriter. Coming Home Again is already being talked about as a return to the classic Murphy songwriting style that marked his early albums Aquashow and Just A Story From America. Recorded in Le Havre, France with a talented crew of musicians from Europe and America including virtuoso French guitarist Olivier Durand and New York keyboardist Kenny Margolis. In this impressive collection of 13 new songs Murphy tips his hat to cultural icons as diverse as Hemingway and Paris Hilton and exotic locales from India to Veracruz although the music and words belongs to that mythical place his fans now call Murphyland. They will even give you a passport if you ask!*

Coming Home Again features moving anthems ("Pneumonia Alley") and righteous rockers ("Marianne's Garage Sale") and of course the tender ballads Murphy is famous for "(Making Friends With The Dead" & "Home Again") as well as a eulogy to a fallen musical comrade ("Jesse"). The album includes a track so radio-friendly ("A Touch of Kindness") that perhaps we'll be hearing Elliott Murphy back on the radio all over the world once again as with his FM hits of the past "Drive All Night" and "Anastasia."

Murphy (who with guitarist Olivier Durand plays over 100 shows a year all over Europe) says that most of the songs were recently written on the road: "After my blues album Murphy Gets Muddy I wanted to get back to a rich and diverse sound and I was confident that my current band (drummer Alan Fatras [ex-Moon Martin] and bassist Laurent Pardo [ex-Kid Pharoen] and of course guitarist Olivier Durand could give me what I wanted to hear when we went into the studio. In fact, I could hear the finished songs in my head even before we began recording and all the musicians seemed to read my mind. We recorded in-between tours at Florent Barbier's [ex-Roadrunners] brand new studio in Le Havre. For many years now I've been an expatriate American musician living in Paris and on the road and to tell the truth I don't know where home is anymore. But I know that Coming Home Again is where I want to be."

Come home to the legendary sound of singer-songwriter Elliott Murphy with Coming Home Again and you'll never want to leave!

iTunes! Almost all of Elliott's albums are now available for purchase at iTunes, both in Europe and the US. 24 albums are currently available, including the "Vintage Series" releases (which are available at a special low price). You can purchase entire albums or individual songs. And the best part is all the proceeds go to Elliott, not some record label somewhere. Click this button to view Elliott's albums at iTunes.

New MP3 of "Open City." A radio performance of "Open City" By Elliott and Olivier Durand at Radio Paradiso on Suisse Radio recorded February 24, 2006. LISTEN NOW

Read Elliott's thoughts about Paul Nelson who died recently. Paul was important to Elliott in the early days of his career and without Paul's help Elliott would probably never have been noticed by the rock critics who were so influential at the time. Read Elliott's essay HERE.

Download Elliott's original handwritten lyrics for "Winners, Losers, Beggars, Choosers."
Franck Dumaine was kind enough to send us the original handwritten lyrics for this classic song. We've reproduced them as a PDF file which you can download HERE.

Aquashow featured in Uncut magazine. The April 2006 edition of the UK's Uncut magazine features a full page article on Aquashow under the heading "All-Time Classics." We've reproduced it as a PDF file which you can download HERE.

Join the new Elliott Murphy Mailing List. We'll keep you updated with news and information about Elliott, tour dates, CD releases and more. JOIN NOW

Download Elliott's original liner notes for the Velvet Underground's 1969 Live
Elliott recently came across his original liner notes for the Velvet Underground's 1969 Live album. We've reproduced them as a PDF file which you can download HERE.

Marty May is Alive and Well and living in France!

In 1979 I was sleeping on a cot in my mother's den playing underpaid gigs all over New York and New Jersey and trying to figure out what the hell happened to my once promising career. Five years earlier, I was living a glamorous life at the Beverly Hills Hotel in a style I could grow accustomed to, where the clothes closets were bigger then the room I was now occupying. But you know, life is what happens while we're making other plans and rubbing shoulders with Liz Taylor in the Polo Lounge was not my destiny. California sun was soon replaced by New York rain, and after four albums I was a persona non-gratis as far as the major record labels were concerned. But hey, Vincent Van Gogh didn't have a record contract either!

I'm a man who carries an umbrella even on clear days but I do believe that every cloud has a silver living, so with a lot of free time on my hands I started to tap away on my Smith Corona electric typewriter a series of short stories that I hoped would help me to understand my situation. It was actually a bit of self-therapy, I guess. My late great mentor, Paul Nelson, had steered me in the right direction when one evening over burgers at the Jackson Hole he suggested I re-read F. Scott Fitzgerald's Pat Hobby Stories and use them as a template for my own not-yet-written novel. Fitzgerald wrote these stories when he was down and out in Hollywood in the late 1930's, trying to support his daughter away at a private school and his wife Zelda, sequestered in a mental hospital in Asheville, NC. Fitzgerald had already burned many bridges in the film industry, showing up drunk and disorderly at chic soirees, and had not really fit into the collaborative system of screenwriting anyway where a dozen or so authors might work on the same script at the same time. There's a great scene in Fitzgerald's posthumous novel, The Last Tycoon, where Hollywood tycoon Monroe Stahr, the chief protagonist, is explaining to an author turned screenwriter the difference between writing books and making movies. He tells a story full of mysterious visual action with no dialog at all and the scene contains an unforgettable line where Stahr, at the end of his story, has a nickel left [5 cent piece] in his hand and the author asks him what that's for and Stahr replied, "The popcorn!"

So, I hunkered down there at my mother's fourth floor apartment on York Avenue and wrote a few stories about my alter-ego Marty May, a whiz blues guitarist whose career had stalled to the point it was barely moving. I could relate, of course. The first story was called Cold and Electric and it brought Marty to Los Angeles to work as a guest guitarist on a new wave band's album with less then positive results. Some weeks later, after finishing the story, I was walking down 57th Street in Manhattan and ran into Jann Wenner, publisher of Rolling Stone, who asked what I was up to and I told him about Cold and Electric. He was very interested and after a bit of fine editing, he published it in Rolling Stone. I may not have had my photo on the cover of that bible of Rock and Roll (at least not yet) but I have had my name on that same magazine cover as an author of fiction - I'll take that for now!

My story had such an overwhelmingly positive reaction from readers - I got a ton of letters including one from Paramount Pictures in Hollywood - which Jann encouraged me to expand the story into a full novel, which I did, working closely with an RS editor Patty Bashe. When the novel was done we tried to shop it around to NY publishers but the problem was, if you can believe this, at that time the common wisdom among publishing houses was that fans of rock 'n roll do not read books. Believe it or not! So I licked my wounds and went back out on the road in Europe and mentioned the novel in a few interviews. And voila! I was approached by a small publisher in France who wanted to publish a shortened version of the book, which we did under the title Cold and Electric. Luckily, this version also came out in Spain and Germany and I figured that was it for the short sweet life of Marty May.

You know, I'm famous for my messy office, its kind of like the painter Francis Bacon's studio [Google it!] and every once in a while I try to get it kind of in order and go through my archives and just a year or so ago I found the dusty, faded manuscript of the full version of Cold and Electric. It was typewritten, of course, and kind of falling apart so I figured I better get it into the computer where it could live on for eternity not that I had any hopes for it seeing the light of day. As I was doing that, I was more taken with Marty's story then I was when I wrote it. Time had given a certain historical elegance to the setting and put the story in perspective especially considering the mess the music business is in now. I made some edits in grammar and structure without changing the original style. Took me a couple of months to do it and after it was done, again, I said goodnight to Marty May.

Then, I met Christophe Mercier, a fan of my music, an author himself, and an esteemed translator of English in French literary circles. For some reason, the topic of the book came up and Christophe wanted to read the full version. And he liked it, more then liked it, and presented it to Joelle Losefeld who has an eclectic imprint at Editions Gallimard, one of France's oldest and most prestigious publishers. Joelle was enthusiastic too and I could sense that Marty May was coming back to life. Christophe began his translation of the text and made some crucial edit and structure suggestions that I followed. I wanted to differentiate this novel from the shortened one twenty years earlier so I decided to call it Marty May, the hero's name right there on the cover in the tradition of Olivier Twist, Huckleberry Finn and, of course, The Great Gatsby.

So far, the reaction has been very satisfying and I'm tempted to write The Further Adventures of Marty May... maybe I will someday! In the meantime, Marty May is only available in a French edition and I'm hoping we will succeed in publishing an English version soon. They say every cat has nine lives and Marty May is a bit of a cat himself, that's what they use to call great studio musicians in New York and Nashville, so it seems he's come back to life one more time and I'm glad to have him around again trying to figure things out.

Order it now from Amazon France!

March 31, 2013

Read more archived messages from Elliott.