Southwest Bluegrass Association (SWBA) is a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Corporation
A proud
sponsor of
Huck Finn's Jubilee Father's Day Weekend
SWBA
Member Band
The Murphy
Family
Based in Culver City,
California, the Murphy Family band began performing in
mid-2003, first at their neighbor-hood block party, where they
dazzled their friends and neighbors with their renditions of Boil
Them Cabbage Down and Cripple Creek.
Encouraged by that response, they expanded their repertoiret o include
various
classic bluegrass instrumentals and vocals, ranging from material from
Bill Monroe, to the Stanley Brothers, and Flatt and Scruggs. Of course, being the
creative sort, they also have penned their own compositions
and added them to their perform-ances at parties, local school
functions, and coffeehouses.
Member Profiles
Kyle Murphy: Kyle, born in
1993 (and 14 years old at the time of this posting) first took up the
mandolin, but at age 7 found it a mite easier to press down the strings on
a violin, so he began taking classical violin lessons. Well, what
with his father's background in Bluegrass and Old Time music, it wasn't
long before Kyle began ripping off fiddle tunes, with his Dad backing him
up on guitar. Of course, one thing led to another, as it usually
does, and before long (at the age of 10) Kyle started expanding and honing
his ability on the fiddle by taking lessons from Richard Greene, renowned
Old Time and Bluegrass fiddler extraordinaire (need we say more?) The
result? Kyel won 1st place in beginning and intermediate fiddle at
the Topanga Fiddle and Banjo Contest (2004 and 2006 respectively).
Then, in 2003, at the age of 10, with strengthened hands, Kyle returned to
the mandolin, an easy transition, of course, since the violin and mandolin
are tuned the same. And, as with the violin, Kyle proceeded to
expand and hone his mandolin playing with lessons at the age of 11 from
local mandolin great, Bob Applebaum, with the easily expected excellent
results. But just so you know, Kyle is a well-rounded young man with
a real passion for sports that has led him to being active in organized
soccer and baseball since he was 6.
Sara Murphy: Not wanting to
be left out of the family's musical endeavors, Sara, born in 1997, took up
the fiddle when she was 6, so she would have something to do while
everyone around her was playing music. Progressing rapidly since
then, and following in her older brother's footsteps, Sara began taking
lessons from Richard Green shortly after turning 10. Her vocal
abilities have been enhanced by her participation in the school
chorus. And not wanting to be musically limited, Sara is becoming an
accomplished 5-string banjo player. Like her brother, Sara maintains
a well-rounded approach to life with participation in Girl Scouts, sports
(soccer and softball), and dolls, especially the American Girl dolls.
Jim Murphy: Kyle and Sara
came by both their musical interest and aptitudes quite naturally, given
their father's long time involvement with Bluegrass and Old Time Music,
which extends all the way back to his undergraduate days in college in
Binghamton, New York, and which, of course, resulted in playing in more
than one string band over the years, including the Highstrung String Band
(Binghamton, New York), the Fenway Mountain Boys (where else but Boston, Massachusetts),
the Badger Mountain Dry Band (Richland, Washington), and currently
The
Spike Drivers out of Los Angeles. Jim has always loved science, as well, and he is a
chemistry professor at Santa Monica College.
The
Murphy Family Band with Doug Davis on banjo and Ron Vance on bass at Topanga Banjo Fiddle Contest 2008
