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Chris Murphy (Canadian musician)

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For other people with the same name, see Chris Murphy (disambiguation).

Chris Murphy
Murphy performing with Sloan in 2007
Murphy performing with Sloan in 2007
Background information
Born (1968-11-07) November 7, 1968 (age 56)
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada
OriginHalifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
GenresIndie
OccupationMusician
Instrument(s)Bass, drums, guitar, piano, vocals
Years active1991–present
Member ofSloan, , Tuns, Trans-Canada Highwaymen, Anyway Gang
Formerly ofThe Super Friendz, The Certain Someones

Christopher Michael Murphy (born November 7, 1968) is a Canadian musician and a member of the rock band Sloan.

Early life

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Murphy was born in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. His family moved[when?] to Charlottesville, Virginia, where his father obtained a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia. He later[when?] moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he attended Halifax West High School and the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design.

Musical career

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Murphy originally formed Sloan with Jay Ferguson. Murphy is the band's primary bassist, occasionally switching to drums or guitar, and is one of the band's two main singers; he sings lead on about 40 percent of the band's songs and backup harmony vocals on most of the others.

Murphy has written several Sloan songs that have been released as singles, including "Underwhelmed" (from the album Smeared), "Coax Me" (from Twice Removed), "G Turns to D" (from One Chord to Another), "She Says What She Means" (from Navy Blues), "The Other Man" (from Pretty Together), and "The Rest of My Life" (from Action Pact).

In 1995, while Sloan was on a hiatus, Murphy toured and recorded as the drummer for The Super Friendz.

Murphy hosted a show on CBC Radio 3 with Sloan bandmate Jay Ferguson from December 2005 through November 2006. The show was also broadcast on Sirius Satellite Radio channel 94.

In 2010, Murphy served as a music performance supervisor for the film Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, tasked with making sure the actors knew how to play their own instruments for the camera. One character, Young Neil, is seen wearing a Sloan t-shirt during one scene; another character, Todd Ingram, plays a red Fender Mustang Bass with white racing stripe, similar to Murphy's.[1]

In 2013, Murderecords released a 7-inch single by The Certain Someones, a supergroup featuring Chris Murphy, Matt Murphy of The Super Friendz, and Jale's Jennifer Pierce.

In 2015, Murphy formed the supergroup Tuns with Matt Murphy and Mike O'Neill of The Inbreds.[2][3]

In 2016, Murphy, along with Steven Page (Barenaked Ladies), Moe Berg (The Pursuit of Happiness), and Craig Northey (Odds), formed the group The Trans-Canada Highwaymen; they performed their first show in Niagara in July that year,[4] and toured across Canada in 2017.[5][6] Their live set consisted of cover songs by member's bands (Sloan, Odds, Pursuit of Happiness, Barenaked Ladies).

In 2018, Murphy and his bandmates from Sloan set out on a 30-date tour in support of their twelfth album together.[7]

In August 2019, it was announced that Murphy had formed a supergroup called Anyway Gang with Sam Roberts and members of Hollerado and Tokyo Police Club.

Murphy and Joel Plaskett collaborated on the production of Prize for Writing, a posthumous album by singer-songwriter Matthew Grimson, which was recorded in 1995 but not commercially released until 2020.[8]

Personal life

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Murphy and his girlfriend, Rebecca Mendoza, have two sons, Francisco and Santiago.

In July 2009, Murphy was hit by a car in a hit and run collision while riding his bicycle in Toronto, breaking his collarbone.[9][10] The incident lent its name to Sloan's subsequent release, the Hit & Run EP.[11]

On January 27, 2021, Murphy announced on Instagram that he was diagnosed with Bell's palsy earlier that month. He was optimistic that he would fully recover in the months ahead.[12]

References

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  1. ^ "Edgar Wright, Michael Cera, and Jason Schwartzman On Set Interview SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD". Collider. Archived from the original on September 16, 2012. Retrieved September 8, 2010.
  2. ^ "Sloan / Super Friendz / Inbreds Supergroup TUNS Announce Debut Album". Exclaim!, May 20, 2016.
  3. ^ "‘Supergroup’ TUNS share their dream band collaborations". Toronto Star, By Ben Rayner, Aug. 17, 2016
  4. ^ "Chris Murphy Introduces His New Supergroup the Trans-Canada Highwaymen". Exclaim!, By Gregory Adams, Jul 21, 2016
  5. ^ "30 years later, the Pursuit of Happiness is back on its feet". The Globe and Mail, Jan. 4, 2019
  6. ^ "Stories Behind A New Canadian Supergroup | FYIMusicNews". www.fyimusicnews.ca. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  7. ^ "REVIEW: Sloan still delivering nearly 30 years in". Thunder Bay Newswatch, Apr 5, 2018 by: Leith Dunick
  8. ^ Brad Wheeler, "Joel Plaskett and Sloan singer-bassist Chris Murphy bring songs of late Halifax musician Matthew Grimson back to life". The Globe and Mail, August 5, 2020.
  9. ^ "Sloan bassist Chris Murphy talks about nearly dying in hit and run". CP24, The Canadian Press, November 22, 2009
  10. ^ Harper, Kate (July 30, 2009). "Sloan Bassist Breaks Collarbone". CHARTattack. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
  11. ^ Collins, Leah (November 30, 2009). "Hit & running again: Sloan". National Post. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  12. ^ "'I have to tape my eye shut': Sloan's Chris Murphy diagnosed with Bell's palsy". CTV News. January 27, 2021. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
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