Subject: Noel Murphy From: GUEST,Nick Guida Date: 25 Jan 01 - 08:49 AM I just purchase a few old Noel Murphy albums and would interested what other people think of and know about him. Nick |
Subject: RE: Noel Murphy From: zander (inactive) Date: 25 Jan 01 - 02:14 PM Noel was a [ maybe still is ] brilliant singer and raconteur, he used to paerforme with a guy called Shaggis, Davie Johnston I think. Cheers, Dave |
Subject: RE: Noel Murphy From: MARINER Date: 25 Jan 01 - 03:25 PM I think Noel is gone to the great session in the sky.He was a real rip roarin'type, larger than life, if memory serves me well. Didn't Davy Johnson go on to become a famous sideman with Elton John or somesuch? |
Subject: RE: Noel Murphy From: BanjoRay Date: 25 Jan 01 - 05:33 PM Before he went to be Elton John's lead guitar player, Shaggis (Davy Johnston(sp?)) was a really good tenor banjo player who did the folk clubs with Noel Murphy. Murph was a really entertaining turn, with some great one line put downs. If a nice looking girl wandered across the room while he was on stage he would say "May the Lord have Murphy on yer!". Cheers Ray |
Subject: RE: Noel Murphy From: Lanfranc Date: 25 Jan 01 - 06:08 PM I always read these threads that are just headed by the name of a singer or musician with a certain amount of trepidation, but in this case, I believe I have good news. As far as I know, Folk Valhalla is still deficient of Murphy's talents. Last I heard he was spending more time on the golf course (he used to play off scratch) than on the stage. Murphy was one of the great bunch of singer/entertainers of the 60s and 70s which included Alex Campbell, Derek Brimstone, Colin Scot, Dis Disley, Johnny Silvo, Hamish Imlach and Jeremy Taylor. Alex, Hamish and Colin are no longer with us, alas, but the others still lurk in unlikely places and appear sporadically at Folk Clubs in the UK and elsewhere. Noel had a nasty accident with a shard of broken glass which he inadvertently tried to swallow with a pint, and this curtailed his activity for some time. He did recover from this, and I last saw him a couple of years ago. Another sidelight, Ralph McTell's song "Clare to here" was either written for or dedicated to Noel. The Murphy version of the Hoffnung address to the Oxford Union (aka "Paddy's Sicknote") was definitive IMHO - not a dry leg in the house! |
Subject: RE: Noel Murphy From: MARINER Date: 25 Jan 01 - 06:17 PM I'm delighted to hear that Noel is still around. The World needs people like him.But what ever happened to Johnnie Silvo, Derek Brimstone, Diz Disley and Jeremy Taylor, are they still playing? |
Subject: RE: Noel Murphy From: Lanfranc Date: 25 Jan 01 - 06:43 PM Johnny Silvo lives in Norway but tours the UK briefly most years. Derek Brimstone still lives in Hemel Hempstead, has published Vol 1 of his autobiography which is hilarious. He still does gigs, despite grandfather status. His sons, who use their real surname, Brimson, have gained notoriety of their own. Diz Disley reappeared briefly a couple of years ago, and is, as far as I know, back living in the UK after spending some years in the US. Jeremy Taylor now lives in semi-retirement in Wales, has started writing again and is as acerbic as ever. I'll do a little more research and see if I can find any gigs listed - I should make the effort to go and see them myself. There are a number who shuffled off this mortal coil and left me hacked off that I had not gone to their gigs for ages. |
Subject: RE: Noel Murphy From: Murray MacLeod Date: 25 Jan 01 - 07:11 PM I vaguely remember hearing or reading that Noel Murphy's house had the roof blown off in one of the hurricane force winds that sometimes strike in England ..........can't remember when, though, or whether it affected his career. Murray |
Subject: RE: Noel Murphy From: zander (inactive) Date: 26 Jan 01 - 02:15 PM The last time I can remember Noel being on 'Folk on 2 ' Jim Lloyd said that Noel was now living in Scotland, well he is Irish. Cheers, Dave |
Subject: RE: Noel Murphy From: GUEST,Kernow Jon Date: 27 Jan 01 - 07:14 AM Noel is alive and well living a few hundred yards from me in the village of Mullion on the Lizard in Cornwall. He makes the occasional foray north to play and speak. He spends most of his time on the local golf course. About 2/3 years ago he made a live CD at the Cabbage Patch in Twickenham with some fine musicians (The Mahogany Gas Pipes. He'll be pleased to know people were asking for him. Regards KJ |
Subject: RE: Noel Murphy From: john c Date: 27 Jan 01 - 07:54 AM I remember seeing Noel live a long, long time ago at a folk club in Edinburgh, and was in tears of laughter the whole time. Great to know he´s still on the go. Say hello,Jon. |
Subject: RE: Noel Murphy From: zander (inactive) Date: 27 Jan 01 - 05:50 PM Get back on the circuit Murph, we need people like you. Real live folk singers. Bejaysus, Dave |
Subject: RE: Noel Murphy From: Micca Date: 28 Jan 01 - 07:22 AM Kernow,Jon, can you pass on my best regards to the "Mighty Murph" as well, I used to go to the all-nighters he used to run at Les Cousins, in Greek St in the 60s and always remember those times with great affection... |
Subject: RE: Noel Murphy From: Eric the Viking Date: 28 Jan 01 - 07:36 AM Yes Noel is still performing, He did the Cleckheaton folk festival 2 years ago and was bloody brilliant.In fact my son aged 13 has just audtioned to sing "The Bricks/sick note" and is also a great fan. And this year it's Diz Disley and Johnny Silvo as well. get to Cleck in July 6-8 for a good weekend. Yes Micca, we remember the alnighters well. Good times. I know he lives in Mullion and I often get to St Keverne, just around the corner. Cheers. eric |
Subject: RE: Noel Murphy From: Peter K (Fionn) Date: 28 Jan 01 - 01:55 PM Shaggis was/is one phenomenal tenor banjo player, right up there with Barney. I have a feeling he may have played with the Strawbs or maybe it was the Ian Campbell mob, before teaming up with Murphy. But that's stretching the memory well over 30 years, which is a tall order for me. |
Subject: RE: Noel Murphy From: john c Date: 28 Jan 01 - 11:33 PM I think Davy Johnstone (aka Shaggis) joined Magna Carta for a while between splitting up with Noel and joining Elton John. |
Subject: RE: Noel Murphy From: Quincy Date: 29 Jan 01 - 09:56 AM Heard on the radio yesterday that Noel is playing at the Nettlebed Folk Club, High Street, Nettlebed, Near Henley on Monday 19th March. I noted down a contact name and number so PM me if you want it. best wishes, Yvonne |
Subject: RE: Noel Murphy From: Melbert Date: 29 Jan 01 - 04:47 PM Jeremy Taylor played a folk club in Chester last week.... Missed it..... had to go to work..... |
Subject: RE: Noel Murphy From: Micca Date: 30 Jan 01 - 03:46 PM Quincy, Henley??? on Thames?? in Arden??? |
Subject: RE: Noel Murphy From: Quincy Date: 31 Jan 01 - 05:03 AM Micca, Don't know where Arden is!!! I heard the info on BBC radio Berkshire's Irish Eye...if that helps atall? The station covers Oxford, Reading, Basingstoke and surrounding areas. Found this site...Nettlebed Folk Club Are ya goin'??? Yvonne
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Subject: RE: Noel Murphy From: Jon Freeman Date: 31 Jan 01 - 05:16 AM I won't be going but I wish I was. I have only got a couple of songs by him on a tape I copied years ago and I would like to hear more of him, espescialy in veiw of the comments in this thread.... and Fionn, shaggis up there with Barney?...he must be good! - I hope he is still alive and playing! Jon |
Subject: RE: Noel Murphy From: GUEST,Roger the skiffler Date: 31 Jan 01 - 06:20 AM Quincy, Henley in Arden is a posh bit of Warwickshire where people from Solihull aspire to end up so they can claim to be Warwickshire rather than Brum! Unlike Henley on Thames which is a posh bit of Berkshire where people from Reading who don't want to be associated with Slough or Bracknell....well you get the picture! RtS (Brummie in exile in Berks.) |
Subject: RE: Noel Murphy From: Quincy Date: 31 Jan 01 - 08:53 AM Ah! Thanks for that Roger.......suppose the regatta would be in the posh bit of Berkshire and not in Gas Street, Warwickshire!!*BG* Nettlebed should be a good night though.....anything that extends Paddy's night into the next week can't be bad!! We want feedback if you go! best wishes, Yvonne |
Subject: RE: Noel Murphy From: GUEST,Me Date: 10 Mar 17 - 11:51 PM Noel is still alive and kicking around Mullion, not playing golf or gigging, but enjoying retirement in Mullion. |
Subject: RE: Noel Murphy From: GUEST,Graham Bradshaw Date: 11 Mar 17 - 06:45 AM That's good to hear. Of the others that were mentioned, Johnny Silvo and Diz Disley both passed a few years back, and Derek Brimstone just last week. Jeremy Taylor is still alive living in France, but not gigging anymore. Best, Graham |
Subject: RE: Noel Murphy From: Murray MacLeod Date: 11 Mar 17 - 09:49 AM Good to hear that Noel Murphy is still with us. I only ever saw him once, at Cambridge Folk Festival back in '75 or '76, but what a funny man ... had everybody in stitches. That was the first time I ever heard "The Brickie's Song", and I have never heard it sung better. |
Subject: RE: Noel Murphy From: Steve Shaw Date: 11 Mar 17 - 12:10 PM A very entertaining man. He did a marathon gig at the folk club in Bude one night in the 1990s and he let me accompany him (I didn't ask!) on one of his songs, Whiskey In The Jar I think. He told a damn good yarn. We also saw him at the 1993 Cornwall Folk Festival one afternoon. Johnny O'Leary was there too, behind the scenes plying Noel with pints during his stint, which were very well received! |
Subject: RE: Info: Noel Murphy-what can you say about him? From: Leadfingers Date: 11 Mar 17 - 09:37 PM Before Noel moved to Cornwall I was a regular in his Charity band and jammed with him regularly when he did any Gigs in the Thames Valley area . I spoke to him on the phone last year - He is not in the vbest of health but we had a nice natter |
Subject: RE: Info: Noel Murphy-what can you say about him? From: Big Al Whittle Date: 12 Mar 17 - 04:43 AM a very interesting artist! first met him when i was about 17, living in Exmouth. Noel turned up at the local folk club. Mike "spoons" Sealey, a character on the Devon folk scene was giving him lodging. He was , tall, beautiful and athletic. he could do all the great Irish chorus and drinking songs with enormous gusto. He knew a lot of MacColl stuff as well.....previously, i thought folk music was all about being pale and interesting like Bert Jansch and Marianne Faithful - but the memory of Noel giving his mighty all to about eight of us in the top room of the Pilot Inn in Exmouth still seems to me like one of the greatest folk gigs of all time. the next week I saw Noel on telly south west singing Muirsheen Durkin and dancing barefoot (a donkey had bitten his foot so the foot wouldn't fit in his shoe). Of course such vibrant talent couldn't be contained, and neither should it be, by gigs in tiny folk clubs. Noel became a national name. He was a great favourite of the great Manchester United team - Law, Best, that lot and did gigs on their tour bus. his proudest boast was that for ten years - he never had to ask for a gig. by the time i was starting to get my shit together as a folksinger in my mid twenties - Noel was doing Cambridge, and the bigger folk clubs like the Boggery in Solihull. THough to me he never looked as comfortable. Noel was best with an audience that hung on his words - and generally at Cambridge the place was full of foreign students, and the Boggery had more than its share of pissed up Brummies. It was this need for an attentive audience that Stopped Noel from making a fortune when there was an Irish theme pub on every street corner. it was sad. i'd like to see nice people get rich. by this time Noel had retired to Cornwall. I wrote to him after I saw an article he'd written for the Irish POst, and he wrote me a couple of nice discursive letters. I bought an album he'd made with a group containing Irish/Brummie Aiden Foord (who wrote Dublin you're breaking my heart). i think i may have upser him when i said that everybody's version of tHe Lakes of Ponchatrain suffered in comparison to Christy Moore's. i know he was going to be a writer, i know he kept in contact with Derek Brimstone. Derek once told me that Noel used to play golf regularly with Eric Sykes, famous for gentle comedy, i.e totally unfunny. Anyway he'd never give Noel a walk on part on his tv show. what a mean git! still that's showbusiness! |
Subject: RE: Info: Noel Murphy-what can you say about him? From: banjoman Date: 14 Mar 17 - 05:11 AM I picked up an LP in a charity shop a while back entitled "Noel Murphy & the Peep o Day Boys" Not played it yet but will do soon |
Subject: RE: Info: Noel Murphy-what can you say about him? From: banjoman Date: 14 Mar 17 - 05:13 AM Ignore my last post. On checking its an LP by Noel Pender & the peep o day boys. I have now put my specs on Sorry |
Subject: RE: Info: Noel Murphy-what can you say about him? From: The Sandman Date: 14 Mar 17 - 12:59 PM I dont think he was much of a guitarist, neither was alex campbell , i found alex and derek brimstone funnier, but humour is personal I ALSO THINK SEAN CANNON WAS FUNNIER. |
Subject: RE: Info: Noel Murphy-what can you say about him? From: The Sandman Date: 14 Mar 17 - 01:01 PM he used to have a guy called nick pickett playing with him who was good on the guitar and the fiddle |
Subject: RE: Info: Noel Murphy-what can you say about him? From: GUEST,Anon Date: 29 May 18 - 07:53 PM Papers have a lot to say about him now , not that nice after all ?? |
Subject: RE: Info: Noel Murphy-what can you say about him? From: The Sandman Date: 30 May 18 - 02:04 PM Yes, he committed the offence and has been sentenced, not pleasant |
Subject: RE: Info: Noel Murphy-what can you say about him? From: Big Al Whittle Date: 30 May 18 - 06:59 PM I cannot tell you how much this saddens me. At every level. |
Subject: RE: Info: Noel Murphy-what can you say about him? From: Dave Hanson Date: 31 May 18 - 04:35 AM What offence was that then ? I've not heard of this, I used to be a fan of Noel. Dave H |
Subject: RE: Info: Noel Murphy-what can you say about him? From: GUEST Date: 31 May 18 - 04:41 AM Perhaps best you Google it, Dave. |
Subject: RE: Info: Noel Murphy-what can you say about him? From: Dave Hanson Date: 31 May 18 - 07:22 AM Did that. Serves him glad. Deserves what he got. Dave H |
Subject: RE: Info: Noel Murphy-what can you say about him? From: GUEST,Jeff Tunningley Date: 16 May 22 - 05:03 PM I followed Noel in the late 1960s, when he joined up with Davey Johnstone and then the duo added Ron Chesterman to form Draught Porridge. They were the best folk act in the country at the time, largely due to the exceptional playing of tenor banjo by Davey (Shaggis. ) However, Davey’s musical talent demanded the highest world stage and so Draught Porridge folded and after joining Magna Carta for a short time, Davey joined Elton John as lead guitarist and musical director right up to the present day. Sadly, Noel gave up singing after swallowing a bit of glass which caused throat problems, and later endured an embarrassing court case. However, I pray that he is rebuilding his life and finding peace . He was a great entertainer. |
Subject: RE: Info: Noel Murphy-what can you say about him? From: Big Al Whittle Date: 16 May 22 - 08:47 PM I know he was still in contact with Jeannie Brimstone. The last couple of times I phoned Jeannie I didn't get through. |
Subject: RE: Info: Noel Murphy-what can you say about him? From: GUEST Date: 30 Jan 24 - 06:25 PM "embarrassing court case" poor lamb, he had to "endure" being tried & convicted of raping a child. Hey- ho. I hope he didn't find peace. He was a nasty piece of work. My late husband loathed him and knew of several other girls/women who had nasty experiences with this vile man. |
Subject: RE: Info: Noel Murphy-what can you say about him? From: GUEST,Roderick A Warner Date: 01 Feb 24 - 07:49 AM Remember him from Les Cousins back when. In a crowd of creative musicians… he was a good compere… |
Subject: RE: Info: Noel Murphy-what can you say about him? From: GUEST Date: 11 Oct 24 - 08:32 AM Chilling when you know that he was a convicted paedophile rapist and a serial rapist too. My late husband loathed him as he knew of two other women who told him the sordid facts of this nasty person.. |
Subject: RE: Info: Noel Murphy-what can you say about him? From: The Sandman Date: 11 Oct 24 - 08:37 AM Yes Guest I agree |
Subject: RE: Info: Noel Murphy-what can you say about him? From: Big Al Whittle Date: 11 Oct 24 - 04:08 PM Idon't suppose anyone chooses to be a paedophile. A boy who was agood friend of mine at school got into trouble for this perversion. I'd lost contact with him, by the time it happened but I was shocked and saddened to hear of his suicide. Jean Pierre Lion revealed in his Biography of the jazz trumpeter that Bix narrowly avoided prosecution for a paedophile incident in his teens. Previous biographers had presented him as a sort of character from a Norman Rockwell painting - all cookies and prom nights. So are you going to burn all his albums, demand that he's excluded from YOutube, feign outrage, when we all know such men and women exist? Do we forget he was divinely talented? Just count yourself lucky that you weren't born prey to such abnormal desires. |
Subject: RE: Info: Noel Murphy-what can you say about him? From: The Sandman Date: 12 Oct 24 - 02:07 PM I am not going to do anything, I do not have any of his recording. Somebodys life has been ruined by his actions , he has been punished, how was he talented, i thought musically he was mediocre, not as talented as Brimstone, humour is very subjective ,i found Alex Campbell, John Foreman and Derek Brimstone funnier,all down to taste |
Subject: RE: Info: Noel Murphy-what can you say about him? From: Big Al Whittle Date: 12 Oct 24 - 07:59 PM I may have come into folk music a little earlier than you. You'll find my description of Murphy as I saw him perform in 1967 in my first contribution to this thread. At that time he fitted the folk clubs like a glove. By the mid 1970's the folk movement had changed . To be successful you had to Martin Carthy or Jasper Carrot. One lot wanted 'the tradtion' the other lot wanted a laugh every 45 seconds. Brimstone, Lockran, Murphy, Jack Hudson - none of them were flavour of the month for the next decade. They suffered rejection. That's not to excuse Noel. There is no excuse for the bad things he did. However it doesn't change the fact, on his day he could do a good gig. |
Subject: RE: Info: Noel Murphy-what can you say about him? From: The Sandman Date: 13 Oct 24 - 02:45 AM I csme in to folk music in 1965,i agree Gerry lockRan was good. Im not saying Murphy did bad gigs,Some perfomers are better live performers, but since i never had any of his recordings ,i cant destroy them |
Subject: RE: Info: Noel Murphy-what can you say about him? From: John MacKenzie Date: 13 Oct 24 - 03:39 AM Some folk just won't be wrong |
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