Song:Wildfire
Album:Ultimate Collection
The 1975 top five hit Wildfire was the biggest pop hit for Michael Martin Murphey. But Murphey has been a fixture of the Los Angeles country rock scene since the 60s and is currently keeping cowboy songs alive. He was born Mar. 14, 1945 in Dallas and grew up loving cowboy songs. He moved to Los Angeles to study at the University Of California and quickly became a fixture at folk clubs. In 1967, he formed The Lewis & Clark Expedition with Owen Castleman. They recorded one album for Colgems Records but Murphey's pal Michael Nesmith recorded one of his songs with The Monkees and this led to a songwriting contract with Columbia Pictures' publishing arm Screen Gems. Murphey moved out of Los Angeles in 1968 to the San Gabriel mountains and his songs started getting attention from other artists. He moved to Austin, TX in 1971 and signed with A & M Records after producer Bob Johnston spotted him performing in a club. Geronimo's Cadillac was his first album and was a modest hit as a single. Murphey moved to Epic Records in 1973. Wildfire was on his second album for Epic Blue Sky, Night Thunder in 1975. Wildfire reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band backed Murphey up on the album. Apparently Wildfire is about a horse Murphey saw in a dream. He continued to have some success on the pop charts but especially the country charts. He also did some acting and started calling himself Michael Martin Murphey to avoid confusion with actor Michael Murphy. Murphey moved to Liberty Records in 1982 and then Warner Bros in 1985. His career eventually faded in the 90s and he took to concentrating on writing cowboy songs. In 1997, his career got a boost when David Letterman became obsessed with Wildfire and invited Murphey to perform it on his show. Murphey currently records for Rural Rhythm Records and released Buckaroo Bluegrass in Feb. 2009. Because Murphey had success on several labels, putting together a comprehensive comp is a challenge. Universal gave it a shot on their Hip-O label with Ultimate Collection in 2001 and did a decent job. The emphasis is on the A & M albums but it also includes some Epic & Liberty recordings. Sony hasn't done a Murphey comp. Murphey is probably worthy of a box set. Here's Michael Martin Murphey performing Wildfire on The Midnight Special 1976.
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