Neil Murray

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Philip Neil Murray (born 27 August 1950) is a Scottish bass player best known for his appearances in Whitesnake, The Brian May Band, Black Sabbath, and with Gary Moore.

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Career

Murray, a born drummer who played bass in 1967, formed his first band with school classmates in 1967 (Slap Happy and the Dum-Dums). His musical tastes were heavily influenced by Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce's 'blues boom,' and later by Motown legend James Jamerson and Tim Bogert of Vanilla Fudge, Cactus and Beck, Bogert & Appice. Murray converted to bass shortly after deciding to study graphic design at the London College of Printing.

Neil appeared in Gilgamesh, a jazz-fusion band led by Alan Gowen, for a short time during 1973. Murray and Junior Hanson toured the United States after Murray's release of Gilgamesh, following Jeff Beck's bass player Clive Chaman's suggestion. Hanson became a member of Bob Marley & the Wailers under the name Junior Marvin. Neil spent early 1974 supporting the band Magic Dragon, who also performed with them.

Murray's next gig came after Clive Chaman's recommendation, when he appeared with Cozy Powell's Hammer in 1974 and 1975. Don Airey's keyboardist and guitarist Bernie Marsden were among the line-ups.

After Cozy Powell's decision not to leave Hammer, Murray and Airey, they formed a new Colosseum II version of the British progressive jazz-rock band Colosseum II. Thanks to Gary Moore's guitar, the band's leader, drummer Jon Hiseman, had modified the band's sound to favor a more modern sound. This line-up of Colosseum II ran from 1976 to 1979 (a term that Murray suggested on their first album Strange New Flesh, as a snippet of Joni Mitchell's Down To You lyric). Strange New Flesh was a little less experimental than the bulk of jazz rock coming out of the United Kingdom. It didn't have the darkness of bands like Weather Report, but it did have more "intellective" Canterbury fusion music at the time, which was less presentable melodies and rock power. Murray and vocalist Mike Starrs were fired after months of touring Europe and the United Kingdom,, due to pressure from the record company Bronze Records, who soon after ended Colosseum II entirely.

Neil went back to National Health in 1976 after Colosseum II, where he performed a self-titled album in 1977. The band performed with drummer Bill Bruford of Yes/King Crimson fame, who was joined by ex-Hatfield & North drummer Pip Pyle before recording that album. Murray had the opportunity to perform with Bruford's 1978 Feels Good to Me debut solo album, playing in for Jeff Berlin, the band's real bassist ('the LP cover read 'Thanks to Neil Murray: When I needed one). Murray was also deputized for Berlin on Bruford's Old Grey Whistle Test appearance in 1978. He sports a long sleeve T-shirt that reads "More Bass," predating Saturday Night Live's "More Cowbell" by more than 20 years.

Murray was encouraged to investigate other musical avenues opened in the world of bands like Cream, Jeff Beck, or John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers due to National Health's difficult music and lack of commercial success. Murray had been playing on a few tracks on Babe Ruth's 1975 album Stealing Home before meeting two Deep Purple members in Paice Ashton Lord.

David Coverdale, the ex-Deep Purple singer, was auditioning drummers for his new band Whitesnake, which featured guitarists Micky Moody and Bernie Marsden. Murray was welcomed to assist with the process that culminated in him landing the gig with drummer Dave Dowle. Deep Purple's Jon Lord joined in 1978 and was replaced by Ian Paice (ex-Deep Purple).

Murray made Whitesnake one of Europe and Japan's most well-known bands, as well as later in America. He appeared on Whitesnake ten albums: Live at Hammersmith (1978), Fear (1978), Live at The City (1980), and the Good Wiser (1984). Murray's melodic basslines, influenced by Jack Bruce, Andy Fraser, and even Jaco Pastorius, stand out from current rock bass-playing.

He appeared on tour in the United Kingdom, Europe, Japan, and Japan, as well as at the Reading Festival in 1979 and 1980 and the Monsters of Rock festival in Castle Donington, England in 1981. However, Jethro Tull's opening tours in 1980 and 1981 were not enough to match the band's success elsewhere.

Coverdale decided on a complete overhaul of the band, including production, publishing, and recording contracts, in early 1982, following tense Saints & Sinners recording session. During a period of confusion about who would be in the 'new' Whitesnake, Cozy Powell was certain to step in to replace Ian Paice. Around this time, Paice and Murray had collected Gary Moore's 1982 Corret of Power album, and Paice had decided to join Moore. Murray followed suit, and Colin Hodgkinson was brought on to replace him. As Bernie Marsden left the band and was replaced by Mel Galley, Coverdale reshuffled it, but Micky Moody and Jon Lord returned to the fold after initial confusion.

Murray briefly formed Badlands (not to be confused with the American band starring Jake E. Lee) behind Uriah Heep's John Sloman on vocals and future Thin Lizzy's John Sykes on guitars shortly after his departure. The band performed at Marquee Club in London, and to no avail, was looking for a record contract. The band's music was hard rock and filled the gap between a melodic band like Thin Lizzy, a blues-influenced outfit like Whitesnake and a more straight-ahead AC/DC.

Neil Murray and Ian Paice joined Gary Moore in 1982 for two years. Murray and Paice released three albums with Moore: Correspondents of Authority (1982), Victims of the Future (1983), and Every Night (1983) in Japan (1983).

Murray appeared in a number of solo albums from Bernie Marsden, Graham Bonnet, Cozy Powell, Forcefield, and Jon Lord, as well as drummer Simon Phillips' 1981 appearance at two of the Secret Policeman's Other Ball series of four concerts at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London. Murray was filmed and photographed at "Crossroads" with Beck, Clapton, and Simon Phillips, though the album does not have any individual credits, and although the album sleeve does not have any individual credits, it will be seen on "Crossroads" with Beck, Clapton, and Simon Phillips.

Whitesnake underwent one of its many line-ups changes in late 1983. Micky Moody and Colin Hodgkinson were no longer members of the band. They had already released a new album titled Slide It In (1984). Coverdale met with A&R guru John Kalodner and signed with Geffen Records at that time, but not long enough. Coverdale welcomed John Sykes (Tygers of Pan Tang, Thin Lizzy) to the band after failed attempts to recruit Adrian Vandenberg and Mama's Boys' Pat McManus. Sykes presented the band with a slew of fresh thoughts, computer skills, and a striking picture. Murray was asked back and he and Sykes re-recorded a lot of the guitar and all of the bass parts for Slide It In, resulting in two different vinyl versions: one for Europe starring Moody and Hodgkinson and another for Sykes and Murray. Keith Olsen, an American Grammy Award-winning record producer and sound engineer, reimagined the US version to give it a more radio friendly look.

Mel Galley's arm was injured during the tour and Europe tour, and after a few months, John Sykes was in charge of all guitar duties on the road. Jon Lord left the band for the Deep Purple reunion in the summer, making Whitesnake a four-piece outfit (Coverdale, Murray, Sykes, Powell) with off-stage keyboardist Richard Bailey (ex-Magnum). With Dio then Quiet Riot (at the time of their brief heyday) we're able to reach a much larger audience.

The album and tour, which culminated with an appearance at the 1985 Rock in Rio Festival in front of 150,000 people, marked the end of an era for the band. Cozy Powell left the band for Emerson, Lake & Powell after disagreements over financial matters. Aynsley Dunbar (ex-Frank Zappa, Journey, Jefferson Starship) was on site for the recording of what was supposed to be Whitesnake's most popular album.

The production of Whitesnake (1987-1987) was fraught with delays, sickness, and difficulties. Murray's role as a official member of Whitesnake was uncertain, and although Coverdale had allowed all members permission to participate in other projects, there wasn't enough funds to keep Murray and Dunbar on a retainer until the album was finished.

Murray continued to play for many artists (including Phenomena and others), as well as an album project put together by musician Jonathan King called Gogmagog, which features current Iron Maiden guitarist Paul Di'Anno, future Iron Maiden guitarist Janick Gers (ex-Ian Gillan), ex-Def Leppard guitarist Pete Willis, and another ex-Iron Maiden player Clive Burr on drums. To general apathy, the band I Will Be There EP was released.

Murray teamed up with guitarist Bernie Marsden and Mel Galley in the short-lived MGM while still waiting for things to happen in the Whitesnake camp. The band appeared on stage (including the Reading Festival in 1987), but never really took off. Murray had the opportunity to redo some of the bass tracks for Whitesnake (1987), a year after recording began, but not so much money was spent.

Coverdale's early 1987 release of a completely new Whitesnake in Los Angeles, but Murray was no longer a member of the band. Murray had to use lawyers to get his financial support from the album's huge success in 1987 (1987), which has since sold more than ten million copies around the world. Murray is the person who has appeared on the second most Whitesnake albums, behind only David Coverdale himself.

Murray, a member of Japanese hard rock band Vow Wow, who had recently relocated to England after being worked with its guitarist Kyoji Yamamoto on Phenomena's second album. He appeared on four albums with the band between 1987 and 1989, as well as touring the United Kingdom, Europe, and Japan. In 1988, he lived in Tokyo for a few months. Genki Hitomi, a voxetee, wanted to remain in Japan, so the band, Helter Skelter (1988), was supposed to be their last album, and Tony Taverner had previously engineered for Black Sabbath. Murray would later state that he never "really became a permanent member" of Vow Wow in order to keep his options open, partially because he was a shareholder of MGM at the same time.

Murray was asked by Cozy Powell to try out after Geezer Butler's refusal to join the new Black Sabbath line-up in 1989. He appeared shortly after the 1989 premiere of Headless Cross (1989) and toured with the band in support of the project. Murray stayed with the band until late 1990, recording the Tyr album and then touring again. Murray was able to perform a variety of bass styles that had not been able to flourish in Whitesnake, ranging from Jack Bruce-type improvising to heavy metal soloing to delicate false harmonics.

Cozy Powell and Murray began a band project and recorded songs with singer John West after Black Sabbath revived their 1981 Mob Rules lineup for Dehumanizer, Dio, Butler, and Appice for Dehumanizer. It wasn't until 1998 that those songs appeared on a tribute album after Powell's death in April 1998 that no one came out of it.

Murray appeared with Cozy Powell and Black Sabbath's Tony Martin in a recent Cozy Powell's Hammer, which was short lived. Murray had earlier recorded the majority of Tony Martin's debut album Back Where I Belong, and later performed at a series of concerts at Expo'92 in Seville, Spain, supporting Steve Valiant, Joe Satriani, and Brian May. With their Moody Marsden Band, he reunited with his ex-Whitesnake pals, guitarist Bernie Marsden, and Micky Moody for a few dates in the United Kingdom.

Queen's Brian May of 1992 was about to take the road for the first time as a soloist. Murray and Cozy Powell had appeared on May's solo album Back to the Light (1992), and they were a natural pairing for the touring band. The band toured the world for two years, most notable supporting Guns N' Roses and launching Live at the Brixton Academy in 1993.

The Brian May Band (Neil, Cozy, Spike Edney, and Jamie Moses) formed the basis of the SAS Band (Spike's All Stars), which continues to this day, performing occasional live shows with many well-known guest vocalists, including Paul Rodgers, Brian May, Roger Taylor, Chaka Khan, Lionel Richie, Bob Geldof, and many others. Steve Stroud was their main bassist in the first year, but Neil returns to play with the band every few years.

Cozy Powell and Murray returned to Black Sabbath in late 1994. In 1995, they recorded Forbidden (1995) and toured the United States and Canada, but after Powell's departure, Bobby Rondinelli returned to drums on the tour of the UK, Europe, and the Far East.

Murray and Cozy Powell helped launch the Splinter Group's legendary Peter Green, John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, Fleetwood Mac), in 1996 and 1997. Murray released three albums with Green and toured the United Kingdom with occasional European dates.

Brian May's third solo album, Another World, which Murray and Cozy Powell performed on again, but Powell's death meant a tour with Eric Singer (KISS, Alice Cooper, Lita Ford, Black Sabbath). (Britishman In 1998, Cozy Powell's Especially for You, starring vocal phenom John West (Royal Hunt, Arrest, Lynch Mob, ten Man Push), guitarist Michael Casswell (Brian May Band), and keyboardist Lonnie Park were among the original members of Cozy Powell's Especially for You, as well as keyboardist Lonnie Park (John West, Wrathchild America, Ten Man Push).

Murray began working with Bernie Marsden and Micky Moody, who had been playing with the Snakes, a British-Norwegian tribute band. When Marsden and Moody parted ways with their Norwegian colleagues, they renamed the firm of Snakes by Robert Hart, the Jones Gang, Bad Company, Distance, solo artist/songwriter) joined them, along with Don Airey on keyboards.

Robert Hart decided to leave to concentrate on his solo/songwriting work after few years of gigging in the United Kingdom and Europe. Micky Moody's solo album I Eat Them for Breakfast (1998) is the only publicly available recording of this line-up (with Don Airey on keys and John Lingwood on drums). Stefan Berggren, a Swedish musician, was recruited and the Company of Snakes released two albums: Here They Go Again (2001), Burst the Bubble (2002), which featured songs written by the majority of the band, but his vocals were deleted and Stefan Berggren was overdubbed).

Despite success on the tour, the Company of Snakes announced it a day in early 2002, with the band being converted into M3 Classic Whitesnake, ditching the band's original content in favour of a simply Whitesnake set. Tony Martin, the ex-Sabbath frontman, was their first performer before being replaced by Stefan Berggren. The band has released one live album (with Tony Martin on vocals) and one live DVD (with Stefan Berggren and Rainbow/Yngwie Malmsteen/Cornerstone singer Doogie White) featuring songs from the classic Whitesnake era 1978-1982. Murray has also performed three albums with German heavy rock band Empire, for whom he has released three albums. The band is Rolf Munkes' brainchild and appeared on the Trading Souls (2003) and The Raven Ride (2006) albums.

Murray has been active in the We Will Rock You band since April 2002. He appeared at the first London Rock 'n Roll Fantasy Camp in 2007 and at the first 'Classics in Rock' concert in Rotterdam.

Murray appeared on the Michael Schenker Group's album In the Midst of Beauty, which was released on May 2008.

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