Dewey Murphy

Mandolin player. Died August 8, 2017 at the age of 88. Mandolin player Dewey D Murphy passed away on August 8, 2017. He was 88 years old and lived in Charlotte, North Carolina. Dewey Dwight Murphy, with his brother, Fred (guitar), was part of the first generation of bluegrass musicians, making a significant debut in about 1947 on the Saturday Night Shindig in Gastonia, North Carolina. Dewey sang lead and tenor, while Fred sang lead. Later Dewey and Fred became regulars on Hillbilly Time in Caroline, a regular programm on WGNC, also in Gastonia, North Carolina. In 1948, joined by younger brother John (bass), the duo joined Wade Mainer, working in Forest City, North Carolina, but the brothers’ desire to play hard-core bluegrass music rather than in Mainer’s old-time string band style. So, when the Murphy brothers met fiddler J.C. ‘Pee Wee’ and Hubert Davis (banjo) – the Davis Brothers – they began playing as the Blue River Boys. In 1979 the three brothers started playing music together once more. In 1982 they recorded an LP, Authentic Bluegrass (Anvil RSR 1263), assisted by added L W Lambert Jnr and Ken Poovey (fiddle). A further LP, The Early Bluegrass Recordings (of the Murphy Brothers and the original Blue River Boys) (Cattle LP 69) was released in Germany in 1985. Largely forgotten these days, The Murphy Brothers was one of finest (and most obscure) groups in early bluegrass music. They had a great selection of material, a great vocal blend and solid instrumentation.