Various True Blues Brother: The Legacy Of Matt 'Guitar' Murphy

After nearly forty years of musical and personal camaraderie, drummer and producer Bob Christina began studio work with Matt Guitar Murphy on what would become Murphy's final project. After he passed in June of 2018, the fate of the unfinished project was placed in Christina's hands. He began outreach to musicians who were friends of Murphy, played with him, or were otherwise influenced by him. The response was overwhelming. Featured artists include Doyle Bramhall II, Fran Christina & The Original Roomful of Blues, Steve Cropper, Ronnie Earl, Sax Gordon, Jaimoe, Bill Kirchen, Chuck Leavell, Bob Margolin, James Montgomery, Tracy Nelson, Johnny Nicholas, Christine Ohlman, Lee Oskar, Jerry Portnoy, Duke Robillard, Kenny Blues Boss Wayne, Toni Lynn Washington and more. Murphy was born in Sunflower, MS on December 29, 1929 and raised in Memphis, TN. He moved to Chicago, IL in 1948. Widely known for his appearance in The Blues Brothers movie and performing with The Blues Brothers band, Murphy's blues career was launched by the early 1950s and encompasses work with Howlin' Wolf, Little Junior Parker, Memphis Slim, and countless other titans of blues history. He was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2012. Murphy died on June 15, 2018 at age 88. Westerly, RI native son Bob Christina was first introduced to the blues at a young age by watching his older brother, Fran Christina, on drums practicing with his friends in their basement. The year was 1967 and those friends were none other than Al Copley on piano, Duke Robillard on guitar and Larry Peduzzi on bass; the original Roomful of Blues band. By the time he was 15 and after a few months of guitar lessons, Bob got some of his brother's hand-me-down drums and made the switch to drumming. During his forty years as a performing artist, Christina has also developed Bobby Christina's Caravan, a well-regarded entertainment brand of shows and events.