Brian Murphy (born May 24, 1941 in

Kingston, Ontario Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the north-eastern end of Lake Ontario, at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River (south end of the Rideau Canal). The city is midway between Toront ...

; d. October 31, 2005 in

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

) was a broadcaster and music historian. He is particularly noted for his association with Ottawa radio station

CHEZ-FM CHEZ-FM (106.1 MHz, ''CHEZ 106'') is a Canadian radio station broadcasting a mainstream rock format in Ottawa, Ontario. The station is owned by Rogers Sports & Media. CHEZ's studios are located at the intersection of Thurston Drive and Conro ...

between 1977 and 1993.

History

Murphy's career was closely intertwined with that of Ottawa record retailer, music promoter and radio station owner

Harvey Glatt Harvey Glatt (born March 28, 1934) is a Canadian music promoter, manager, broadcaster, record and instrument retailer, and record label owner. Early life and education Harvey Glatt was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, graduating from Glebe ...

. While still in his teens, Murphy commenced working for Glatt at Glatt's

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the f ...

Treble Clef record store on

Sparks Street Sparks Street (''French:'' Rue Sparks) is a pedestrian mall in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It was a main street in Ottawa that was converted into an outdoor pedestrian street in 1967, making it the earliest such street or mall in Canada.

in Ottawa, ultimately becoming the manager of the store. Murphy later developed a weekend overnight radio show, Free Form Radio, on Ottawa's

CKBY-FM CKBY-FM (92.3 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to Smiths Falls, Ontario, and serving the Ottawa Valley and the Western suburbs of Ottawa. The station is owned by Rogers Sports & Media. It broadcasts a country radio format and is brand ...

station. When Glatt started

, in 1977, Murphy joined the station as its first Music Director, based on the reputation he had developed for identifying and promoting popular music that wasn't found on most radio playlists. Murphy ultimately developed three weekly radio shows on which he regularly appeared: The Source, Blues 106 and Jazz 106.Brian Murphy Obituary Profile, The

Ottawa Citizen The ''Ottawa Citizen'' is an English-language daily newspaper owned by Postmedia Network in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. History Established as ''The Bytown Packet'' in 1845 by William Harris, it was renamed the ''Citizen'' in 1851. The newsp ...

, November 1, 2005 Brian Murphy - broadcaster

Murphy's position at CHEZ was eliminated in the summer of 1993, amidst a change at the station to a "

Classic Rock Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, prim ...

" format. Murphy never returned to radio, and went into a period of slow decline from 1993 until his death twelve years later. He supported himself through providing

mix tape A mixtape (alternatively mix-tape, mix tape or mixed tape) is a compilation of music, typically from multiple sources, recorded onto a medium. With origins in the 1980s, the term normally describes a homemade compilation of music onto a cassette ...

s to commercial establishments, as well as selling most of his record collection. In 2000, Murphy was the recipient of the Blues Heart Award from the Ottawa Blues Society, awarded annually to "an individual or organization that has made an outstanding contribution to fostering appreciation and awareness of blues music". In 2006, the Brian Murphy award was established with the Ottawa-Carleton School Board, to be given annually to the graduating student chosen by teachers as best representing Brian's characteristics of knowledge, passion, and generosity in music.Personal, K. Kilburn

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Murphy, Brian Canadian radio personalities People from Kingston, Ontario 1941 births 2005 deaths