Chris Murray (born September 26, 1966) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist working primarily in the genre of

ska Ska (; , ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a w ...

. In Canada, he was a member of the now-defunct ska band King Apparatus during the late 1980s and early 1990s. He now lives in the Los Angeles, California area, where he performs regularly, both solo as well as with the Chris Murray Combo. From 2003 until the venue's closure in 2009, Murray organized a weekly ska/reggae show called "The Bluebeat Lounge" which featured both local and out of town artists every Wednesday at the

Knitting Factory The Knitting Factory is a nightclub in New York City that features eclectic music and entertainment and is co-owned and co-operated by Knitting Factory Entertainment. After opening in 1987, various other locations were opened in the United Stat ...

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

. Murray recorded ''Slackness'', a collaboration with the seminal New York City ska band

The Slackers The Slackers are an American ska band, formed in Manhattan, New York in 1991. The band's sound is a mix of ska, rocksteady, reggae, dub, soul, garage rock, and jazz. The Slackers' notability is credited to their prolific career, tours of Nort ...

. The 11-song album features Murray singing lead vocals on new arrangements of his solo material, as well as some entirely new songs and a cover of

The Clash The Clash were an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they are considered one of the most influential acts in the original wave of British punk rock, with their music fusing elements ...

's "Janie Jones". Murray has performed throughout North America, Europe, Japan, Korea, and South America, sharing the stage with acts including

The Specials The Specials, also known as the Special AKA, were an English 2 tone and ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry. After some early changes, the first stable lineup of the group consisted of Terry Hall and Neville Staple on vocals, J ...

, The Slackers and Laurel Aitken. He is known for the informal atmosphere of his live shows, during which his set list is determined almost exclusively by live requests from audience members. Murray has released three CDs on the

Asian Man Records Asian Man Records is a DIY record label run by Mike Park in Monte Sereno, California. Park started a record label and began releasing music in 1989 under the name Dill Records, with the Asian Man label established in May 1996. History Asian Man ...

label: ''4-Trackaganza!'', ''Raw'', and ''4-Track Adventures of Venice Shoreline Chris''. His CDs are often recorded with a four-track tape recorder, giving a distinctly low

fidelity Fidelity is the quality of faithfulness or loyalty. Its original meaning regarded duty in a broader sense than the related concept of '' fealty''. Both derive from the Latin word , meaning "faithful or loyal". In the City of London financial m ...

sound. ''Raw'' is especially lo-fi, as it was recorded on a hand-held

walkman is a brand of Personal stereo, portable audio players manufactured by Sony since 1979. It was originally introduced as a portable Compact Cassette, cassette player and later expanded to include a range of portable audio products. Since 2011, ...

. In late 2009, it was announced that Chris Murray had signed to

Sonic Boom Six Sonic Boom Six (often shortened to SB6) are an English five-piece band from Manchester, United Kingdom. Their eclectic sound combines different elements of several genres and has been described by ''Kerrang!'' as "taking ska, pop, grime, du ...

's Rebel Alliance record label for the UK.

References

External links

Chris Murray official site

Chris Murray audio and video

Chris Murray on CBC Radio3

from Asian Man Records site
The Ruckus – Audio Interview with Chris Murray from March 2009

Interviews

(2006) {{DEFAULTSORT:Murray, Chris 1966 births Living people Canadian ska music Canadian rock singers Canadian male singers Canadian rock guitarists Canadian male guitarists Canadian expatriate musicians in the United States Singers from Toronto Canadian male singer-songwriters 21st-century Canadian singer-songwriters