Murray Silver
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Murray M. Silver Jr. is an American rock music writer and photographer. Silver was born in
Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Brita ...
, in 1953. At age 16, he and his father, a lawyer, promoted rock concerts in
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
, bringing many future groups to the city for the first time, including
Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac are a British-American Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1967 by the singer and guitarist Peter Green (musician), Peter Green. Green named the band by combining the surnames of the drummer, Mick Fleetwood, and the bassis ...
,
Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in Palo Alto, California, in 1965. Known for their eclectic style that fused elements of rock, blues, jazz, Folk music, folk, country music, country, bluegrass music, bluegrass, roc ...
,
Allman Brothers Allman may refer to: Music *The Allman Brothers Band The Allman Brothers Band was an American rock music, rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1969. Its founding members were brothers Duane Allman (slide guitar, lead guitar) and Greg ...
,
Sonny & Cher Sonny & Cher were an American pop and entertainment duo in the 1960s and 1970s, made up of spouses Sonny Bono and Cher. The couple started their career in the mid-1960s as rhythm and blues, R&B backing singers for record producer Phil Spector. ...
, Paul Simon, John Mayall, Billy Preston, Bill Withers, Marvin Gaye, Johnny & Edgar Winter, Kenny Rogers, Richard Harris, Canned Heat and Norman Greenbaum. Silver parlayed his contacts in the music world into a career as a rock tour photographer and journalist, covering the greatest acts of the 1970s and 1980s, including
Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experiments ...
,
Genesis Genesis may refer to: Religion * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of humankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Bo ...
,
Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...
,
George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician, singer and songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Culture ...
,
Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...
,
Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...
, and
Peter Gabriel Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English singer, songwriter, musician, and human rights activist. He came to prominence as the original frontman of the rock band Genesis. He left the band in 1975 and launched a solo career wit ...
. Silver was the very first to photograph and interview the
Sex Pistols The Sex Pistols are an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they became culturally influential in popular music. The band initiated the punk movement in the United Ki ...
during their only tour of America, in 1977. In 1982 Silver published his first book, ''
Great Balls of Fire "Great Balls of Fire" is a 1957 popular song recorded by American rock and roll musician Jerry Lee Lewis on Sun Records and featured in the 1957 movie '' Jamboree''. It was written by Otis Blackwell and Jack Hammer. The Jerry Lee Lewis 1957 reco ...
: The Uncensored Story of
Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935October 28, 2022) was an American pianist, singer, and songwriter. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as "rock 'n' roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis m ...
'', which was written with Lewis' ex-wife
Myra Gale Brown Myra Gale Lewis Williams ( Brown; born July 11, 1944) is an American author, best known for her controversial marriage at the age of 13 to rock and roll musician Jerry Lee Lewis, who was her first cousin once removed and was 22 at the time. She ...
. The book was adapted into the big screen by
Orion Pictures Orion Releasing, LLC (Trade name, doing business as Orion Pictures) is an American film production and film distribution, distribution company owned by the Amazon MGM Studios subsidiary of Amazon (company), Amazon. It was founded in 1978 as Ori ...
in 1989.Perez, Omar Not A Rock Band: Ed Hale and Transcendence Travel the World, New Times Magazine, July 18th, 2002
/ref>Following the release of the film, Silver undertook the autobiography of Dr. George Nichopoulos, personal physician to
Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...
, and the man widely regarded to be responsible for the singer's death. Their book, ''Who Killed Elvis Presley?'' turned into an international scandal before it could be published.(Note: The gist of the Nichopoulos book is embedded in Silver's memoirs). While making the movie of his book, Silver was introduced to HH the XIVth Dalai Lama by mutual friend,
Richard Gere Richard Tiffany Gere ( ; born August 31, 1949) is an American actor. He began appearing in films in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in ''Looking for Mr. Goodbar (film), Looking for Mr. Goodbar'' (1977) and a starring role in ''Days of Hea ...
. At the Dalai Lama's request, Silver set aside the business of his life, both personal and professional, to write articles about
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
's oppression of
Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ), or Greater Tibet, is a region in the western part of East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups s ...
, and to sponsor tours of Tibetan Buddhist monks who perform their sacred chants and dances at colleges and museums throughout the United States. In 1998 Silver was tour manager for Sacred Music, Sacred Dance, and personally responsible for packing and transporting The Mystical Arts of Tibet Exhibit, which featured personal sacred objects of the Dalai Lama, and continued to manage the tour until 2010. Silver also published "Behind the Moss Curtain and Other Great Savannah Stories," a collection of true short stories about the colorful characters that made Savannah GA an interesting place to live in the last century. Silver penned his memoirs, "When Elvis Meets the Dalai Lama" in 2005. In addition to his books, Silver was a primary contributor to "12 Days on the Road: The Sex Pistols and America," by Noel Monk and Jimmy Guterman, and "Here Comes the Sun: The Spiritual and Musical Journey of George Harrison" by Joshua Greene. Silver ghosted and published his father's autobiographical sketch, "Daddy King and Me," which recounts the elder Silver's unique relationship as personal friend and legal counsel to Dr. Martin Luther King Sr., Mrs. Coretta Scott King and Andrew Young. Silver unsuccessfully ran for mayor of Savannah in 2015, and intends to run again in 2027. He has one son, James Wesley Hendren, the renowned nuclear engineer. Presently (May 2025), Silver is launching a podcast with Chase Anderson and is releasing his latest book: "Anatomy of an Awakening: Ascension into Hell," detailing his torturous experiences with his twin flame.


Published works

* ''Great Balls of Fire: The Uncensored Story of Jerry Lee Lewis'' () * ''Behind the Moss Curtain and Other Great Savannah Stories'' () * ''When Elvis Meets the Dalai Lama'' ) * ''Tech's Luck: The Story of Jim Luck'' ()


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Silver, Murray M. Writers from Savannah, Georgia American writers about music 1953 births Living people