Shirley Murdock (born May 22, 1957) is an American R&B singer-songwriter. She is best known for her guest appearance alongside Charlie Wilson on Zapp and Roger's 1986 single " Computer Love", as well as her 1986 single, "As We Lay". The latter peaked at number 23 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and spawned from her self-titled debut album (1986), released by

Elektra Records Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the ...

Early life

Murdock was born on May 22, 1957 in

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in Lucas County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the western end of Lake Erie along the Maumee River. Toledo is the List of cities in Ohio, fourth-most populous city in Ohio and List of United Sta ...

. She attended and graduated from St. Ursula Academy.

Career

Murdock started out singing

gospel music Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music vary according to culture and social context. Gospel music is compo ...

in her native Toledo. Singer/musician Roger Troutman hired Murdock as a backing vocalist for his family's band Zapp, which had several hits on Warner Bros. (and its Reprise Records imprint). Based on this success, Troutman began recording tracks with Murdock and lead singer Sugarfoot of the

Ohio Players Ohio Players are an American funk band, most popular in the 1970s. They are best known for their songs "Fire" and " Love Rollercoaster", and for their erotic album covers that featured nude or nearly nude women. Many of the women were models f ...

, among others, at his

Dayton Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...

-based recording studio, Troutman Sound Labs. Murdock and Troutman's first charted single was a Warner Bros. single issued as Roger (featuring Shirley Murdock), "Girl, Cut It Out", which charted at number 79 R&B in early 1985. Murdock signed with

and released "No More", written by Shirley Murdock and Gregory Jackson (Cincinnati, Ohio funk keyboardist and member of Zapp), which made it to number 24 R&B in early 1986. Then came her signature hit, "As We Lay", written by Zapp's Larry Troutman and keyboardist Billy Beck (of the Ohio Players). The tender, melancholy

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

made it to the R&B Top Ten in 1986 and peaked at number 23 pop and number 21 on the adult contemporary chart in early 1987. Her debut album was certified

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

, also helped along by the follow-up hits "Go on Without You" and "Be Free." She also released albums in 1988 (''A Woman's Point of View'') and 1991 ('' Let There Be Love!''). In early 2000, Murdock toured in the inspirational/gospel play ''Be Careful What You Pray For'' with Cuba Gooding, Sr. and David Peaston. Murdock appeared on T.D. Jakes' 1997 project ''Woman Thou Art Loosed'', nominated for Grammy, as well as Jakes' 1999 release ''Sacred Love Songs''. In 2002, Murdock released ''Home'', her debut gospel-music album, on T.D. Jakes' Dexterity Sounds record label, and peaked at No. 9 on ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

Top Gospel Albums Top Gospel Albums is a music chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States, ranking the popularity of gospel albums. As of Tuesday, January 31, 2017 (with the charts dated February 11, 2017), it uses the same multi-metric m ...

chart on March 16, 2002. The album is produced by a list of music engineers, alongside Murdock's husband, Dale Degroat. ''AllMusic'' review singled out album's highlights, such as: "We Need a Word From the Lord" (giving a "powerful, message-driven" performance); "Never Let You Down" ( "beautiful song of encouragement"; and inspirational song "The Dream That Would Not Die". She made her acting debut in the movie ''Sweating in the Spirit''. Most recently, Murdock has signed with Tyscot Records and released her most recent album in March 2007. In 2009, Murdock collaborated with

Teena Marie Mary Christine Brockert (March 5, 1956 – December 26, 2010), known professionally as Teena Marie, was an American Soul music, soul and Contemporary R&B, R&B singer, songwriter, and producer. She was known by her childhood nickname Tina before ...

on the song "Soldier", from Marie's album '' Congo Square''. She also appeared in the 2009 stage play ''A Mother's Prayer'', with Johnny Gill, Robin Givens, and Jermaine Crawford. She also appeared in "A Mother's Love" a stage play produced by Kandi Burruss and Todd Tucker in 2014.

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

Compilation albums

Singles

References

External links

Shirley Murdock official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Murdock, Shirley 1957 births Living people Musicians from Toledo, Ohio 20th-century African-American women singers 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American singers American gospel singers American rhythm and blues singers Singers from Ohio Elektra Records artists Zapp (band) members 21st-century American women singers American ballad musicians 21st-century American singers 21st-century African-American women singers