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thursday, march 9, 1978 jf
Murphey has watched Austin music scene evolve
By Casety McCabe
Long before Willie Nelson and Jerry Jeff Walker,
Michael' Murphey was in Austin, Texas, helping create the
unique sound that was to put Austin on the.musical map.
Murphey was never very thrilled about being a trend
setter though. Even as a teenager, he refused an offer to
perform on a national television series when he learned he
would not be singing his own material. Later at his first
CBS convention, he turned some heads when he per
formed a song directed towards those who would manip1
ulate his talents, called "Nobody's Gonna Tell Me How To
Play My Music."
Despite a recent commercial success, Murphey still
retains these values. He spoke to the 'Daily Nebraskan
about his musical intentions, and on the evolution of the
Austin music scene which he had the opportunity to ob
serve from the ground floor.
D.N. As one of the originators of the Austin sound,
what do you feel was the reason for the cultural and musi
cal revolution in Austin?
Murphey -Austin is musically very much the same town as
it is geographically and ecologically. It's right in the
middle of the country, with a convergence of plants and
animals. Musically it's very much the same way. Vou have
an incredible black influence coming from Louisiana, and
from the Beaumont area there is the Cajun influence. In
San Antonio, which is only 60 miles away, you have the
largest Chicano city in the United States. Austin itself has
a large Chicano population.
Then the University brings in the classical musicians
and the jazz players, and then you've got the good ol'
Texas rednecks, which are ever present, and they bring
in the country music. You weld all that together in the
melting pot of Austin into one sound and you've got one
hell of an interesting bunch of musical influences to
i Hi
ii
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Michael Murphey: "Nobody's Gonna Tell Me How to Play My Music.'
Photo by Bob Pearson
choose from.
D.N. How did it develop from there?
Murphey-Well, Austin has traditionally been the center
of entertainment and culture in Texas. But being isolated
as it is from a lot of big cities, it kind of developed its own
thing, that took on a whole lot of different forms.
I think I was probably the first person to have a major
recording contract out of Austin. Then Jerry Jeff
(Walker) moved down later, and Willie (Nelson) came
after both of us moved there. I guess all of us were just
looking for a kind of Mecca, because we were tired of the
places we were living. Willie was in Nashville, Jerry Jeff in
New York, I was in L.A. We each represented a different
music center and the people wjio.were moving out of each
place, in a strange sort of way.
Any given week at the Armadillo World Headquarters
you might see a straight ahead western swing band like
Asleep at the Wheel, and the next night they bring in the
ballet. It was probably the most open minded music scene
I've ever been around.
D.N. What caused you to leave when Austin was just
starting to gain its notoriety?
Murphey-Unfortunately three years later, the place was
overrun by people who were thinking they were going to
make it another Haight-Ashbury, and you had a million
songwriters running around looking for work add it was
not that big of a town. Within three years it started
growing, buildings started going up and the heat was on.
And as sootas the heat was on, Murph was gone.
D.N .But you are still keeping in touch with Austin,
doing Austin City Limits for T.V.
Murphey-I held off doing that show for three years
because I wanted to be away from Austin long enough
for people to realize I no longer live there, before I did the
show. Otherwise people would get the mistaken impres
sion that I was still trying to be King of the Austin sound,
and that was never my intention.
D.N. Will there be a, single off your flew album, Lone
Wolf!
Murphey I don't really know, I'm pretty sure there will
be, but that's not really my decision.
D.N .Do you have any formula for producing a com
mercial song?
Murphey No, that's something I've never done. I don't
think your records should compromise your music, but
once you've done what you want to do, when you've put
on the record what you really believe in, then I say go out
and sell it with all your might.
The cornmerciality is not built into the product, but
rather the cornmerciality should come after the product is
finished. The music business is probably the only indus
try in the world which sells a product they know nothing
about. They just know there's a demand for music and if
they throw enough of it out, they're" going to get some
sales.
I find that the wrong approach for me. I always try to
play my albums after they're finished, for the people at
the company, even go all the-way to the president. I want
him to know what I'm doing, I don't want to be an un
known quantity.
THURS THRU WED
MORNINQ
((daytime)?)
I HO QBOZO
O NOT FOR WOMEN ONLY
OPTL PROGRAM
O ANSWER 18 LOVE (WED.)
89 CBS NEWS
1:06 O FARM AND RANCH REPORT
:10 a NEWS
:18 O UNO SCENE (WED.)
: 0 ROMPER ROOM
0 LUCY SHOW
0 O VARIOUS PROGRAMMING
O BUNKY'S FUN CLUB
70 O ARCHIES
0 0 TODAY
O CBS NEWS
0 GOOD MORNING AMERICA
0 1 DREAM OF JEANNIE
E MORNING SHOW
S3 SESAME STREET
7:30 QFUNTSTONES
0 MCHALE'8 NAVY
1:00 O POPEYE
O GOOD MORNING AMERICA
O CAPTAIN KANGAROO
0FUNT8TONES
0 M-SCHOOL PROGRAMMING
(UNTIL 3:10)
JO O LITTLE RASCALS
0 CARTOONS
0:00 0700 CLUB
0 0 SAN FORD AND SON
O ALL MY CHILDREN
0TATTLETALES
Q PHIL DONAHUE SHOW
0 NEW ZOO REVUE
0 ROMPER ROOM
1:30 0 f HOLLYWOOD SQUARES
0 PRICE IS RIGHT
O BEWITCHED
10:00 0 Q WHEEL OF FORTUNE
0 HAPPY DAYS
0 HAPPY DAYS (EXC.FRI.)
Martha's Wtchen (FRI.)
0 LOVE AMERICAN STYLE
0 M-SCHOOL PROGRAMMING
(UNTIL S J0
10:30 0 RELIGIOUS PROGRAMMING
0 Q KNOCKOUT
00 FAMILY FEUD
0 C5 LOVE OF LIFE
O NOT FOR WOMEN ONLY
11 JO 0 NOT FOR WOMEN ONLY
00 TO SAY THE LEA
OU CO.0O0 PYRAMID
O CD YOUNG AND THE
RESTLESS
O FATHER KNOWS BEST
11:30 00 GONG SHOW
0 CONVERSATIONS
O 0 RYAN'S HOPE
O CD SEARCH FOR TOMORROW
0 MAYBERRY R.F.D.
AFTERNOON
13:00 0 FOR RICHER, FOR POORER
o a a cd news
O MOON SHOW
O ALL MY CHILDREN
Entertainment Editor: Pete Mason. Cover Design: Ltz Beard. Layout:
Kitty Policky.
Ad lib is an entertainment supplement published by the Daily Nebras
kan. Editor in Chief: Ron Ruggless Advertising Manager Gregg
Wurdeman. Production Manager: Kitty Policky. Business Manager: Jerri
Haussler.
Unless covered by another copyrig'ht, material may be reprinted
without permission if attributed to Ad lib, entertainment supplement to
the Daily Nebraskan.
Ad lib is distributed Thursdays with the Daily Nebraskan
Cover photos by Bob Pearson
0 JIM NABOR8 SHOW
0 SESAME STREET
12:18 0 FARM ACTION
12:10 0 DICK VAN DYKE SHOW
0 0 DAYS OF OUR LIVES
O CROSS WITS
0 0 AS THE WORLD TURNS
1:00 0 LUCY SHOW
00 ONE LIFE TO LIVE
0 MOVIE 'A Girl From Missouri"
(THUR ,"We8t Point Of The Air"
(FRI.), "Matt Harl" (MON), "A Girl
Against Napoleon (f UE ). 'Marry
Me Again" (WED )
0 M-8CHOOL PROGRAMMING
(UNTIL 3:30)
1 JO O BEVERLY HILLBILLIES
00 DOCTORS
00 GUIDING LIGHT
2:00 0 PLEASE DO NT EAT THE
DAWES
0 0 ANOTHER WORLD
O O GENERAL H08PITAL
2:30 FJ GOMER PYLE
O 0 ALL IN THE FAMILY
0 DENVER NOW
3:00 0 MICKEY MOUSE CLUB
0 FOR RICHER. FOR POORER
Lucy Show (TUE )
DO EDGE OF NIGHT
0 FOR RICHER. FOR POORER
0 MATCH GAME (EXC.THUR.)
The Winners (THUR )
O FUNTSTONE8
0 THE WINNERS (THUR.) Match
GamelEXC THUR
3:30 O TOM AND JERRY
f O BILUQAN'S ISLAND
O TATTLETALE8
0 PHIL DONAHUE SHOW
0 1 LOVE LUCY
OMERV GRIFFIN
BJKALAMrrv KATE'S CAR-
09 ELECTRIC COMPANY
4:00 0 SNJJGAN'S ISLAND
0 MY THREE SONS NBC Special
Treat (TUE )
0 1 DREAM OF JEANNIE
0 DINAH
O SUPERMAN
0 MIKE DOUGLAS
0 MISTER ROGERS
4:30 0 LEAVE IT TO BEAVER
O BEWITCHED
O BRADY BUNCH
0 SKI VALLEY
0 FAMILY AFFAIR
0 SESAME STREET
:M 0 ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW
0000 COUPLE
DO ABC NEWS
0 1 LOVE LUCY
I JO 0 ROOKIES
00 NBC NEWS
0 BEWITCHED
00 CBS NEWS
flNEWS
0 ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW
0 OVER EASY
pot luck
Perkins 'Cake and Steak (2900 NW 12)-A relatively
new entry in the 24-hour pancake and meat category, it
offers unusually light pancakes and good steaks. Service
is a bit slow but very friendly. Prices about average.
Pizza Hut (239 N. 14, 2435 S. 48)-A convenient loca
tion offering pizza to those who prefer it thin and light.
Several other Italian items too. Not as expensive as some
other pizzatoriums.
m Sam's Self-Service (1001 S. 13, 2135 N. 48) -A ham
burger place with little provision for eating in. The "Big
Samson" is the best deal on the menu. Pecan pie is good.
Super Sub (930 S. 13, 1321 O, 339 N. Cotner)-This
submarine sandwich shop also offers a wide meat choice.
Topping runs to shredded lettuce with vinegar and oil.
Not quite as strongly flavored as Little King sandwich;
take your choice.
live night on
the town
Boar's Head: Tunesmith, March 9 through 11, John
Balleu, March 14 Through 16, 8 p.m. to midnight
Tony and Luigi's: Rich Walsh, March 9 through 11,13
through 16, 8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.
Jesse's: Sally Cowan, March 10 through 11, 8:30 p.m.
to midnight
Two Eyed Jack's: Freende, March 10 through 12, 8 30
P-m. to 12:30 a.m.
Stan's: Statesmen, March 10 throuqh 12 8:30 p.m. to
12:30a.m.
Oscar's: Heart Murmurs, March 9 through 11, Terry
Duffory, March 13 through 15, Highway Call, March 16,
8 30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.
Zoo: Sandy Creek Pickers, March 9 through 11, John
Walker, March 13 through 14, Jam, March 15, Charlie
Burton and the Rock Therapy, March 16, 9:30 p.m. to
1 a.m.
Personalities: Fest.ya., March 9 through 11, Timber
line. March 13 through 16, 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.