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Philip Neil Murray (born 27 August 1950) is a Scottish bass player, best known for his work in Whitesnake, The Brian May Band and Black Sabbath.
Originally a drummer, Murray formed his first band with school friends in 1967 (Slap Happy and the Dum-Dums) and his musical tastes were heavily influenced by the mid-1960s 'blues boom' bands and musicians, especially Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce, and later by Motown legend James Jamerson and Tim Bogert of Vanilla Fudge, Cactus and Beck, Bogert & Appice. Murray moved to bass shortly before studying graphic design at the London College of Printing.
During 1973, Neil b
Philip Neil Murray (born 27 August 1950) is a Scottish bass player, best known for his work in Whitesnake, The Brian May Band and Black Sabbath.
Originally a drummer, Murray formed his first band with school friends in 1967 (Slap Happy and the Dum-Dums) and his musical tastes were heavily influenced by the mid-1960s 'blues boom' bands and musicians, especially Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce, and later by Motown legend James Jamerson and Tim Bogert of Vanilla Fudge, Cactus and Beck, Bogert & Appice. Murray moved to bass shortly before studying graphic design at the London College of Printing.
During 1973, Neil briefly played in Gilgamesh, a jazz-fusion band led by Alan Gowen. After his departure from Gilgamesh, Murray toured the USA with Junior Hanson, following a recommendation from Jeff Beck’s bass player Clive Chaman. Hanson later became a member of Bob Marley & The Wailers under the name Junior Marvin. Neil spent early 1974 supporting the album he recorded with them, Magic Dragon.
Murray's next gig came again through a recommendation from Clive Chaman, touring with Cozy Powell's Hammer in 1974 and 1975. The line-up included Don Airey and Bernie Marsden.
After Cozy Powell decided to fold Hammer, Murray and Airey joined a revamped version of the British jazz rock band Colosseum, named Colosseum II. The band's leader, drummer Jon Hiseman, had evolved the band's sound by eliminating the saxophone in preference for a rockier sound courtesy of Gary Moore's guitar.
This line-up of the band lasted for one album only (Strange New Flesh, a title thought up by Murray). Strange New Flesh was a little less intellectual than most of the jazz rock coming out of the UK. It did not have the blackness of bands like Weather Report, but offered more accessible melodies and rock power than the more "intellectual" Canterbury fusion scene presented at the time. Following months of touring Europe and the UK, Murray and vocalist Mike Starrs were fired, due to pressure from the record label Bronze, who soon after dropped Colosseum II altogether.
After Colosseum II, in 1976 Neil teamed up again with ex-Gilgamesh keyboardist Alan Gowen in National Health with whom he recorded a self-titled album in 1977. Prior to recording that album, the band played with drummer Bill Bruford of Yes/King Crimson fame, who was followed by ex-Hatfield & the North drummer Pip Pyle. Murray got the chance to work with Bruford again, playing on the rehearsals for Bruford's Feels Good To Me album, standing in for Jeff Berlin who was the actual bassist with the band (the LP cover read 'Thanks to Neil Murray: A bass player when I needed one'). Murray also deputised for Berlin on Bruford's "Old Grey Whistle Test" appearance in 1978. During this performance he sports a long sleeve T-Shirt saying 'More Bass', predating Saturday Night Live's "More Cowbell" by more than 20 years.
National Health's complex music and the lack of commercial success prompted Murray to investigate other musical avenues planted in the world of bands like Cream, Jeff Beck or John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers. After playing with Bernie Marsden in Cozy Powell's Hammer, Murray had played on a couple of tracks on Babe Ruth's album Stealing Home, prior to Marsden joining two members of Deep Purple in Paice Ashton Lord.
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