RYAN MURPHEY

by Michelle Broussard Honick

Singer-songwriter Ryan “Rye” Murphey has won over Nashville’s Americana/acoustic pop community during numerous performances at venues like 12th & Porter, Bluebird Café, Five Spot, 3rd & Lindsley, FooBAR and other hot clubs both during solo concerts and shows with his former groups, Ulysses and Lemoncholy.

Rye will sing and play guitar with his father, the country/pop/western music star Michael Martin Murphey (remember his huge crossover hit “Wildfire”?) throughout the CMA Music Festival June 5th-8th. They will be playing at festival shows and also at clubs downtown that week before the duo head out on the road together for a big summer tour out West.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg for the brilliant musician, who’s come a long way since recording the hit duet “Talkin’ to the Wrong Man” (and duets on the America’s Horses and Rhymes of the Renegades Warner Brothers albums) with his father. Rye’s newest solo album, Miracle Street, is set for a May release by the Spin Box Club label, with pre-orders now available on itunes and his own myspace site (keyword Rye Murphey).

At least one of the songs Rye has penned (“Sunset Girl”) will be featured in a new movie directed by John Gries, the well-known character actor who played Uncle Rico in Napoleon Dynamite. Rye and longtime friend John Wayne (no relation, but his real name) have collaborated on several other songs which may find their way into the movie, as well.

Rye also will be featured on the Texas Music Legends DVD coming out soon. Filmed last fall at Dallas’ Majestic Theater, the DVD also stars Gary P. Nunn, Bill & Bonnie Hearne, Rusty Weir and his dad. The DVD, on which Rye and Michael duet on “I Will Find You”, will be available on the Texas Music Legends website and will be shown in theaters in Texas. “There’s just something about Texas music—it’s creative and defies boundaries, but it still has roots,” he muses.

As if all that isn’t enough, Rye is producing his father’s new bluegrass project, which will be released on a major label. “It’s a cool project,” he enthuses. “So much of my dad’s 70's and 80's music, like ‘Carolina in the Pines’, was influenced by bluegrass, but he hadn’t actually recorded it before as acoustic bluegrass. Members of the New Grass Revival and other major talents associated with my dad over the years will be recording with him for this project.”

The 37-year-old Austin, Texas native has been firmly ensconced in Nashville for some time. His talented wife, Fiona, has acted in several local productions, including last fall’s Bell Witch play in Adams, Tennessee. A proud husband and dad, Rye says their two daughters have inherited the family’s entertainment genes. “Eight-year old Fiona loves to play guitar, and four-year-old Elle is a real performer, always singing and dancing.”

He adds that Fiona is a huge inspiration to him, both as a father and a songwriter. “She has O.A., better known as brittle bone disease, but she doesn’t let that stop her. She plays coach pitch baseball, and she’s a real competitor. She loves sports, and the whole family is involved with the Athletes Building Life Experiences (ABLE) program, in which kids in wheelchairs play sports like basketball and tennis.”

Rye also is an English teacher at Maplewood High School, where he has incorporated music into his lessons with great success. “The kids love it when I play songs for them, and it gets their attention.”

Rye’s music often is termed poetic and haunting. Just one example is “Bluebonnets”, which he calls the touchstone on his new CD. He currently is working on the video for “Head Above Water”, which will also be on the Miracle Street CD.

Though Rye grew up playing in his dad’s band, it’s definitely time for this son to shine.