British guitarist analyses Matt 'Guitar' Murphy live in 1963! 

No stomp boxes. No Marshall Stacks. Just some really beautiful playing, with heart and soul. Chuck and Matt both took a lot from T-Bone Walker, who was a true guitar wizard.

I saw him while I college in the early 80s. Sadly only 10 or so people attended the venue. After the show I walked up to the stage and spoke with him. He was very nice and friendly.

I had the honour of playing with Matt during a free jam one Saturday afternoon in the mid 80's. I'm a drummer, primarily punk at the time, but my friends coaxed me onstage and I had no clue what to do so I just followed along taking cues when I could. His solo came up during the bridge, at the end of which was an apparent drum break. I didn't want to ruin what was turning into a really good thing so I did a simple quiet buzz roll building to a crescendo and coming back hard on the 1. As I came out of the roll, I looked over at Matt and he gave me this little smile/pout and a nod that just filled me with goosebumps. Still does. He was such an inspiration to me with that one gesture that at the end of my schooling I dropped what I was doing and got into playing full time. Never made any real money out of it but it carried me for over 10 years and I don't regret a moment of it. Thanks Matt!

It's great seeing how much you admire and appreciate so many of these masters of the past (to present, of course), including the underrated musicians that should have been bigger than they were in the general population and pointing out their techniques and innovations of all of them. I've learned a lot-thanks!

You might know Matt as the guitarist in The Blues Brothers... Aretha's husband in The Blues Brothers Movie.

You can't have your four fired chickens ! You can't have your dry white toast ! And you can't have Matt Guitar Murphy !.

That just relaxes the soul and fills you with positive energy !!!

Murphy is SO incredibly tasteful and has monster chops. Proves you CAN have both. I love it!

"You're never going to get Matt and Mr. Fabulous out of them high paying gigs." Love it! Going back to to the cats who brought us to where we are now. Cheers.

I hung out with Matt in Boston just prior to him leaving to play with the Blues Brothers. He was one of the stars of Boston's blues scene, and a great guy. His sister and I were friends. His local hangout was Great Scott, on the corner of Commonwealth Ave and Harvard Ave, which is surprisingly still there after over 40 years.

On a roll Phil! Matt's soulful playing was off the scale. He was a truly gifted, and above all dedicated player. As mentioned I am old but my memories make it worth it to me in my life - saw Matt in 1984 in the LA area on a bill with Rod Piazza & The Mighty Flyers!!!!

I met Matt when he played a gig at Shades- just south of Libertyville IL. He was a nice man. Great player. Must have been 90 or 91. He was playing straight in as usual. I could write a book about just that one night.

Had the good fortune to see Matt "Guitar" Murphy twice, about a dozen years apart, once in New Hampshire when I was in college, and once in Florida, when I wasn't. The New Hampshire gig was when he was playing with The James Cotton Blues Band, and his Guitar strap said Matt "Guitar" Murphy, so that was how I knew. Then came "The Blues Brothers" movie, and I was like, Hey I've seen that guy before!. Then in 89 or 90 I was living in Florida and Matt played a gig near me, so I went, and during a set break he was just standing at the bar so I went over and said hi and we started talking. Eventually we got around to his being with James Cotton, and I asked if he remembered the show in N.H.. Of course he said yes, but I bet he didn't really, but who knows. A really great dude, so sad he passed. RIP Matt Murphy.

Matt 'Guitar' Murphy has a signature guitar model with Cort. Great clip. Thanks for posting. Clean and fast guitar playing is so appreciated.

always loved his facial expressions and especially those eye brows. Brilliant and loved his later career with Blues Brothers. That exact same gig i enjoyed his other song Mat Murphy's Boogie.

Thoroughly enjoyed that. great playing all round. More like this, please , Fil.

Love these vintage footage from the 1960's on back. excellent analysis on an excellent guitarist as Matt and the drummer and piano player. this performance deserve an replay. thanks Fil

These guys were really tearing it up! It would have been nice to see a cool cat and hot kitten cutting a rug while they were jamming. Hmm, I wonder how many people think that he was 'just another actor' in the Blues Brothers Band.

Some in here appreciate this band, some think of The Blues Brothers, the movie.... Some compare those younger, who played with the originators, with the later musicians. I ask myself: they know nothing? Some say: pure heart and soul, just pure class. Amen. Few tributes to the real blues artists, those who inspired the british bluesrockers, the "rockers" doing some less good covers of the real blues. But thanks to those bluesrockers, the originators are not forgotten. Matt Murphy should be remembered for 1960's version of Matt Murphy and his bandmates. This period was the Folk Blues Revival, appreciated by the europeans. And the recordings of those festivals in europe: amazing sound, very well filmed. When the young bluesrockers, the Rolling Stones visited USA first time, they asked where they could find Muddy Waters. The answer: who is he? Jimi Hendrix also was the blues, the feeling. Hendrix "blasted" those british blues rockers, "killed God" of guitar in Britain. Then a period of techincal skills was more important than feeling by those (like Black Sabbath) who paved the way for the hard rockers. Relax, feel the feeling. Regards from Norway :-)

I really love the way this was shot. Neatly cutting between the musicians. Too often TV directors have no clue how to make the musicians look this good. We get a nice and varied view of these top notch musicians. I only wish the song was longer, as it was so good.

I saw Matt Murphy playing in the James Cotton Blues Band in the early 70's, and afterwards picked up the Cotton album Taking Care Off Business. This is quite an interesting album. Todd Rundgren produced it and played some slide guitar on it, but elsewhere on the album, besides Matt Murphy, on other tracks he has Mike Bloomfield or Johnny Winter, and on 1 song both.

Loved it . Great job by the band and great job by you Fil !! 👍👍

Matt’s playing is insane! No effects....just sheer brilliance with a great clean tone! Amazing Fil! Cheers Mario! 😀👌🤘🤘

Listening to you this night. I went and got two cans and a string, lol. And made a phone for my granddaughter. She was amazied. Lol

You can't get any cooler than these guys.

Fil, not to dicract from the music or your analysis itself, but expression on your face - while band is playing - is absolutely priceless. Cheers.

Sounds like you finally got a stadium gig, Fil!

I was just going to suggest this and then of course, you've already been there. Thank you

I only ever knew Matt 'guitar' Murphy from The Blues Brothers and I had no idea he was such a virtuoso. The things I learn from you Fil.

FYI, he passed last year. "Well, go on, dammit!" RIP, Matt

Awesome like a lot of other people I was introduced to Matt Through The Blues Brothers been a huge fan of him and Steve Cropper ever since I especially love the song B Boxcar Blues

Wow ,clean as a operating room! He stayed on the neck pickup the whole time! Great analysis Fil! I had never heard of him before. Thanks ,you are ways broadening my horizons!

Wow what a clean sound and what a tight trio. It would have been fantastic to see them in just a small litte club. The kind of place where you can both hear and see everything.

Now I want to watch The Blues Brothers again. Especially Minnie the Moocher for some reason. Great video

You don't hear what he can do in the Blues brothers. Dam good stuff, the whole group were killing it, loved the drummer's playing.

absolutely fantastic !!!!

Too good! Thanks

Great pick of a song. Played it 4x back to back. Got me hoppin' and a boppin' 👍🏾😎🎶

I was lucky to see Matt play with The James Cotton Blues Band in the early 70s. Twice! As a young blues guitar fan at the time, I wondered how I'd ever be satisfied with my own ability after hearing and seeing Matt's playing. And, his showmanship was at a high level, too. Huge smiles when he nailed difficult runs which were appreciated by the audience, for sure.

I like how you sound in this video. I can hear it better than normal.

Always interesting and educational.

Great Review! Love the jazzy bluesy sound of that clean guitar! Piano n' drums. No bells and whistles just good old fashioned talent.😎🎼🎶🎵

Fil's old timey on his mic to match the cool groove of 1963! Ty Fil. What technique Mr. Murphy has, tight as a sheep's butt in... lol!

Great jazz slurs and double stops in his playing! Smooth note selection! the timing and groove is spot on! Digging the reverb on your voice😹

Clean and sweet ... just the basics ! Jamming ! ♥️

I saw him play in a small club in College Station Texas in the late eighties. Great show!

Marvellous playing from Matt and his fellow musicians. In 1990 Matt released an album called "Way Down South" which is superb. Probably deleted by now, but well worth seeking out.

Such a very cool band. Thanks for your appreciation for all types of music.

This was a great video, what a tight band. The conversations between the piano and the guitar were never stepping on each other, complementing each other's ideas and building up to the climax. And I loved the drums since they weren't a wild solo, just showing a driving beat which complemented the other players. Good comments.

Saw him in Carbondale Illinois years ago. Wasn't he a part of the Blues Brothers Band? Good guitar player 👍 FIL.

Wow!!! This is soooo smooth, swinging and groovy! My ears are in heaven! Great find Fil!

As I watched and listened, my thought was how in sync they were. I liked the camera work. Nice to see those flying fingers and sticks up close.

What a groove they make it look and sound so easy!

So much talent

after viewing a generous handful of your videos, i've come to appreciate your appreciation of fine musicians. i subscribed to your channel, something i don't do very often. but, looking through your videos, i don't see any of steve goodman. i highly recommend him to you. i think you'll enjoy him. he was a great songwriter, and a fine picker. enjoy!

Peace from So Cal Fil.Sippin on a British brew watching your vid.Young's double chocolate stout.One of my favorites.Another British Brewery that's a fav of mine is Samuel Smith.Their Oatmeal stout is in the hall of fame of beers for me lolz.When I was in London this past May,I was loving the pubs man.I even watched one of your vids on the Heathrow Express when I first touched down lol,I remember that cause I just got the notification after I got through customs hahaha.Great breakdown as always,these cats were really cookin.Love that boogie woogie bluesy soul man.These cats got crazy chops.Your doing your thing tough Fil,don't always get to comment cause sometimes I listen while driving,working etc,but great job man.Always solid content up in here.Peace/Blessings

I think Memphis Slim steals the show! Brilliant! Thanks again Fil for another great video. 👍

He would come through Columbia S.C several times a year while I was in college there. I saw him often perform at small club called Rockefellers. Even played Pinball with Matt Murphy between sets.

Fantastic study, thank you Fil. Great editing for an old clip, they actually focused on the soloing artist. (unlike your recent Steely Dan & Jeff Baxter analysis) RIP Matt, a true legend !

Brilliant ! I really enjoyed this one Fil. Cheers 👍

Great vid. He was kind of overshadowed by Steve in the band/movie. Glad to see how ace his talent is

Great band! 😎😎😎😎 Top notch performance. 😀 On your voice, stuff happens the show must still go on!!!^m^

Hey Fil! Excellent video/song selection and performance run-down of a massively underrated guitarist- Matt Murphy! Man, if you wished , you could literally use every clip and performance from The American Folk Blues Festival tapes as a basis for analysis! All the greats are there: Magic Sam. Hooker, Otis Rush. Wolf. Sonny Boy. Big Mama, Willie Dixon, Fred Bellow!!! Hell, seeing Buddy Guy and Jr. Wells with 'processes' in suits and ties ala early 60s James Brown, is worth the price of admission! Come on keepin' on! Rock!

Don't you blaspheme in here! Don't you blaspheme in here! This is my man, this is my restaurant, and you two are just gonna walk right out that door without your dry white toast, without your four fried chickens, and without Matt 'Guitar' Murphy!

I saw Matt with the Blues Brothers Band live at the Colston Hall in Bristol in 1991. Had most of the original band with Larry Thurston and Eddie Floyd on vocals. Was a great night! He was introduced as "Aretha's old man from the film"!

Cool old stuff.

I like the slap back delay on your voice in this video. I kept waiting for you to break into Heartbreak Hotel or something. ;-)

I saw Matt Murphy twice with the James Cotton Band. What a fabulous time -- nearly 50 years ago now. At Mr. C's in Lowell, people would get up dancing on the tables. Matt has played with Joe Louis Walker as well, who himself was inducted into the Blue Hall of Fame in 2013. Let me suggest a video: Joe Louis Walker performing "I Won't Do That" featuring Dave Herrero live in Turkey 2013ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Vc0QSiUQSks.html. I can identify the strings only, Lenny Bradford playing 5-string bass.

He played a "Cort" electric guitar. Not a Gibson, or Fender whatever. Corts were made in Korea at the time Matt bought them. Great value. BTW, the echo is like sitting in a baseball stadium. Great work you do for all aspiring musicians.

Oh yes!! I like that!!! Love to L. Always.💜🌹💚

Cool jam!!...Thanks Fil!!...✌❤🤘

I remember him from The Blues Brothers.Awesome guitar player.

Saw Matt in the Muddy Waters Blues band mid 60’s playing lead behind Muddy’s slide work, brilliant combination . Memphis Slim along with Champion Jack Dupree toured uk all through 60’s and into 70’s around the clubs and blues festivals. 2 characters lol

Haven’t heard him in years. Dam they can cut a rug. Nice Fil

They filmed a lot of 'The Blues Brothers' in and around Harvey Illinois, not far from where i'am living now..After work one day a bunch of us went to the areas they were filming in,stayed till after dark, wow the noise! When they were filming the car chase scenes, and they took a closed and boarded up Mall, can't think of the name of it right now, and rebuilt it to look even better than the original,it was close to Holiday time@ that phase of filming, the Mall all decorated, for Christmas, could not believe how beautiful Holly Wood made it look, they had mile long trailers they took stuff out of , Set Carpenters the guys were called...., that's another part of my past that was interesting,from Recording Artists, to Motion Picture Artists, my youngest brother's best friend, was a cinematographer, now he rents trailers to all The Movie ppl and shoots a commercial every now and again in the California area and surrounding states, Tom Baker, he worked on 'The Titanic' says he didn't want to do location work anymore being away from home up to 12 months he still is involved in the business part time now, nice guy, he knows everyone in Hollywood , i met a few stars when i was in California.. Getting back to watching filming, we watched pretty much the entire thing, the guards were so nice, and let us checkout the Mall, after the actors and film crew were gone... The End.....

Hi Fil, Great analysis of "Matt Guitar Murphy". Back when I was in high school in Los Angeles maybe 1972 I saw Matt play with James Cotton open for Johnny Winter. Tickets were cheap then $3:50 $4:50 and $5:50 for front row tickets

Really enjoyed it Fil! I know it wasn't your purpose to showcase a "Blues Brothers" musician; but I think it would be a neat series for you to do. Many people only know them from the movies and maybe a couple other things. It would be nice to have an episode for each of them and their careers. Whatcha think?

Musicianship at it's finest even by today's standards,..Real good one Fil,...

I alway say better late than never, I discovered Matt Guitar Murphey through "The Blues Brothers," Where Matt's defying Aretha's call to the blues bros was the response: Aretha's "Think."ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-WY66elCQkYk.html. Fabulous funny video and I finally saw him live. I love the slides, bends and that smooth clean playing. Thanks, Fil for filling in the gap of Matt's work I have yet to hear abd appreciate!

Fil from Wings of Pegasus delivers more substance in his analysis of performers than do judges on television talent shows, who don't know a damn thing about analyzing talent. Their only credential is their name recognition from being a celebrity. Fil from Wings of Pegasus, on the other hand, knows what he is talking about Fil himself is a musician.

He'll always be a Blues Brother to me.

Fil, next time you get that echo, say “This is the police...put down your weapons and come out with your hands up!”

Matt Murphy is in the same class as Chet Atkins and Glen Campbell, fantastic one Fil, Jeff in LA USA

Boogie woogie! Cool, Fil! Thanks for the great breakdown of Murphy's lead. Hey, have you seen The Heimatdamisch's cover of "Sweet Child o' Mine"? Great vocals by Conny Kreitmeier, and what they do with Slash's solo is fun!

....ahem. It's not jazz, it's "Boogie-Woogie.". Great review, Matt was one of the best ever.

Love me some Boogie Woogie! Thanks for another fun one Fil!

Yes I did request him one time. Nice pic professor that sounded great. The man that never aged. Peace Boogie Woogie

Hi, Fil, I've always thought you should be doing stadium gigs. Ha ha ha! Seriously though, great choice. I have a feeling that most people that know of Matt Murphy only know of him from The Blues Brothers. Too bad. Absolutely one of the best. Thanks!

Ty so much for react to matt guitar murphy. He was some kind of amazing. His solo on shotgun blues ( the blues bros) suitcase full of blues was absolutely awesome.

Excellent

This is great, Fil. They are so tight. ES-345? Love it.

…..Matt could do everything.....I first became aware of him in '66.....still have the LP......'Gravel Road' was his track......acoustic hill country......somethings stay with you for ever....'Gravel Road' is one - Petway's 'Catfish' is another......obviously there are squillions more...…..listen to 'Gravel Road'

Never heard of guitar murphy he's definately awesome. Reminded me of a cross between brian setzer & ren & stimpy.

This is great !!! Matt was a great player. Wish i had a Cort MGM. We all maybe go to the Blues Brothers as a ref point (You Better Think!!!, oh you can go, too to the sax player :) Saw a guy share a bill with Rick Derringer at the Keystone SF. ha all i remember is a blue flame strat. maybe matt, one of those nights.

good choice

I liked that 'ECHO', i heard, whilst you were giving your analysis... Matt, really made that picking look so easy, that drummer was right on with that drumming, keeping in tune with the piano player, as well... There is a lot of piano playing in Jazz tracks, and i might add good Boogie Woogie and Jitter Bug dancing, and also a dance called the Black Bottom, that was popular in the 20's and 30's, this led to 'Rock and Roll' and 'The Hand Jive' of the 1950's... Great video Filip, you are always so interesting to listen to, your knowledge of groups and genres is astounding...

Matt was playing without a pick with the Blues Brothers

Hard not to see him and just imagine him later playing with the Blues Brothers....

Great job, Phil. This Murphy is really killing it on guitar, but it makes me wonder if he is any good at anything else, you know?

......lets boogie! Rock! :-)