Dee Murray

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Murray and Olsson joined Elton John as his road sidemen in 1970, first appearing on disc with him on "Amoreena" from the 1970 studio album *Tumbleweed Connection*. The following year they were featured on the live album *17-11-70*. Initially, John's record company only allowed them to play on one track per studio album. This changed with *Honky Château* in 1972 when John used his skyrocketing popularity to convince DJM Records to let Murray and Olsson become full-time recording members. Along with new recruit Davey Johnstone on guitar, Murray and Olsson played on hit albums including the milestone *Goodbye Yellow Brick Road*, singles, and world tours for several years. In 1975, after recording *Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy*, Murray and Olsson were released because John wanted to achieve a different sound. Murray and Olsson continued working together as session musicians in Los Angeles. In 1976 they played on Rick Springfield's fourth album *Wait for Night*. In 1977, Murray briefly joined Procol Harum on a North America tour promoting *Something Magic*, though he never recorded with the group. Between 1978 and 1979, Murray worked as part of Alice Cooper's backing band, playing on Cooper's hit album *From the Inside*. He also joined Olsson backing The Grateful Dead's Bob Weir on his solo album *Heaven Help the Fool* in 1978. Other artists he worked with include Yvonne Elliman, England Dan & John Ford Coley, Shaun Cassidy, Allan Clarke, Bernie Taupin, Kiki Dee, Stefanie Gaines, Barbi Benton, and Jimmy Webb. Murray and Olsson returned to tour and play sessions with John starting with *21 at 33* in 1980. They backed John during his landmark concert in New York City's Central Park before more than 400,000 fans on 13 September 1980, and appeared on *The Fox* in 1981. Murray contributed all the bass tracks on *Jump Up!* in 1982 and joined Olsson and Davey Johnstone for the Jump Up! Tour, followed by albums and tours for *Too Low for Zero* (1983) and *Breaking Hearts* (1984). The group then disbanded, reuniting once more to record backing vocals on *Reg Strikes Back* in 1988. In the 1980s, Murray played on numerous Nashville sessions for artists such as Michael Brown, Lewis Storey, Beth Nielsen Chapman, and John Prine.

In Their Own Story

In January 1992, after battling skin cancer for several years, Dee Murray died of a stroke at age 45. On March 15, 1992, Elton John performed a tribute concert at the Grand Ole Opry to raise money for Murray's family. In a 2011 interview, Nigel Olsson said of his long-time bandmate: "I think about him every single day. Brilliant bass player. Wonderful guy. Dear, dear, dear friend. A musical genius across the board." Davey Johnstone believes Murray's musical skills were not fully appreciated and, in March 2011, said he was working on a documentary about Murray.

Reader's Guide

Murray was married to Maria Gombatz, twin sister to Olsson's wife Lisa; they had two children and lived in Nashville. Murray also had a daughter from his first marriage. His collaborations include work with Elton John on albums from *Tumbleweed Connection* (1970) through *Reg Strikes Back* (1988), as well as sessions with Beth Nielsen Chapman (*Beth Nielsen Chapman*, 1990), Jimmy Webb (*Land's End*, 1974; *El Mirage*, 1977), John Prine (*Aimless Love*, 1984), Yvonne Elliman (*Night Flight*, 1978), Ronnie Hawkins (*The Hawk*, 1979), Shaun Cassidy (*Born Late*, 1977; *Under Wraps*, 1978), Bernie Taupin (*He Who Rides the Tiger*, 1980), Brian Cadd (*White on White*, 1976), and England Dan & John Ford Coley (*Dr. Heckle and Mr. Jive*, 1979).

Did You Know?

• Dee Murray's first bass guitar was given to him in high school when someone put the instrument over his shoulder and said, 'Here, you play this!'
• Murray and drummer Nigel Olsson were only allowed to play on one track per studio album until Elton John used his skyrocketing popularity to convince DJM Records to let them become full-time recording members starting with *Honky Château* in 1972.
• Murray backed Elton John during his landmark concert in New York City's Central Park before more than 400,000 fans on 13 September 1980.
• Murray was married to Maria Gombatz, who was the twin sister of Nigel Olsson's wife Lisa.
• After Murray's death from a stroke at age 45, Elton John performed a tribute concert at the Grand Ole Opry on March 15, 1992 to raise money for Murray's family.