Skip To Main Content
Bill Murphy on Muck Rack

Bill Murphy

New York
As seen in: CorranCast, New York Post, Rolling Stone, Time Out New York, Guitar World, Premier Guitar, Relix
Covers:  Music, Arts & Entertainment
Record label manager, freelance writer, guitar slinger, occasional gadfly — mostly in that order. Also flying bsky.app/profile/roninscribe.bsky.social

Get in touch with Bill

Contact Bill, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.

Learn more about Muck Rack

Actions

Share this page

Bill Murphy’s Biography

Read Full Bio →

Based in New York City, Bill Murphy has contributed features, profiles and reviews to Rolling Stone, Time Out New York, Guitar World, Guitar Player, Bass Player, The Wire, Relix magazine and many more. He has also written liner notes for numerous album releases, including the lead essay for the Grammy-nominated Wingless Angels box set, produced by Keith Richards.

Bill Murphy’s Journalist Portfolio

See all →
Thin Lizzy Guitarist on Phil Lynott's Legacy, New Black Star Riders LP

Thin Lizzy Guitarist on Phil Lynott's Legacy, New Black Star Riders LP

Scott Gorham can't recall exactly when he was introduced to a certain towheaded youngster who'd never heard o…

View article →
Living Colour Talk Reconnecting With Blues on First LP in Eight Years

Living Colour Talk Reconnecting With Blues on First LP in Eight Years

According to founding guitarist Vernon Reid, Living Colour 's new album was officially born onstage at the Ap…

View article →
Go inside hip-hop visionary Rammellzee's futurist multiverse this summer

Go inside hip-hop visionary Rammellzee's futurist multiverse this summer

Yes, there are 8 million stories in the naked city, but they're still not enough to do justice to Rammellzee.…

View article →
Lee Fields cranks up the heat for his soul-powered new record, Special Night

Lee Fields cranks up the heat for his soul-powered new record, Special Night

Two decades ago, you'd be forgiven if you'd never heard of Lee Fields. His career to that point could best be…

View article →
Dennis Bovell: Return of the Dubmaster

Dennis Bovell: Return of the Dubmaster

Dennis Bovell happens to be the de-facto godfather of the romance-heavy reggae genre known as lovers rock. Bu…

View article →
Meshell Ndegeocello: The Omnichord

Meshell Ndegeocello: The Omnichord

It's hard to believe that Plantation Lullabies, Meshell Ndegeocello's sensuous, soulful and unremittingly fun…

View article →

Articles

Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley’s New Songbook

|
By Bill Murphy
| Premier Guitar Verified
Life on the road is, quite literally, a driving force in country music. From the baleful strains of Hank Williams’ classic “Lost Highway” to Willie Nelson’s perennially uplifting “On the Road Again,” the endless black ribbon has inspired more songs, with a wider range of moods and emotions than there are twists and turns on a Blue Ridge mountain switchback.
Open in Who Shared Issue with article?

Tom Petty at the Fillmore Residency Box Set, 1997

|
By Bill Murphy
| Premier Guitar Verified
“I always had it in the back of my mind,” Mike Campbell says thoughtfully, from his home in the hills outside Los Angeles. He’s taking a moment to savor what it felt like to go back in time and listen to the raw tapes of a now-legendary residency. “Playing the Fillmore was exhilarating for us. I knew then that it was really good, and I would always look forward to the day we’d pull it out again. And when we did, I was pleasantly surprised that it lived up to my expectations and my memory.
Open in Who Shared Issue with article?

Mission of Burma’s Roger Clark Miller: Guitar Dreamscapes

|
By Bill Murphy
| Premier Guitar Verified
If you ever find the opening to ask a composer or producer what it means to “paint with sound,” be prepared to frame the question in as many different ways as there are colors in the visible spectrum. Inspired by synaesthesis? Could be. Maybe a deep dive into abstract free-form improv? Sure, always worth a shot. What if you commit to exotic tunings or unconventional music theory? Or how about a mash-up of prepared instruments with some radical effects processing and tape manipulation?
Open in Who Shared Issue with article?
See all 17 licensed articles (18 Total)

Interview

See all →

What was your first job as a journalist?

Freelance contributor to Guitar Player and Bass Player mags

What does it mean to be a journalist?

Dig deep and always be curious (and maybe fearless too)

What's your favorite social network?

Hanging out in real life