By: Danny Murphy
My name is Danny Murphy, and this is the beginning of my music journey. It all began with my introduction to artists that I would eventually love. As a family we would always have music playing in the car, it would be played in the house, and while we would wash cars. Music was not just background music, it was something that we would talk about. The history of a group, to how certain albums came to be made.
Dave Matthews Band was a big one that would be playing most of the time. The jazz feel mixed with a rock genre and jam band was so cool to me. There would be 18 minute songs that we would listen to all the way through. One of the first bands that I fell in love with was U2. I was introduced to U2 at a young age, and they became my first band that I became absolutely obsessed with. It got to a point where I didn’t even listen to anything else. I only listened to U2. Eventually I could only listen to so much U2 and eventually found the band Pink Floyd. Pink Floyd had such an influence on me, I wanted to have a band just like them, I wanted to make music like them. I was so interested in this band and wanted to know how they found their distinct sound. I loved their vocals, instrumentals, and with this came some of the greatest albums of all time.
One day, I was at a family gathering where my grandpa would play piano. He would play some amazing jazz pieces and improvisations. It were absolutely beautiful. After him, my uncle would sit down and play some beautiful pieces as well. They were both very talented at playing and I wanted to be able to do the same thing.
Eventually, I would want to play music myself, I began taking piano lessons at 11 years old. I would travel to a farm house in Cove City, North Carolina, where I would meet with my piano teacher and I would be classically trained. I would play Mozart, Bach, Chopin and more. Although it was difficult, I loved being able to play. I could read music, play pieces and play for my family. Through these lessons I would travel to East Carolina University and play a piece to be graded on. I would receive “Superior +” on every visit.
Eventually, I wanted to not only learn music, but make my own. I was involved with music in middle school. This is where I would learn to play with a band. Getting used to playing with other people was nice, and honestly one of the greatest feelings that I’ve ever had. My brother and I would be in music classes together, learning music theory and chord progressions. He would play the guitar and I would be on the piano, and playing songs with him on the big stage was one of the coolest moments of my life.
I would practice with one of my greatest friends of all time, Austin VanDyke. He played the drums, and we would not only play at school, but I would go over to his house and we would make our own songs and record them with our iPhones. This sparked my desire to want to release music for the world to hear. There was a point where we had a mini concert in his driveway. We brought out an amp for my piano, and his drum kit. Only three people were able to see this concert. Me, Austin, and the neighbor across the street.
Music has been a massive part of my life. It has gotten me through difficult times, amazing times, held memories for me and more. Music brings so many people together, it is a language that many of us share. This is the beginning of my music journey.
