Page M - 20Stan Paregien, Editor
Michael Martin Murphey
Michael Martin Murphey is a writer, a singer, an instrumentalist, an actor, a filmmaker, a cowboy/rancher, and a self-made scholar in Western Studies. He is an adjunct professor at Utah State University. He is an undisputed leader in preserving and promoting the culture of the American West. He is both an Academy of Country Music award winner and National Cowboy Hall of Fame four-time award winner.Murphey, who was born and raised in Texas, began riding horses on his grandfather's and uncle's ranches when he was six years old. He continued his horse adventures at the Sky Ranch in Lewisville, Texas, where he spent his summers as both a camper and later as a counselor. On his families' ranches, he first heard cowboy songs sung by the ranch-hands and at the Sky Ranch Michael began singing cowboy-and-western tunes himself around the evening campfires. "When I was young, I fell in love with horses, the cowboy lifestyle and Western music, and it set the course for my whole life. My dream was to have a ranch and horses when I grew up."
Michael Martin Murphey attended college at North Texas State and UCLA, and then returned to Texas to join the Austin music scene. By the mid-'70s, Murphey was established as a major hitmaker with the pop smash "Wildfire" and the follow-up hit "Carolina in the Pines" from the gold album "Blue Sky - Night Thunder".
Within a few years, Murphey also validated his country music credentials with such hits as "Cherokee Fiddle" and "A Mansion on the Hill." He had his first No. 1 country song in 1992, "What's Forever For."
Michael Martin Murphey is today's best-known and best-selling cowboy singer. His latest recordings make up a classic "Cowboy Songs" series of albums, featuring both standards from the past and hot new cowboy music.
For the past decade, Murphey has been performing some of his concerts from horseback. The first time he did that was at the New Mexico State Fair, in front of an audience of 15,000 and he performed before 40,000 at the Houston Livestock Show in the Astrodome. Murphey also was one of the first entertainers to ever perform music in the main arena at the National Finals Rodeo.
In addition to his numerous music videos and TV specials, he has scored and narrated documentaries on Western themes and was featured in a guest-starring role in the award winning "Lonesome Dove" TV series.
Audie Murphy
(Deceased)
Audie Murphy, military hero and cowboy actor, was born on Audie Leon Murphy, son of poor Texas sharecroppers.
He lied about his age and joined the U.S. Army. He was only 5'7" tall, but he rose to national fame as the most decorated U.S. combat soldier of World War II. Among his 33 awards and decorations was the Medal of Honor, the highest military award for bravery that can be given to any individual in the United States of America, for "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty."
He also received every decoration for valor that his country had to offer, some of them more than once, including 5 decorations by France and Belgium. Credited with either killing over 240 of the enemy while wounding and capturing many others, he became a legend within the 3rd Infantry Division. Beginning his service as an Army Private, Audie quickly rose to the enlisted rank of Staff Sergeant, was given a "battle field" commission as 2nd Lieutenant, was wounded three times, fought in 9 major campaigns across the European Theater, and survived the war.
During just three years active service as a combat soldier in World War II, Murphy became one of the best fighting combat soldiers of this or any other century. What he accomplished during this period will never be repeated by another soldier, given today's high-tech type of warefare. The U.S. Army has always declared that there will never be another Audie Murphy. On 21 September, 1945, Audie was released from the Army as an active member and reassigned to inactive status.
Life Magazine ran a cover with his photo on it as the most decorated GI of WWII. That cover and article caught the eye of acting legend James Cagney. He saw to it that Murphy got some acting training. And Murphy's movie career took off with the publication of his best selling autobiography To Hell and Back. His early Hollywood years led to an affair with Jean Peters and a short-lived marriage to actress Wanda Hendrix.
Audie Murphy starred in 44 films, mostly westerns, during his career. The film version of "To Hell and Back" (1955) held the record as Universal's biggest grossing picture for 20 years. Then it was shot out of the saddle by Steven Speilberg's "Jaws".
Audie Murphy and Denver Pyle
in "Gunpoint" (1965)Murphy led a turbulent life following his Army days. He was plagued by insomnia and depression. He nearly beat a man to death in a fist fight, but he was acquitted of the attempted murder charges. For a short time, he became addicted to prescription sleeping pills. Murphy won and lost fortunes during his lifetime because he would gamble on anything (horses, sports, poker games, etc.). They called such a collection of symptoms "battle fatigue" back then. We know today that he was suffering from what is now called, " post traumatic stress syndrome".
Audie Murphy had considerable success as a race horse owner and breeder (having interests in such great horses as Depth Charge).
He also had success as country music songwriter. He usually teamed up with talented artists and composers such as Guy Mitchell, Jimmy Bryant, Scott Turner, Coy Ziegler, or Terri Eddleman. Dozens of Audie Murphy's songs were recorded and released by such great performers as Dean Martin, Eddy Arnold, Charley Pride, Jimmy Bryant, Porter Waggoner, Jerry Wallace, Roy Clark, and many others. His two biggest hits were "Shutters and Boards" and "When the Wind Blows in Chicago". Eddy Arnold recorded "When the Wind Blows in Chicago" for his 1993 album, Last of the Love Song Singers.
Ironically, Audie Murphy died while on a business trip raising money to finish production of Budd Boetticher's "A Time for Dying". On May 28, 1971 he was in a private plane flying in fog and rain crashed in the side of a mountain near Roanoke, Virginia. Five others including the pilot were also killed. On June 7, 1971 Murphy was buried with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery. His gravesite, near the Amphitheater, is second only to the grave of President John Kennedy in terms of numbers of visitors each year.
In 1996 the Texas Legislature officially designated his birthday, June 20th, as Audie Murphy Day. On June 9, 1999 Governor George W. Bush, Texas made a similar proclation declaring June 20th to officially be "Audie Murphy Day" in the state of Texas.
REFERENCES: To Hell and Back, by Audie Murphy (New York: H. Holt, 1949).
Hero : the Life and Death of Audie Murphy by Charles Whiting (Chelsea, MI : Scarborough House, 1990).
No Name On the bullet : A Biography of Audie Murphy by Don Graham (New York: Viking, 1989).
A Thinker's Damn : Audie Murphy, Vietnam, and the Making of The Quiet American by Dr. William Russo (Author22 Publishing, 1999).
This biography of Audie Murphy can be ordered from Empire Publishing, Inc., Box 717, Madison, NC 27025-0717 (910) 427-5850
CLICK HERE to go to a bibliography of books about Audie Murphy and other Western stars.
CLICK HERE to see a list of the songs written by Audie Murphy.
CLICK HERE to go to the Audie Murphy Memorial Web Site.
CLICK HERE to view the complete filmograpy of a true American hero and movie star, Audie Murphy.
Lynne Murphy
A former Ford Foundation teacher, Lynne Murphy has over 18 Western romances to her credit with Zebra, all under the name of "Georgina Gentry"). Her career skyrocketed when her first book sale, Cheyenne Captive, was chosen by Zebra to launch their new Heartfire line in February, 1987. That book won two awards, the Romantic Times Magazine Reviewers's Choice for Best Indian Romance by a New Author, and Affaire De Coeur Magazine Readers' Poll to choose the top 10 historical romance novels of 1987. Her second book was Cheyenne Princess (1987), followed by Comanche Cowboy (1988) and Bandit's Embrace (1989).
Lynn Murphy's other honors include not one but two lifetime achievement awards from Romantic Times Magazine. And in 1996 she was inducted into the Oklahoma Professional Writers Hall of Fame.
Lynne Murphy says, "My Texas grandmother was born in the Brazos River country the year Quanah Parker led the last great uprising (1874) and used to tell me how she met a cowboy at a square dance and moved to a soddie in Oklahoma Territory. I'm still here, at a place called Arrowhead Hills in the middle of the old Cross Timbers area. My roots go too deep in the Sooner state's red dirt for me to ever leave.
"I come by my literary bent naturally. I'm one of six daughters of an immigrant bricklayer, all named from novels by a romantic mother who borrowed books from the public library because there was no money to buy them. Mother dreamed that one of her girls might grow up to be a writer."
Lynn Murphy is a member of Western Writers of America, Romance Writers of America, Oklahoma City Writers, Oklahoma State Writers, Inc. When she isn't writing, she is active in politics, collects antiques and grows Victorian roses.
David J. Murrah
David J. Murrah is the author of C.C. Slaughter: Rancher, Banker, Baptist (University of Texas Press, 1981).
Earl Murray
(Deceased)
Earl Patrick Murray was born on Aug. 25, 1950 in Great Falls, Montana. He lived on a ranch north of the small community of Stanford until he was 17. He graduated from Montana State University in 1972 and went into the natural resource management field, first with the USDA Soil Conservation Service and then into private consulting work.
Murray says, "My work in the wide-open spaces and the memories of my grandfather's stories of the frontier naturally led me to Western writing. My work has taken me through every area of Montana--from the ghost town gold camps of the southeast corner to the rugged stretches of broken hills along the Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers."
In 1976, he published his first novel, The Journeyman (T.H.A.R. Institute, 1976). In 1986, he became a full-time writer, publishing more than 40 novels. His award-winning stories combined his love and knowledge of botany, history and Native American culture. He was honored to be included in many Crow sweat ceremonies and was invited and participated in two Sundance ceremonies.
Earl Murray is the author of The Journeyman (T.H.A.R. Institute, 1976), Blue Savage (Walker and Company, 1985), Charlo (Walker, 1983) and The Horse Ranch (Ace Books, 1985). He has also written articles in Far West magazine.
Earl had been a member of Western Writers of America and was a Spur Award finalist for his novel “Song of Wovoka” and most recently, his short story, “Sacred Stone.” His 41st book, based on the life of real-life Zorro Joaquin Marietta, was published July, 2003.
Earl was also an accomplished banjo and guitar player.
Earl Murray, 52, of Fort Collins, Colorado, died suddenly on Saturday, May 10, 2003, at Poudre Valley Hospital. He was struck with an aortic aneurysm as he was packing his belongings to move to California. Earl was on the donor registry and, in dying, was able to contribute to the wellbeing of others in need of organs. His body was cremated and his ashes scattered on both Square Butte in Montana and in the mountains in Colorado.
Marcia Muth
Marcia Muth, the owner of Sunstone Press, has published many books by WWA writers.In addition, she has written Writing and Selling Poetry, Fiction, Articles, Plays and Local History (Sunstone, 1985), How to Pain and Sell Your Art (Sunstone Press, 1984), Thin Ice and Other Poems (Sunstone, 1986), Is It Safe to Drink the Water? A Guide to Santa Fe (Sunstone, 1983), Ma Frump's Cultural Guide to Plastic Gardening (Sunstone, 1986), Kachinas: A Selected Bibliography (Sunstone, 1984), Ma Frump's Cultural Guide to Instant Intellectualism (Sunstone, 1973).
Roger Myers
Roger Myers is a Western writer who lives in Larned, KS. He has had his articles published in such western historical magazines as WILD WEST, TRUE WEST, and OLD WEST. He has written several articles dealing with events like Clay Allison meeting Wyatt Earp, about David Rudabaugh and his gang robbing the train at Kinsley, Kansas, and about such men as peace officer Jim Masterson, peace officer John Joshua Webb, and gambler "Cockeyed Frank" Loving.
Emmie Mygatt
(Deceased)
Emmie Mygatt was born in New York City on Aug. 1, 1897. She often spent her summers in Wyoming, and in 1962 she finally made the move to Big Horn, Wyoming. Mygatt wrote four adventure novels for boys: Rimrocked, Stand By For Danger, Prisoner in the Circle, Trails of Adventure and Search for Hidden Places. Each of those books was also serialized in Boy's Life magazine.
Mygatt taught a Creative Writing class at Sheridan College, and the students in that first class in 1967 became the nucleus of the Sheridan Range Writers organization. In 1972 she and Roberta Cheney were co-hosts of the WWA convention in Sheridan. She and Cheney edited Roadmap For A Lone Writer, a "how-to" book for beginning writers. The book was made possible by a grant from the Wyoming Council of the Arts.
In 1976, Emmie Mygatt and Cheney collaborated, again. They wrote Hans Kleiber: Artist of the Big Horn Mountains (Caxton Printers). That book won the Wrangler Award from the National Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Center.Mygatt and Cheney also wrote This Is Wyoming--Listen! and Your Personal Writers Workshop. Roberta Cheney said of their teamwork, "It took her inspiration and my stamina to get our many projects going"(The Roundup, Dec., 1977).
Emmie Mygatt served as a member of the Executive Board of WWA, as a Spur Contest judge, and as a membership chairman. And she edited two WWA anthologies. Mygatt died of leukemia at the home of her brother in Summit, New Jersey, on Oct.4, 1977. The Wyoming Writers organization set up the Emmie Mygatt Scholarship fund to help needy Wyoming writers.
David Myrick
David Myrick worked in the treasury department of the Southern Pacific Transportation Company as a staff member from 1944 to 1973, then as assistant to the vice-president from 1973 until his retirement in 1977. Myrick was the editor and publishing of Telegraph Hill Bulletin from 1956-60. He was also vice president and director of The Dakota Farmer for six years.
David Myrick's books include Railroads of Nevada and Eastern California (3 vols.), which won an Award of Merit in 1964 from the American Association for State and Local History; New Mexico Railroads, San Francisco's Telegraph Hill, Rails Around the Bohemian Grove and Railroads of Arizona (Volumes 1, 2 and 3).
David Myrick's articles have appeared in Noticias, Santa Barbara Historical Society and Trains: The Magazine of Railroading.
This listing is far from complete and may contain errors. Therefore, all Western writers and/or their agents are requested to submit recommended changes by contacting Stan Paregien through his e-mail address.
No temptation has seized you except what is common to man.
And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what
you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide
a way out so that you can stand up under it.
--- Bible: I Corinthians 10:13
© 2003 by Stan Paregien, Sr.
