Alan Lee Murphy

Alan Murphy (80) died on July 26, 2025. While his family and close friends called him Alan, he will be remembered by most as master fiddler Al Murphy. Al was the centerpiece of a very rich Iowa City traditional music scene, from his teens in the early 1960s through to his passing. He recalled as a young kid finding an old ukulele in his house with only one string, which he plucked while moving his finger up and down the neck, thinking, "Ah, that's how you change the notes!" From there, music was an inevitable part of his life, and he was obsessed. Quickly gaining proficiency on guitar, then fiddle, then mandolin, Al was playing professional jobs by the age of 17-often being snuck in the back door of taverns by his adult bandmates. Any money that he earned from gigs (or his paper route) went with him directly to any store that sold records, where he would read the album jacket of every LP. "I bought anything that even mentioned the word 'fiddle,'" he once said with a chuckle. In addition to records, much of Al's early repertoire came from his uncle Leo Murphy (Leo had been a dance band fiddler in the 1930s, and he dusted off his fiddle when young Al showed an interest) and 82 year-old widower Otis McKray, who Al had heard playing the fiddle while delivering newspapers as a 16 year-old. Al's penchant for befriending and learning from his elders and then passing along his knowledge to younger generations would become a key theme in his life and a great source of personal pride and meaning.

Al's recording career began in 1965, when his playing was included on folklorist Harry Oster's collection, "Folk Voices of Iowa." His musical career was briefly interrupted when he was drafted by the US Army in 1966 to serve in Vietnam. Upon returning in the winter of 1967-68, Al recalled, "I arrived home to a huge stack of records that I had bought and had shipped to my parents' house. . . But when I picked up the fiddle, I could hardly do anything. It was like starting over." But start over he did, quickly regaining his position as the go-to fiddler in the area. By the early 1970s, Al had met artist, banjo player, and field recorder Art Rosenbaum, who was then an assistant professor of art at the University of Iowa. Art and Al soon travelled to New York City to record the classic 1972 album, "Art Rosenbaum and Al Murphy." By 1973, Al and his friend, bandmate, and master banjo player Bob Black had met the great bluegrass fiddler Kenny Baker at Bill Monroe's Bean Blossom bluegrass festival. After spending all weekend jamming with Black and Murphy (when not on stage with Monroe), Baker decided to record his next fiddle album with young Al Murphy and Bob Black, and they loaded into a hotel room with equipment from County Records to record the "Dry and Dusty" LP.

Throughout the 1970s-2000s, Al performed as a key member of many bluegrass and country bands, touring the US and Europe, and recording as a sideman on countless bluegrass, country, folk, and singer-songwriter records. Equally adept at playing bluegrass, old-time, country, western swing, blues, folk, and anything else, Al was once described by a friend and bandmate perfectly: "Al is like a good jacket-reversible!" The list of his recording credits includes work with greats such as Kenny Baker, John Hartford, Bob Black, Greg Brown, Robbie Fulks, Special Consensus, and many, many more. As a leader, his 1987 album "Through the Fields" was named Fiddle Album of the Year by County Sales, and his 2017 album of uncirculated fiddle tunes, "Hogs in the Cornfield," brought him a new generation of fans and admirers, resulting in invitations to join the faculty at both the 2018 Bluff Country Gathering in Lanesboro, MN, and the 2019 Fiddle Tunes festival in Port Townsend, WA.

Al received grants from the Iowa Arts Council in the 1990s to study with and preserve the music of old-time fiddle greats Lyman Enloe and Gene Goforth, and he was named Master Fiddler by the same organization three times for his mentorship of young artists. He taught, encouraged, and inspired hundreds of young musicians during his long career in music, and he was universally loved and admired for his gentle, soft-spoken demeanor, his serious and dedicated approach to preserving and promoting traditional American music, and his selfless and thorough desire to pass along his vast musical knowledge to anyone who asked him for advice.

Alan Murphy was born July 23, 1945 in Iowa City, and he died at his home in Iowa City on July 26, 2025. He is survived by his wife, best friend, and musical partner of 43 years, Aleta Porcella, and his sister Judy Martin. In lieu of flowers or cards, Al would like everyone to support live, local music by going out to see local artists and buying their records.

Online condolences and memories may be shared on Alan's Tribute Wall.