Walter Murphy facts for kids

Walter Anthony Murphy Jr. (born December 19, 1952) is an American composer, keyboard player, songwriter, and music producer. He is famous for his instrumental song "A Fifth of Beethoven". This song was a disco version of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. It became a number one hit in 1976. The song was also featured on the Saturday Night Fever movie soundtrack in 1977. Walter Murphy also created other disco songs using classical music, like "Flight '76" and "Toccata and Funk in 'D' Minor".

Over more than 50 years, Murphy has written music for many movies and TV shows. These include The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Looney Tunes. He has worked closely with Seth MacFarlane for a long time. Murphy has composed music for MacFarlane's popular TV shows like Family Guy, American Dad, and The Cleveland Show. He also wrote music for the movies Ted and Ted 2, and the Ted TV series.

Early Life and Music Studies

Walter Murphy was born in New York City on December 19, 1952. He grew up in Manhattan. When he was four years old, he started taking music lessons with Rosa Rio. He learned to play many instruments, including the organ and piano. Rosa Rio often chose him to appear in TV commercials for the Hammond organ. In high school, Murphy wrote music for his school band and orchestra.

In 1970, Murphy started studying music at the Manhattan School of Music. He focused on composing music. His father, who was a real estate agent, wanted him to join the family business. But Murphy chose to follow his passion for music. He studied jazz and classical piano there. After college, he wrote a piece called "Chorale and Allegro for Orchestra." This piece has been performed by orchestras across the United States.

Music Career Highlights

Starting Out in Music (1970–1976)

From 1970 to 1980, Walter Murphy wrote jingles in Manhattan. Jingles are short, catchy songs used in commercials. He wrote for companies like Revlon and Woolworth's. He also created music arrangements for the children's TV show Big Blue Marble.

In the early 1970s, Murphy led a soul and R&B cover band called WAM. They performed in the New York tri-state area. One day, Murphy met Doc Severinsen, the music director for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. Murphy showed Severinsen his music arrangements. Severinsen liked them so much that The Tonight Show Band played them live.

In 1974, Murphy joined a company called Valentino, Inc. He composed a lot of their library music for movies and TV shows.

Breakthrough with "A Fifth of Beethoven" (1976–1979)

In college, Murphy enjoyed rock music that used classical tunes. In 1976, a producer suggested he try "updating classical music" for disco. Murphy recorded a demo tape with four songs. One of them was a disco version of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, called "A Fifth of Beethoven". He sent this tape to different record labels.

Private Stock Records owner Larry Uttal was very interested in "A Fifth of Beethoven". Murphy signed with Private Stock and released the album A Fifth of Beethoven. The song "A Fifth of Beethoven" came out on May 29, 1976. It quickly became a huge hit, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song sold two million copies!

At first, the song was credited to "Walter Murphy & The Big Apple Band." But because another band had a similar name, it was later changed to "The Walter Murphy Band" and then just "Walter Murphy." After this success, Murphy toured with his band and appeared on TV shows like American Bandstand. He hoped his disco version would encourage kids to listen to the original Beethoven symphony.

In 1977, "A Fifth of Beethoven" was added to the soundtrack for the movie Saturday Night Fever. This made the song even more popular. Murphy also released the album Rhapsody in Blue, which had more classical-disco songs.

Later Years and TV Work (1979–Present)

After his disco hits, Walter Murphy continued to make music. In 1979, he formed a band called Uncle Louie with Gene Pistilli and the Dillard brothers. They released an album that had a more funky sound.

In 1982, Murphy released an album called Themes from E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and More. It featured disco and pop versions of themes from popular movies like E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and Indiana Jones.

From the 1980s onwards, Murphy focused more on composing music for films and TV shows. He also produced music for other artists like Dolly Parton and Isaac Hayes. He even conducted the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.

Since 1999, Murphy has been one of the main composers for the animated TV series Family Guy. He describes his music for the show as a mix of big-band swing and orchestral action music. In 2002, he won an Emmy Award for the song "You've Got a Lot to See" from Family Guy. He also composes music for American Dad! (including its theme song) and The Cleveland Show.

In 2012, Murphy scored the movie Ted. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song for co-writing "Everybody Needs a Best Friend" with Seth MacFarlane. He also composed music for the movie Ted 2 and the Ted TV series.

Film and TV Music

Walter Murphy has composed music for many films and TV shows. Here are some of them:

Albums

Walter Murphy has released several albums throughout his career:

Awards and Nominations

Walter Murphy has received many awards and nominations for his music:

See also

• Saturday Night Fever soundtrack