bio_scott

R. Scott Murray is a multi-instrumentalist who has never been content in one musical style, or any one
place for that matter... until recently.

Picking up his dad's ukulele before switching to guitar at age 14, Scott's early musical influences included
Dylan, the Dead, and Doc Watson. He left home at 16, and traveled across the USA and Europe before
settling in northern California for several years -- taking up banjo, mandolin, and fiddle.

Bitten by the bluegrass bug and blessed with a baby boy, Murray relocated to the mountains of western
North Carolina where he had spent childhood summers with his grandparents. In addition to solo and
group coffeehouse & radio gigs, Scott played mandolin at the home of vice president Al Gore, and sat in
with the Larry Keel Experience on fiddle.

In 1996, Murray began playing pedal steel guitar and joined Asheville's Elastic String Band, playing
everything from traditional mountain music to blues, country, swing and more. The following year Ryan
Adams offered Scott a job playing steel for Whiskeytown, but in addition to a newborn daughter, Murray
was starting a new band with singer Bryan Marshall...
White Heat became a WNC favorite with help from Dave Gay of Freakwater and Morgan Geer & Jamie
Stirling of The Merle (Geer & Gay went on to form The Unholy Trio).

White Heat was house band at The Basement, an Asheville venue operated by Bryan Haynes, owner of
Almost Blue Records (and Warren's big brother). With a sound and a name that was classic Bakersfield
honky-tonk, White Heat shared stages with Junior Brown, Tift Merritt, the Gourds, and Asheville's own
favorite sons: Sons of Ralph.

When White Heat parted ways in 2001, Scott devoted himself to studying jazz and the more sophisticated
songwriting of Tom Jobim, Stevie Wonder, Steely Dan and others. He has arranged many standard and
contemporary tunes for solo guitar and steel guitar, including several pieces by the great Thelonious
Monk... an ongoing obsession.

In addition to contributing music to the independent film 78, and sitting in with Thad Cockrell & his Starlite
Country Band, Murray joined forces with Jacksonville mega-talent Rebecca Zapen (zapen.com) in 2006,
adding his 8-string dobro to her delightful brand of jazz-tinged folk.

Scott is a proud member of Laurel Lee & the Escapees, giving Jacksonville and the southeast a
much-needed shot of original 200 proof country music... sometimes with a surf beat! He also recorded with
St. Augustine musician and songwriter The Colorful Quiet on his recent release: 'Sounds of the
Countryside'.

Back in western North Carolina, Scott can be heard sitting in with Asheville fixtures like Jaimee Tomas,
Taylor Martin, Phuncle Sam, and most recently as a member of The Humbuckers.