[Dixielandjazz] Red Murrell

[Bob Romans]

Red Murrell played and sang and told jokes for Cell Block 7 for about 4 
years after he moved to Lodi...he learned tenor banjo in about 5 days to get 
gigs in OKOM bands...he was in one word.. WONDERFUL!!!! Jazz fiddle, guitar, 
banjo, and great vocals...he handled the mike for us...I could type all day 
about him, so many stories!
He performed with Merle Travis and Ernie Ford, made 12 movies with 
Travis..THE DURANGO KID westerns. He was both good guy and bad guy in the 
movies...just changed hats! Same horses! I've seen two of those movies made 
in the mid '40's in the hills above Hollywood. He dated Mary Ford before she 
met Les Paul, and he composed and published sheet music, and his wife still 
has some old 78 rpm Deccas with his Western Swing band!
He passed away about 4 years ago here in Lodi...in his later years I would 
pick him up, take him to lunch and then go the driving range to hit some 
golf balls...he loved golf and was a handicap golfer.
When I visited him in the "Rest home"(...ug!) He would be listening to a 
little tape player, and the nurses said he would sing along many times to 
their enjoyment.
He was probably the most "ethical" musician I've ever known! Gave me a lot 
of good advice...
He used to tell people in the audience that "he was raised singing hymns in 
the protestant church, and for a time considered becoming a TV evangelist 
like Jimmy Swaggert and James Bakker, but, he didn't do it because he 
discovered he didn't have enough sex drive!"
(ka-boom!)
After he died, his wife, Ann, sold their home in Woodbridge and moved to 
Santa Cruz, close to their daughter. She gave me his golf clubs before she 
left!
Too much info, I know!
I really loved that guy
Sorry!
Bob Romans
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Fred Hoeptner" <fredhep at earthlink.net>
To: <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Monday, August 15, 2005 10:41 AM
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Message 2, vol. 32, issue 28


> "Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Fwd: How do we get to be an opening act for
> a national artist?
> To: dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
> Message-ID: <8C76F3CEDB9F764-3A0-C2A0 at MBLK-M01.sysops.aol.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"; format=flowed
>
>
> Here is one you guys will get a chuckle out of I am sure.
>
>  I'll bet Gary Church remembers the Merl Haggard show from the Oakland
> Coliseum back in the 70s,
> Long haired funny dressed Hippies if you will.   Mc was Old Red Merle
> from San Jose Radio Station..."
>
> Tom: Don't you mean Red Murrell?  Red and his Ozark Playboys were one of 
> the best western swing bands on the West Coast.  Later on he became a 
> deejay.
>
>  --  Fred Hoeptner
>
>
>
>
>
>
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