Joe Murphy

Singer, Harmonica, Accordion, Guitar, Blues - Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Joe Murphy has been a fixture of the east coast blues scene for the past 40 years. He got his start sitting in with Dutch Mason in 1972 and played harp and guitar on Dutchie’s last album Half Ain’t Been Told. He also played harmonica on Garrett Mason’s Juno award winning I’m Just A Man and has played with most of the blues acts who have come east in the last thirty years. His Water Street Blues Band has backed up Otis Rush, Johnnie Johnson, Johnny Sansone, Kenny ‘Blues Boss’ Wayne and the late great Pinetop Perkins, just to name a few. Joe’s most memorable gigs include playing harp for three nights with John Lee Hooker and a wonderful week playing harp for Sunnyland Slim. He currently has 5 CD’s in print, two with his Water Street Blues Band and two side projects, one with Johnny Sansone and his latest, She Moves Me, featuring Bhrath Rajukumar. Joe and his band also has one of the longest running blues matinees for the last 21 years, every Saturday at Your Father’s Mustache in Halifax. Joe’s most recent memorable gig was the harmonica chair for the upcoming CBC East Coast Blues Summit radio and television special. Joe was also ranked third in CBC's Stan Carew's list of top ten favorite maritime albums of 2013.