Biography
Alex McMurray is a songwriter, singer, and guitarist best known as a long‑time fixture of the New Orleans music scene. Born and raised in Red Bank, New Jersey, he moved to New Orleans in 1987 at age eighteen to attend Tulane University, and was soon playing iconic local venues such as the Maple Leaf Bar, Café Brasil, and Tipitina’s.[2][8] Immersing himself in the city’s bar-band culture, he began working as a sideman before forming his own groups, most notably the jazz‑rock outfit Royal Fingerbowl, which gained national attention in the 1990s and released its debut album Happy Birthday Sabo! in 1997 on TVT Records.[1][2][3] By 1989 he was performing professionally around town, gradually becoming identified with a gritty, downtown New Orleans lifestyle of sketchy bars, cracked sidewalks, and hard‑lived stories that would define much of his songwriting.[1][4]
After Royal Fingerbowl disbanded in 2001, McMurray broadened his scope with solo projects and new bands, while remaining rooted in New Orleans. A six‑month stint in 2002 singing sea shanties for Tokyo Disney inspired him to found the Valparaiso Men’s Chorus, dedicated to sailor songs and maritime repertoire.[1][2] He released his first solo album Banjaxed in 2003 (often dated 2003–2004) and followed it with How To Be a Cannonball in 2009, which won Album of the Year at the 2010 Big Easy Awards, beating heavyweight nominees such as Allen Toussaint and Terence Blanchard.[1][2] Alongside his solo work he co‑founded the Tin Men (with Washboard Chaz Leary and Matt Perrine) and the vintage Jamaican pop band 007, both of which became regular award‑winners in New Orleans and staples of events like Jazz Fest.[1][2] His songs—darkly humorous, world‑weary, and steeped in New Orleans imagery—have been featured on television (including the series K‑Ville and HBO’s Treme), and he has appeared on screen as himself, reinforcing his status as one of the city’s quintessential contemporary songwriters.[1][2]
McMurray’s musical style draws on jazz, rock, folk, sea shanties, and classic New Orleans rhythm‑and‑blues, often delivered with hard‑boiled wit and a deliberately dour, melancholic edge that he has described as finding beauty in sorrow and loneliness.[1] He has fronted or played in a wide array of New Orleans groups—including Tin Men, the Valparaiso Men’s Chorus, 007, Happy Talk Band, and projects with Paul Sanchez, Ingrid Lucia, and others—while organizing the fringe festival Chaz Fest as an alternative, neighborhood‑scale answer to Jazz Fest.[1] Having played Jazz Fest in one configuration or another every year since the mid‑1990s and survived numerous Mardi Gras seasons, he is widely regarded as a core figure in the post‑1980s New Orleans songwriter community, chronicling the city’s joys and traumas (from Hurricane Katrina to everyday hangovers) with wry, literate songs that have earned him a devoted local following and critical respect.[1][2]
Fun Facts
- Before becoming a full‑time bandleader, Alex McMurray worked a string of non‑music jobs around New Orleans, including dishwashing, ditch‑digging, substitute teaching, and more, while gradually building his career in the club scene.[1]
- In 2002 he spent six months at Tokyo Disney performing traditional sea shanties, an experience he later described as the loneliest period of his life and which directly led to the formation of the Valparaiso Men’s Chorus.[1][2]
- His song “The Day After Mardi Gras Day” from Banjaxed was used in the Fox television series K‑Ville and later slated for the closing credits of an episode of HBO’s Treme, where McMurray also appeared as himself.[1][2]
- McMurray co‑founded the neighborhood‑based Chaz Fest in New Orleans, a fringe festival that runs alongside Jazz Fest and showcases local acts, underscoring his role as both performer and grassroots organizer in the city’s music community.[1]
Associated Acts
- Happy Talk Band - guitar
Musical Connections
Key Collaborators
- Matt Perrine - Sousaphonist/bassist and long‑time bandmate in several New Orleans projects, including Royal Fingerbowl, Tin Men, and studio work on solo albums. (Royal Fingerbowl (including work around Greyhound era), Tin Men albums Super Great Music for Modern Lovers and Freaks for Industry, contributions to solo album Banjaxed.) [Late 1990s–2000s and onward.[1][2][3]]
- “Washboard” Chaz Leary - Co‑founder and bandmate in the Tin Men, one of New Orleans’ most distinctive acoustic bands. (Tin Men albums Super Great Music for Modern Lovers (2003) and Freaks for Industry (2005).) [Early 2000s–present.[1][2]]
- Jeffrey Clemens - Drummer from G. Love & Special Sauce who plays with McMurray in the vintage Jamaican pop band 007. (007 albums Studied Rudeness (2004) and You Only Drop Once (released at 2008 New Orleans Jazz Fest).) [Mid‑2000s.[2]]
- Joe Cabral - Member of The Iguanas who performs with McMurray in 007, contributing to its late‑’60s rocksteady sound. (007 recordings Studied Rudeness and You Only Drop Once.) [Mid‑2000s.[2]]
- Jonathan Freilich - Guitarist from the New Orleans Klezmer Allstars, part of the 007 “super group” with McMurray. (007 recordings Studied Rudeness and You Only Drop Once.) [Mid‑2000s.[2]]
- Rene Coman - New Orleans bassist who appeared as a guest musician on McMurray’s first solo album. (Solo album Banjaxed (2003).) [Early 2000s.[2]]
- David Torkanowsky - Veteran New Orleans pianist who contributed to McMurray’s solo recording. (Solo album Banjaxed.) [Early 2000s.[2]]
- Susan Cowsill - Singer who guested on McMurray’s solo debut. (Solo album Banjaxed.) [Early 2000s.[2]]
- Carlo Nuccio - Drummer and ex‑Royal Fingerbowl bandmate who also played on McMurray’s solo work. (Royal Fingerbowl recordings; contributions to Banjaxed.) [Late 1990s–early 2000s.[2][3]]
- Kevin O’Day and Andrew Wolf - Original drummer and bassist who helped McMurray form Royal Fingerbowl. (Early Royal Fingerbowl recordings including demo work leading to Happy Birthday Sabo!.) [Mid‑1990s.[3]]
- Paul Sanchez - New Orleans songwriter with whom McMurray performs in Paul Sanchez and the Rolling Road Show. (Live and recorded work with Paul Sanchez and the Rolling Road Show (specific releases not detailed in sourced material).) [2000s.[1]]
- Ingrid Lucia - New Orleans vocalist; McMurray performs in her band. (Live and recording projects with Ingrid Lucia (specific titles not detailed in sourced material).) [2000s.[1]]
- Happy Talk Band, the Jackals, the Geraniums - Local bands in which McMurray plays guitar and/or sings, reflecting his deep integration in the New Orleans scene. (Various live sets and recordings (specific albums not identified in the sources).) [2000s.[1]]
Connection Network
Discography
Albums
| Title | Release Date | Type |
|---|---|---|
| I Will Never Be Alone in This Land | 2013-02-19 | Album |
| How to Be a Cannonball | 2009-01-01 | Album |
| Banjaxed | 2003-01-01 | Album |
Top Tracks
- Santa, Let Me Call You A Cab - Alex McMurray (A Very Threadhead Holiday)
- The Day After Mardi Gras Day (Banjaxed)
- You've Got to Be Crazy to Live in This Town (How to Be a Cannonball)
- Gluestick Situation (Gluestick Situation)
- As Long as You Let Me (I Will Never Be Alone in This Land)
- Don't Let the End Times Get You Down (Don't Let the End Times Get You Down)
- Land of Dreams (Reclamation of the Pie-Eyed Piper)
- You've Got to Be Crazy to Live in This Town (Frenchmen Street - Sounds of New Orleans)
- I Will Never Be Alone (I Will Never Be Alone in This Land)
- The Man Who Shot the Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (I Will Never Be Alone in This Land)
External Links
Heard on WWOZ
alex mcmurray has been played 1 time on WWOZ 90.7 FM, New Orleans' jazz and heritage station.
| Date | Time | Title | Show | Spotify |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 11, 2025 | 20:13 | santa let me call you a cab | R&Bw/ Your Cousin Dimitri |