Dave McMurray is a Detroit-based saxophonist/multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, and bandleader. As a saxophonist,
McMurray -- who plays all horns from baritone to soprano as well as flute -- offers a keen melodic sensibility, and a rich, earthy tone. He is assured and inspired whether working in jazz, rock, R&B, funk, pop, or folk. Known internationally as a member of
Was (Not Was), he has amassed hundreds of credits as a sideman in high-profile work with artists ranging from
Albert King and
Geri Allen to
Iggy Pop,
Gladys Knight, and
the Rolling Stones. His 1989 leader debut, Secret Life, appeared on Timeless Records.
McMurray signed a deal with Warner Bros. for 1995's
The Dave McMurray Show. As a solo artist he delivered his first club and radio hit with "My Brother & Me" from 1999's Peace of Mind on the jazz-funk label Hip Bop Records. That label relationship concluded with 2003's widely celebrated Nu-Life Stories.
McMurray also served as musical director for Motor City R&B artist
Kem. He signed to Blue Note and released the acclaimed
Music Is Life. A year later he founded the multi-generational spiritual soul-jazz and funk unit
Black Light Collective who issued their eponymous Ropeadope debut in 2020. The following year,
McMurray led a group of Detroit luminaries on a jazz adventure through the music of the
Grateful Dead.
Grateful Deadication's first single, "Loser," featured guest vocals from
Bettye LaVette and
Bob Weir.
McMurray was born and raised in Detroit. He began playing tenor saxophone as a youngster and gained experience playing in Detroit clubs and musical workshops. He was influenced by the recordings of
John Coltrane and
Cannonball Adderley, and directly by pianist, educator, and film actor Willie Metcalf, Jr. He gained valuable experience on the road with blues guitarist
Albert King, and played with pop, funk, and rap artists. In 1981 he showcased his now-trademark musical diversity, playing on two auspicious recording sessions: Kins, the first offering by Detroit avant-jazz legends Griot Galaxy (with whom he had been working since the mid-'70s) and the self-titled debut album from
Was (Not Was) for Ze Records. The following year, he and the
Was (Not Was) gang all contributed to
Sweet Pea Atkinson's debut, Don't Walk Away, and they issued their own cult classic,
Born to Laugh at Tornadoes in 1983. He was recruited for session work by jazz pianist
Geri Allen and R&B singer
Millie Scott in 1986 and 1987, and in 1988 played on
Was (Not Was)'s international hit
What Up Dog? In 1989,
McMurray released his own debut solo album, Secret Life, on Timeless Records; it earned favorable critical notice.
During the '90s, the artist amassed a boatload of studio and live credits. In the decade's opening year, he contributed to
Bob Dylan's
Under the Red Sky,
Iggy Pop's
Brick by Brick, bluesman
Larry McCray's Ambition, and
Was (Not Was)'s
Are You Okay? In 1993 he played on such diverse recordings as
Big Chief's
Mack Avenue Skull Game and
the Winans'
All Out. In 1994 he appeared on
the Rolling Stones'
Don Was-produced
Voodoo Lounge, and the following year he was part of the
Don Was-picked band for
Brian Wilson's
I Just Wasn't Made for These Times. In 1996,
McMurray re-signed to Warner Bros. and released
The Dave McMurray Show, which he composed, produced, engineered, and mixed in addition to playing horns, keyboards, and singing. Its lone single, "Keep On Rising," was an international club hit.
McMurray finished out the decade and the century much as he'd begun it: with a constant flurry of activity. In addition to composing, producing, and recording his own music, he continued to work with a provocative variety of artists, some of whom included
Kid Rock,
Gerald Alston,
Ofra Haza,
B-52s,
B.B. King,
Nancy Wilson, and
Johnny Bristol. In 1999,
McMurray signed to
Silva Screen's Hip Bop label and issued the long-player Peace of Mind, which netted an international hit with its single "My Brother & Me."
The 21st century saw
McMurray make the transition to first-call sideman. He became the musical director for
Kem and remained with him for a decade. Further, he worked on outings by
the Temptations,
A. Spencer Barefield, and
Kid Rock, as well as issuing 2001's
Soul Searching (2001) and 2003's Nu-Life Stories (2003) for Hip Bop.
McMurray was part of the ESP2 lineup (with
Adam Holzman,
Bobby Broom, and others) for Tribute to Miles in 2002, and continued to work with
Bob James on
Morning, Noon & Night and
Urban Flamingo. In 2005 Hip Bop issued the compilation
My Brother & Me: The Best of David McMurray. He also recorded and toured with
Tim Bowman,
Randy Crawford,
Gene Dunlap, and
Kid Rock. In 2011, the saxophonist independently issued
I Know About Love through CDBaby, and two years later played a pivotal role as alto saxophonist on
Geri Allen's seminal
Grand River Crossings (Motown & Motor City Inspirations) alongside trumpeter
Marcus Belgrave. In 2014, he issued The Love Remixes as a digital-only release showcasing his mixing chops. 2017 saw
McMurray appear on
Robert Bradley's Down in the Bend, and with French rocker
Johnny Hallyday's band on the live offering
Rester Vivant. He also participated in the Griot Galaxy reunion at the Detroit Festival of the Arts.
Late in 2017,
McMurray signed to Blue Note. He worked on
José James'
Lean on Me, and in April released the full-length
Music Is Life with his
D3 band. It netted a pair of club hits in "Naked Walk" and the prescient "Freedom Ain't Free." He undertook an international tour and returned to form a new band.
Looking over the vibrant Motor City music scene he'd been part of for five decades,
McMurray sought to form a group that could marry the power, grit, and sophistication of the
D3 jazz band with club music, hard-grooving jazz-funk, and uplifting spiritual soul and pop. To that end, he founded
Black Light Collective with bassist
Ibrahim Jones, drummer
Jeff Canady, and keyboardist Maurice O’Neal.
McMurray also enlisted vocalist
Isis Damil, pianist/vocalist
Malik Alston, and local bandleaders
Kenneth Gill (trombone) and
Allen Dennard (trumpet) to join him in a horn section. He signed
BLC to Ropeadope, and entered Detroit's Feeder Loft studio with recording engineer
Salar Ansari and a host of longtime collaborators who included keyboardist
Luis Resto, trumpeter
Rayse Biggs, percussionist Larry Fratangelo, guitarist Adell "Showboat" Shavers, and djembe master
Sowande Keita.
Black Light Collective's self-titled debut appeared in July.
Almost exactly a year later, in July 2021,
McMurray appeared under his own name on Blue Note with
Grateful Deadication. He led most of
BLC (and guitarist
Wayne Gerard) on a musical journey through the music of the
Grateful Dead. The set included jazz readings of ten selections from the group's catalog. Its first single was a cover of
Jerry Garcia's and
Robert Hunter's "Loser" and featured guest vocals by
Bettye LaVette and the
Dead's own
Bob Weir. ~ Thom Jurek