Greg Murray was born in Lurgan, Co. Armagh, Northen Ireland. He picked up his first guitar at the age of 14 and put it straight back down again in favour of the tenor sax. With regular live music sessions happening at his dad’s bar and with musical aunts and uncles singing and playing Irish favourites, the sax was not the best instrument to compliment the session and so it was quickly dropped in favour of the acoustic guitar.
Greg quickly got bored of playing covers and turned to writing his own bedroom material, which was released on small indie labels in the UK, Germany, USA, France and Spain. He has played in numerous bands in Ireland and England, always writing his own original material.
After a personal loss, his song writing helped turn the negative emotions in his life into something that he could manage and cope with. The huge soaring positive choruses of many of Greg’s songs is testament to the spirit of positivity in his music that only his band of friends; The Seven Wonders, can deliver, to an audience who wish to open their ears and hearts. With a beautiful turn of phrase and heart warming melodies, you can’t help love and feel the message of positivity that is instilled in the hearts of those who listen, watch and embrace the music that welcomes you into the musical world of James Gregory Murray.
Work, mortgages, bills, children, life and death is added to the mix and soon the years pass, but music and it’s emotions remain the same.
“Writing music has taken me to places that I never expected; from love to loss, heartache to hope, from the best feelings, to the worst. I try to be sincere and let my heart direct the tale. Characters in the songs are friends, people around me, people who come in and out of my life, sometimes I imagine myself walking in their shoes. Even in the darkest places it’s the love, the light, the silver lining or gold nugget that keeps us listening and wanting things to turn out okay. I always gravitate to those Hollywood endings – well I try to most of the time. It’s in believing in something that gives you the spirit to delve into what you’re capable of achieving. I hope I’m doing something right. The secret of life – is having a wee bit of hope.”
About Greg Murray and The Seven Wonders
Greg Murray and The Seven Wonders fuses the twang of Americana with latino with ‘death country’ with brash and anthemic choruses soaring into the sky with the help of rousing brass played at one hundred miles an hour. There is Springsteen, Arcade Fire, The Waterboys, Calexico, Van Morrison, all with a slight Irish tinge.
The entirely Northern Irish Mr James Gregory Murray writes the lyrics and melodies, plays the guitar and sings. He has recruited a great bunch of friends with a wonderful array of talent to join him put his songs onto the world’s musical map.
This is original music played by a big gang of friends who want you to listen, laugh and dance. Imagine an Irish man, sprinkled with the tears of angels, and then surround him with a cloud of musicians, singers, and let them take you on a roller-coaster ride, from beautiful heart-torn ballads to sublime, ethereal choral choruses with full uplifting brass-infused hooks with folk-Americana influences that generates the most frantic elevating energy.
This huge band, led by the charismatic singer songwriter James Gregory Murray, play a wide variety of song styles; including brazen barn-dances, beautiful ballads, ‘death country’, dramatic Americana, folksy tex-mex tinged graceful-indie-rock, reggae-folk with added colour from an unbelievably rousing brass section and accordion player! Add the fact that virtually every member of the band sings and it’s no surprise that their shows create a fantastic atmosphere.
They bring something different to the gunfight with a totally original brand of sincere, positive, heart-warming, life-affirming, heart-felt, majestically huge blend of music – making an incredible carnival of a show.