Jack Murphy has written so many wonderful words for me in song lyrics and liner notes so it is a pleasure to be able to write something for him. I love to sing his lyrics because they are always intelligent. He can take our sentimental, sappy ideas about love and spin them out in a whole new, smart way. He makes me feel like I'm Sinatra, and that's saying something, "Let me tell ya!" Yeah, I think Ol' Blue Eyes would have loved to wrap his lips around some of Jack's great timeless lyrics. I will never forget the day that Jack gave me IF I HAD MY WAY. I still feel the goosebumps and the tears that came when I heard him sing them to me. Jack is a classic. I feel lucky that I get his work hot off the press, and I feel blessed to have Jack and his beautiful wife, Jan, as my friends.

Where do we even begin when trying to describe the amazing gift possessed by Lyricist, Composer, Performer, and all-around good guy, Jack Murphy? Perhaps a famous English poet said it best in the 19th century:

“But words are things, and a small drop of ink,
Falling, like dew, upon a thought produces
That which makes thousands, perhaps millions think."
- Lord George Gordon Byron
English poet (1788-1824)

No one writes like Jack Murphy. His lyrics have the power to soothe and entrance, to intrigue and excite. Combined with Frank Wildhorn’s music and Linda’s angelic voice, Jack Murphy’s words are a force to be reckoned with.

We thought it would be interesting to get to know more about the man behind the words.

Jack is best-known to Linda Eder fans as the lyricist who wrote “an anthem for all women everywhere! (and a few men too)” with the jazzy “I Want More.” He has written lyrics for Linda's EMI (Angel) album, “And So Much More,” as well as songs on her Atlantic albums: “It’s Time,” “It’s No Secret Anymore,” “Christmas Stays The Same,” and “Gold.” In collaboration with Frank Wildhorn and Gregory Boyd of the Alley Theater in Houston, Texas, Jack wrote the lyrics for “The Civil War,” which earned him a 1999 Tony Nomination for Best Musical Score. He has written and performed albums for many record labels including A&M, Verve, MGM, Elektra, Columbia and ABC Dunhill, and was a staff writer for United Artists Music.

We met up with Jack at last-year’s Broadway Under The Stars concert in New York City, where Linda performed “If I Had My Way,” for which he penned the stirring lyrics. More recently, in December 2002, we had the pleasure of seeing Jack at the Duplex in Greenwich Village, where he, Frank, and Rob Evan, performed selections from a new Wildhorn/Murphy musical, “Scott And Zelda: The Other Side Of Paradise.”

Jack graciously agreed to share with us some insights into his work with the Wildhorn team, what he’s up to when he’s not creating poetry and a how not to get lost in Nashville.*

VOICE: How did you become part of “The Wildhorn Family”?

JM: It was ten years ago. I often say that Frank was my "thousandth" lunch. I had recently moved back to New York from Los Angeles and was trying to re-establish myself ... you know, renewing old contacts and trying to meet new people. My sister-in-law, Lynne Taylor-Corbett, was doing the choreography for the workshop of "Jekyll and Hyde," and she suggested that I meet this guy, who was always looking for new lyricists. So I did.

VOICE: What was your first collaboration with Frank?

JM: When we first met, Frank was in a pinch for quick lyrics. He gave me about five songs and said he needed lyrics in a week, which is blazingly fast, but Frank's music was so inspiring that I was able to write good lyrics. Frank was impressed and that was the beginning of a long friendship.

VOICE: Are those “first songs” anything we would know?

JM: I remember one of them was "Next Time I Love," which made it to Linda's "And So Much More" album, and remains one of my favorites of Frank's and my collaboration. There were some pop things which were fun, but I think the only memorable one from that first batch was "Next Time I Love."

VOICE: Ten years is a long time to work closely with someone. Any special highlights come to mind?

JM: There are a lot of them so it's hard to say, but I guess the biggest "special highlight" was that I got to get to know Linda as a friend and write lyrics for her. I also got to meet her dad and get beat at golf by him, but that's another story altogether.

VOICE: So what about Broadway!

JM: I'm happy to report that "Scott and Zelda: The Other Side of Paradise," a love story based on the life of F. Scott Fitzgerald, is completed. I finished the script and all the lyrics but one on December 24... a sort of Christmas present for myself and Frank. The Book and Worktape CD are just now being copied and sent out to various interested parties. I'm very proud of this show and I know Frank is as well.

VOICE: Are there plans for a demo, perhaps involving our favorite leading lady?

JM: We should be doing demos either at the end of this month [January] or the beginning of February, and both Frank and I are very excited about who's going to be singing: Linda has agreed to sing the Zelda role; the Scott role will be sung by Michael Feinstein - pretty hotsy-totsy demo singers don't you think? We have also been working with director Anne Reinking, who seems to have a real affinity for the piece.

VOICE: Sounds excellent. And from what we heard at the Duplex in December, Scott and Zelda have quite a story to tell. Along those lines, do you think it’s easier or harder to write about real people/true events, or doesn’t it even matter?

JM: I don't think it's easier or harder to write about a real person as opposed to a fictional character. Unless you're trying to write a documentary, for which I don't think a musical is the correct medium. Whether real or fictional, the show must be emotionally true. I have no problem combining events from a real person's life or making a composite character out of several real people as long as you stay true to the emotions involved. The Scott and Zelda show, for instance, is very stylistic. I call it a ‘dream play’ insofar as time and place are as unstable as a dream, changing from one moment to the next depending on what the situation dictates.

VOICE: Now that really does sound intriguing. We’ll keep our eyes on The Great White Way for this one! But we know how everyone on the Wildhorn team loves to multitask. Are you working on any other Broadway projects at the moment?

JM: Strangely enough Lynne Taylor-Corbett and myself are working on a show based on Frank's and my material, tentatively titled "Is This Anyway To Fall In Love?" I say strangely because Lynne was the person who introduced Frank and me in the first place, so it would appear that we've come full circle. The Show is what used to be referred to as a "trunk show"-- that is full of songs that never made it into other shows or just emotionally orphaned material-- of possible interest to Linda's fans is the fact that a lot of the songs are from her albums. Anyway, more about that as it develops ... if you're interested that is.

VOICE: We sure are! That sounds like something they’ll be lining up around the block for. As they will for your new album, which we heard you were working on. Tell us more about that.

JM: I'm happy to announce that my album is finished and just waiting to be mastered. The title of the album is "Live and Learn," and should be available for sale by the beginning of February on my website: www.jackmurphymusic.com. In a former life I used to do a lot of albums (six in total) for major record labels, so it was kind of fun to go back to my rock n' roll, pop roots to do this record.

VOICE: What kind of music is on the album?

JM: The music is very eclectic. Everything from N'Orleans rock and roll a la "Little Feat," to intimate and quiet to cinematic orchestral. But I hope all of it rings true.

VOICE: And you perform?

JM: Yes. I produced the album, and I wrote the music and the lyrics. I also sang, and played instruments. I did just about everything in collaboration with my wife, Janny, who also performs on “Live and Learn.” This album is a true labor of love. All of the songs are very close to my heart. One of the songs, “The Picture Show,” pays homage to my love of the movies.

VOICE: Ah! A movie man. Do you have a favorite film?

JM: Don't get me started. I could go on and on about movies. I have more favorites than there is space for here. One of my all time favorites is "Citizen Kane," a film I had the pleasure of seeing on the big screen in Houston when we were working on “The Civil War” down there (the show not the actual war). Another of my favorites-- maybe my all time favorite-- from recent years is "Cinema Paradiso," which really inspired my song "The Picture Show." Everyone should see this film. See it with subtitles though, NOT dubbed. I maintain that anyone who sees this movie and is not crying at the end is highly suspect.

VOICE: How about favorite actors and actresses?

JM: Vivien Leigh immediately comes to mind (“Gone With The Wind,” “Streetcar Named Desire,” “That Hamilton Woman”). I also love John Wayne-- he is so quintessentially American. The newer people: Julia Roberts, Hugh Grant, Sandra Bullock, Meg Ryan, Billy Crystal ... these people have the same great touch with light comedy that say Cary Grant, Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy had. See ... I'm wandering off into movie land ... must stop ... losing control ... will continue forever.

VOICE: (laughing) Okay, fair enough, back to your album. You say we can buy it on your Web site, hopefully in February?

JM: Yes, the site is up and running now (under construction but up and running nonetheless) so please, everyone, drop by and check it out ... keep an eye out for the album. I'm also posting a chapter from my novel "Divine Mischief" hopefully to tweak your interest in that.

VOICE: A novelist too? Jack, you are just full of surprises. What would you be doing if you weren't a writer/musician?

JM: Golf. Definitely something to do with golf. I stink at it so I doubt I could play for a living, but I'd find something to do where I could be around a golf course.

VOICE: We can admire that! There’s definitely something to be said about enjoying what you do. On that note, we’ve thoroughly enjoyed getting to know more about you. Thank you so much for your time. Is there anything else you'd like to share with the fans?

JM: You’re welcome, and yes. I plan on putting up some mp3 snippets of my album on my site at http://www.jackmurphymusic.com. If you like it buy it and tell your friends to buy it. If you don't like it, buy it anyway and tell your friends to buy it anyway. (laughs) Seriously, thanks for the support I've heard you give me at many of Linda's concerts when she mentions my name ... it warms my heart.

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*just kidding about Nashville, Jack. ;-)

(At the Duplex in Greenwich Village (December 2002), Frank joked with Jack, saying that when they recorded the Nashville sessions for “The Civil War,” they would get lost every night on their way back to the hotel. Jack says the real kicker was you could see the hotel from the recording studio— it was just all those darn one-way streets!)