Murray the K
Murray the K , real name Murray Kaufman (born February 14, 1922 in New York City , † February 21, 1982 in Los Angeles ), was an American DJ and music producer in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. In the early days of Beatlemania , he often referred to himself as the fifth Beatle (which was based on a corresponding characterization by Ringo Starr ).
In 1964, after they had appeared on his show "Swinging Soiree", he recommended the Rolling Stones to record "It's All Over Now" by the "Valentinos". The Stones thought the idea was good and recorded the piece together with other songs during a two-day session in the "Chess Studios". "It's All OVER NOW" covered by the Stones reached # 1 in the UK and # 26 in the US.
Since around 1958, Murray the K has revolutionized the previously rather leisurely way of announcing songs played on the radio with jingles, sound effects and above all his manic speech rhythm and thus became the focus of his legendary radio shows with which - instead of the music being played he gained power and influence and helped determine who would become a star in his day. He promoted so z. B. The Who , Cream and last but not least the Beatles . Again and again he appeared at concerts and moderated the performing artists. On the occasion of a performance by Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band on November 4, 1976 in New York City, he described himself next to the "fifth Beatle" as the "sixth E Streeter" and thus expressed his solidarity with Springsteen and his band after this through Disputes with his management at the time got into trouble. In a critical phase for Bob Dylan , he defended it and defended it at a large live concert in front of thousands of booing spectators.
The writer Tom Wolfe described Murray the K as "the original hysterical disc jockey".
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Murray the K |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Kaufman, Murray (real name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American DJ and record producer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 14, 1922 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | New York City |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 21, 1982 |
| Place of death | los Angeles |