A Wirral musician is hitting the road with a tour of his acclaimed and hugely-popular live shows.
Gary Murphy, regarded as one of the finest guitarists in the UK, will be accompanied by his own band when they take Guitar Legends and I Like It – The Ultimate Tribute to Gerry Marsden and the Swinging Sixties on tour between June and November.
The series of live dates opens with Guitar Legends at Liverpool’s Epstein Theatre on Saturday, June 10.
Performed by Gary – who plays 20 signature instruments during the evening - and his band, the story of guitar history is narrated by broadcasting legend Billy Butler who gives an insight into the lives and songs of guitar legends including Chet Atkins, Hank Marvin, George Harrison, Brian May, Mark Knopfler, Joe Walsh of The Eagles, Lyndsey Buckingham from Fleetwood Mac, AC/DC’s Angus Young and many more.
The evening also features guest appearances from Brian 'Saxophone' Jones of Merseybeat stars The Undertakers, rock vocalist Gary Brown and singing sensation Jade Thunder, and is presented with digital imaging and spectacular lighting design.
Guitar Legends is also at The Brindley in Runcorn on Friday, October 13, the Waterside Theatre in Sale on Thursday, October 26 and the Floral Pavilion in New Brighton on Thursday, November 23.
Meanwhile, I Like It – the Ultimate Tribute to Gerry Marsden and the Swinging Sixties will tour at Stafford Gatehouse Theatre on Tuesday, July 25, the Epstein Theatre on Saturday, September 2, and St Helens Theatre Royal on Friday, September 8.
I Like It features the greatest hits of Gerry & The Pacemakers, including Ferry Cross the Mersey, How Do You Do It, You’ll Never Walk Alone and of course, I Like It along with hit songs from The Beatles, Paul McCartney, The Searchers, The Merseybeats, The Swinging Blue Jeans, The Hollies and Small Faces, plus many more classic Sixties songs.
The show will be presented by Billy Butler, who was resident DJ at the Cavern and will feature the Rocking 60s band with drummer George Roberts of Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders.
Gary, from Upton, is one of the country’s finest guitarists and performs throughout the UK and Europe both as a solo artist and with the award-winning Gary Murphy Band.
His performances offer a diverse style of guitar classics and his own material performed on both electric and acoustic instruments.
He has written several albums of original songs including the award-winning Here Comes the Rain and Dangerous and is currently a resident artist at Liverpool’s world-famous Cavern Club.
He is also an ambassador of the International Guitar Festival of Great Britain and has worked with many leading musicians and singers including Albert Lee, Jan Akkerman, James Burton, Suzy Quatro, Mel C, Rick Vito (Fleetwood Mac), The Christians, China Crisis, Billy Kinsley (Liverpool Express), Mike Pender (The Searchers), Tony Crane (The Merseybeats), Flock Of Seagulls, Pete Wiley (Mighty Wah), Tony Christie, Liz McLarnon (Atomic Kitten), Gerry Marsden (The Pacemakers), Ray Ennis (The Swinging Blue Jeans) and Charlie Landsborough.
Gary said: "I’m very excited to be touring two of my stage shows this year. Guitar Legends gives an insight into the lives and work of the greatest guitarists of all time, featuring more than 100 years of guitar music in one electrifying night and all genres from jazz and blues to pop, rock ‘n’ roll and classical.
“The guitar is a unique instrument, and its popularity is as strong today as it was when it was first conceived over a century ago. Where music and production progresses in the future, who knows? But one thing is for certain – there will always be a guitar legend.
“Meanwhile many great things came from the Sixties – we even put a man on the moon. But for me, it was all about the music, and that music is still in the heart of Merseyside today, 60 years on.
“I’ve been fortunate to have worked with a lot of the original Sixties legends over the years and I was a close friend of the late, great Gerry Marsden. I Like It is named in memory of the Pacemakers’ first hit single which was released 60 years ago in 1963.”
Tickets for Gary's shows are available by clicking here
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