Juggy Murray
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Henry 'Juggy' Murray Jr. (born 24 November 1923, Charleston, South Carolina, died 8 February 2005, New York City) was an influential rhythm and blues music producer.
Raised in Hell's Kitchen in Manhattan, Murray and partner Bobby Robinson co-founded Sue Records in early 1957. In 1958, Murray formed the Symbol Records subsidiary.
Biographer Mick Patrick writes:
The label scored its first regional hit with the Matadors' 'Vengeance' late in 1957, followed by Bobby Hendricks' national Top 40 hit 'Itchy Twitchy Feeling', with backing from the Coasters. Recordings by the Ray Bryant Combo, Ernestine Anderson and Jimmy McGriff established Sue as a jazz hotbed, but the company's most important releases were in an R&B vein. 1958 marked the release of an early Don Covay single, 'Believe It Or Not', and in 1960, Sue launched the collaboration of Ike & Tina Turner with 'A Fool In Love'. Ike & Tina issued a series of national hits under Murray's hand, among them 'I Idolize You', 'It's Gonna Work Out Fine', 'Poor Fool', 'Tra La La La La' and 'You Shoulda Treated Me Right'. Extending his policy of wearing many hats, Murray even managed the Turners for a period. Other Sue hitmakers included Baby Washington with 'Handful Of Memories', 'That's How Heartaches Are Made', 'Leave Me Alone', 'Only Those In Love' and others, and the Soul Sisters, who scored with 'I Can't Stand It', 'Good Time Tonight' and 'Just A Moment Ago'. Drifters front man Johnny Moore also recorded for the company as a solo artist.
In 1968 Murray sold his Sue masters and publishing houses, Saturn and Sagittarius, to United Artists. He moved to California and by 1972, he issued his first solo LP, 'Built for Speed'. 'Inside America' followed four years later in 1976, which was popular on the UK dancefloors. He released 'Rhythm and Blues' for the Jupiter imprint in 1977.
Murray continued to work into the new millennium, producing and promoting up and coming artists. Of Baby Washington, Juggy Murray once said, "I would rather record her than eat."
Juggy Murray died February 8 2005 in Montifiore Hospital in Bronx, NY. Though Murray was 81 and suffering from Parkinson's disease, he and Washington had been working on recording comeback materials.
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