Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr.
| Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. | |
|---|---|
Murphy performing in December 2011.
|
|
| Background information | |
| Born | August 11, 1974 |
| Origin | Logan County, West Virginia, United States |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Labels |
Sony (2011-present) Columbia (2011-present) |
| Website | landaumurphyjr.com |
Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. (born August 11, 1974) is an American jazz singer from Logan County, West Virginia. He received national attention for winning the sixth season of the NBC reality show America's Got Talent.
Murphy's father had been a coal miner. His parents divorced when Murphy was eight, after which he moved with his mother, and his two brothers and two sisters to Detroit, Michigan. He dropped out of school in the 11th grade to take care of his family.
After moving back home to Logan, West Virginia in the late 1990s, Murphy renewed a friendship with a childhood friend, Jennifer Carter. They worked together at a restaurant where she was a manager, and they married in 2005.
Murphy had been homeless at age 19, sleeping in his car. He worked as a car washer during the months leading up to his TV performances, and was nearly destitute as a result of his home having been robbed. He was down to his last pair of pants and jacket when he arrived to sing at his America's Got Talent audition.
In November 2010, Murphy and his wife Jennifer left their hometown of Logan, WV for New York City, where they stood for over twelve hours outside the Jacob Javits Convention Center to audition for NBC’s America’s Got Talent.
Murphy was named as the winner of the show on September 14, 2011, after a performance of "My Way", a song popularized by Frank Sinatra. He won the $1 million grand prize and began a headlining act in Las Vegas on October 28.
After winning, Murphy signed to Sony Records and Columbia Records, and released his first album That's Life on November 21, 2011. The album debuted at #34 on the Billboard 200, selling 28,000 copies, then fell to #41 the next week on the charts. It debuted at number one on the Billboard jazz charts, and also reached #1 in the Jazz category on Amazon.com.
...
Wikipedia