Spider Murphy Gang

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

The Spider Murphy Gang is a German rock band from Munich. In 1977 the banker Günther Sigl founded the group, together with Barny Murphy, Michael Busse and the drummer Franz Trojan. The name comes from the fictional gangster Spider Murphy in the song Jailhouse Rock by Elvis Presley. The aim was to play old rock 'n' roll songs. Through the radio presenter Georg Kostya the group got airtime and became known in the region.

Music and breakthrough

In 1980 the first album, Rock 'n' Roll Schuah, was released, with songs in the Bavarian dialect and down-to-earth themes. A year later, in the autumn of 1981, the band became known throughout West Germany with Skandal im Sperrbezirk, a song of the Neue Deutsche Welle. In the spring of 1982 it also became a hit in the Netherlands and Flanders. Later singles were Schickeria and Wo bist Du. In 1982 a film about the band appeared, and in 1983 it was the first West German group to perform in the GDR.

Influence

The musical emphasis lies on classic rock 'n' roll, with guitar playing inspired by Chuck Berry. A recurring element in the lyrics is the humorous but also critical view of the sex industry. Skandal im Sperrbezirk is about the red-light district of Munich. In School of Rock the group represents the 1980s in Germany, with rock 'n' roll in the native language.

Listening

Discography

Studio albums

• 1978Rock’n’Roll
• 1980Rock’n’Roll
• 1981Dolce Vita
• 1982Tutti Frutti
• 1984Scharf wia Peperoni
• 1985Wahre Liebe
• 1987Rock’n’Roll
• 1989In Flagranti
• 1990Hokuspokus
• 1997Keine Lust auf schlechte Zeiten
• 2002Radio Hitz

In School of Rock

The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.

• Mixtape 7: The 1980s^NL Reader