Murray Porter Biography

since May 6, 2004

Murray Porter

THE PAPPY JOHNS BAND are long time friends, and brothers of the blues. The core players of THE PAPPY JOHNS BAND, Oren Doxtator, Faron Johns, Don Powless and Murray Porter, have been playing together on and off for 25 years. Musically, they went their separate ways, and achieved some measure of success individually. But now reunited for their latest release Full Circle, which was independently produced, they have added the services of an outstanding young guitarist, vocalist and songwriter, Josh Miller.

THE PAPPY JOHNS BAND WITH MURRAY PORTER were 2005 JUNO Award nominees for Aboriginal Recording of the Year for `Full Circle'. The band won Best Blues Album at the 2004 Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards for Full Circle, in November 2004.

For the first time in their career, The Pappy Johns Band with Murray Porter, are invited to perform in Europe. This year, they will be performing at Blues sur Seine, a blues festival in France, in November 2005.

Before Murray Porter and Josh Miller joined the band, THE PAPPY JOHNS BAND already were known to Canadian t.v. viewers for being the house band on Aboriginal Peoples Television Networks’ variety program Buffalo Tracks. The band also won 4 awards at the 2002 Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards: for Best Male Artist (Faron Johns); Best Group/Duo; Best Producer/Engineer (Alec Fraser & Band); Best Song & Songwriter for Blame It On Monday (Faron Johns).

Since reuniting the band has played such prestigious festivals as the 20th Annual Chicago Blues Festival, May 2003, the Montreal Jazz Festival, and the Grand Opening of the Smithsonian Institution’s `National Museum of the American Indian’, on the Four Directions Stage (mainstage) for the closing concert.

Instrumentation
Faron Johns - Vocals/Songwriter
Murray Porter - Keyboard/Vocals/Songwriter
Josh Miller - Guitar/Vocals
Don Powless - Bass
Oren Doxtator – Drums

DON POWLESS: Bass player, Mohawk, is originally from the Six Nations Reserve and currently resides in Fort Erie, Ontario. He has played in blues bands in Canada and the United States that include Bar Road Band, The Roadhouse Band, Painted Pony and most recently, the Pappy Johns Band.

OREN DOXTATOR: On drums, Oren, originally from Oneida Settlement, near London, Ontario, grew up on Buffalo, New York and currently resides in Fort Erie, Ontario. Don Powless and Oren, who are brothers-in-law, have formed a solid rhythm section for over 30 years.

FARON JOHNS: Singer/Songwriter, Mohawk, from Six Nations, Faron has been singing across Canada and the U.S. for over 25 years. His patented voice has enabled him to be a staple of Native blues, and also as a cast member of `Bones’, an Aboriginal opera. But his songwriting has garnered him Best Songwriter/Best Song awards at the 2002 Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards.

MURRAY PORTER: Is Mohawk and was born and raised on Six Nations Reserve, Murray plays keyboards, sings and is an award-winning songwriter in his own right. Having won the 1999 CAMA award for Best Songwriter, and finalist in the 2003 International Songwriting Competition, and most recently nominated for Songwriter of the Year, for the 2005 Maple Blues Awards, Canada’s national blues awards.

JOSH MILLER: Also Mohawk from Six Nations, Josh plays guitar and vocals. Josh began his career at an early age, when he toured with Murray across Canada while still a teenager. Now a seasoned veteran of the blues scene, fronting his own bands, The Soul Kings, and Three Wheel Drive, Josh has performed across Canada and the U.S. His addition to the band is a mixture of youth and savvy.

Performance Highlights:
- JUNO Aboriginal Honouring Celebration & JUNOFest, Burton Cummings Theatre, Winnipeg, Manitoba; April 2005
- Second Canadian band ever to perform at the 20th Annual Chicago Blues Festival, 2003
-Grand Opening of the Smithsonian Institution’s `National Museum of the American Indian’, Four Directions Stage (Mainstage), Washington, D.C.; September, 2004
- National Aboriginal Day, Ottawa, July 2005
- 25th Montréal International Jazz Festival, Labatt Bleu Stage (Mainstage), July 2004
- National Museum of the American Indian, Manhattan/NYC; August 2004
- Planet IndigenUS, CIBC Stage (Mainstage), Toronto, Ontario; August 2004
- Museum of Civilisation, Hull, Quebec; February 2004
- Café Campus Blues, Montreal, Quebec 2004
- Southside Shuffle Blues & Jazz Festival, Port Credit, Ontario, 2004
- Blues Summit Showcase, Toronto, Ontario; January 2003
- Saskatchewan Jazz Festival, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan; July 2003
- Rez Bluez showcases at Toronto's `Silver Dollar', Ottawa's `Rainbow Room', London's `Downtown Kathy Brown's'

Discography
- "Blues sur Seine" compilation, France, July 2005 - `Make Your Mind Up' by Murray Porter

- “Toronto Blues Society 20th Anniversary compilation 2005” TBS, May 2005 - `Meat on the Bone' by Murray Porter

- “Full Circle” Independent, November 2003

- “Blame It On Monday” Independent, 2002

- “Skin Tight Blues” A First Peoples Blues Compilation Sweet Grass Records/EMI Music Canada, July, 2002 – `Blame It On Monday’ by Pappy Johns Band (written by Faron Johns) and `Colours’ by Murray Porter

- "1492, Who Found Who?", First Nations Music, Murray Porter (solo), 1995