RIO GRANDE REVERIES

Ryan Murphey is a Grammy-nominated producer, Western Heritage Award winner as well as a Texas Music Association producer of the year. His songs and instrumentals have been featured in the films: “Wildfire: Legend of the Cherokee Ghost Horse”, “Texas Heart”, and “Pickin’ and Grinnin’”. Ryan has released several albums of original material as a solo artist as well as with the band The Sawdust Bros. His duo album “Road Beyond the View” with Michael Martin Murphey won the “Wrangler” for best original song “Blues for 66”. His songs have been recorded by Willie Nelson, Michael Martin Murphey, Chevel Shepherd, Pauline Reese, and Olivia Harms.

Murphey is currently the director of the guitar conservatory at the Nashville School of the Arts where he has been honored as a Blue Ribbon Teacher and Teacher of the Year. Through the      Country Music Hall of Fame’s Journey of a Song project in association with the National Endowment for the Arts his students’ original collection of songs is featured on the Hall’s web page as well as on stage with Trisha Yearwood, and Lauren Daigle.

Ryan was born in 1970 in Los Angeles, CA and he grew up in Austin, Texas, where he found his passion for music, along with the help of his father, American singer-songwriter, Michael Martin Murphey. In 1988 he had the privilege of dieting with MMM on the top-five Billboard single “Talking to the Wrong Man”. Additionally, Ryan’s original music has been featured on The Grand Ole Opry and The Nashville Network.  Murphey holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and Jazz Composition from St. Michael’s in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and the Master of Arts in Teaching Education from Trevecca Nazarene in Nashville, Tennessee. Ryan and his wife, Francie live in central Tennessee and are blessed by their daughters Fiona and Elle. 

Howard Hudiburg is a Professor Emeritus at Texas State University, retiring in 2014 after 30 years of teaching. During the time of his tenure, he was Director of Orchestral Activities and Conductor of the Texas State Symphony and Coordinator of the String Faculty. Howard taught orchestral conducting, double bass studio, electric bass studio, jazz improvisation, and music humanities. He also supervised orchestra string student teachers. While at Texas State, Howard organized and led the orchestra in performances on three European tours, performing in Austria, the Czech Republic, England, Italy, Poland, and Scotland. The Texas State Symphony was the featured university orchestra twice at the Texas Music Educators Association convention in San Antonio and the Texas State Chamber Orchestra performed at the White House in Washington, DC.

Hudiburg was ordained and licensed to the Gospel Ministry in 1986.  He served as Minister of Music at First Baptist Church in Stockdale, Texas from 1986–2004 and at First Baptist Church in Seguin, Texas from 2007-2019.  Howard prepared and led the Sunday morning and evening worship services and rehearsed and conducted the Glory Singers, Handbell Choir, Praise Team, and Worship Choir and prepared and conducted music and drama productions for over 100 Christmas and Easter performances and other Sacred concerts.

Howard has worked with Michael Martin Murphey since 2003 as arranger, conductor, bassist, and orchestra librarian.  

Howard was born in Yokohama, Japan in 1953 and has lived in Arlington, Virginia and El Paso, Austin and Seguin, Texas. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Texas in Austin and a Master of Music degree from Texas State University in San Marcos. Howard studied post graduate conducting at the Conductors Institute with Harold Faberman, at Northwestern University with Victor Yampolsky, Marius Solitz and Kirk Trevor, and at Carnegie Hall with Pierre Boulez.  He lives in central Texas with his wife Marianne.  They are blessed by daughters Sarah Bess and husband Ryan, Edye, and husband Trey and granddaughters Ava Harlan, Elena Michelle, and Adelina Anne.

Drummer / Composer / Song Writer / Producer / Drum Instructor / Michael Martin Murphey / Independent 

Current Endorsements:  Vic Firth Drum sticks / Ludwig Drums / Aquarian Drum Heads

Drummer, composer, teacher and family man, Paul has a wide and varied musical background that began at age 7. He began playing in professional bands at age 16, and has opened and played for some of the recognizable names in the industry – The Drifters, The Coasters, The Platters, Tanya Tucker, Reba McEntire, Earl Klugh, Percy Sledge, Rudy Gatlin of the Gatlin Brothers, The Mac Band, Jeffery Osborne, KC & the Sunshine Band, The Dixie Chicks, Herman’s Hermits, BTO and the late legendary Lou Rawls. He is currently touring with Michael Martin Murphey.

Paul also works in the North Texas area with a plethora of regionally talented musicians as well as some other freelance shows and Recording Sessions. Equipped with his own studio and publishing company, he works on all his own writing and records music packages for various clients. 

Paul was born in Los Angeles, CA in 1967. He comes from a very musical family (Mom a jingle singer, Dad a session pianist/composer/studio producer and 1 of his 3 brothers who is a jazz pianist, jingle writer, and composer. After graduating from high school, Piper studied piano, jazz improvisation, drum instruction, and music theory at East Field College in Dallas, Texas followed by 2 years of private drum instruction at the University of North Texas in Denton,      Texas. Paul and his wife Michele live in north Texas and are blessed by their children Caitlin and John.