BIO
Cheynne Murphy is a local Byron Bay singer songwriter on the verge of big things . Cheynne and his musical companion Mark Heazlett performed at the internationally renowned 2009 Bluesfest in the company of Ben Harper, Michael Franti, Missy Higgins, John Butler amongst others. With sublime harmonies and a blend of 12 string and finger picking guitar driven by deft brushs, Cheynne seems to effortlessly traverse an alternative acoustic folk pop terrain ending up somewhere in the misty hills of Byron Bay, the inspiration and location for Cheynne’s latest EP - Firesongs for the Soul. With growing critical acclaim, national radio airplay and television performances plus some major supports, Cheynne is on a journey to the international stage. A born philosopher, Cheynne explores the transformative power that can come out of intense life changes, diving deep into the human experience and surfacing somewhere where the glass is always half full. A dreamy country pop purveyor with a whole lot of old school soul, this music will uplift and inspire you.

That Was Then
Cheynne picked up an old nylon string guitar in his final year of a marketing degree in Sydney much to the dismay of his parents.
Upon discovering three chords (or 4) and the truth through a diet of old delta blues, Bob Marley and old skool Cat Stevens, Cheynne set about writing his own simplistic versions of ‘songs’ and discovered he had a knack for melody and emotional authenticity.
His second gig saw him perform to 1500 people at a College ball on campus. Three years later he had signed a world wide publishing deal with Warner Chappell, had performed on national television and had started getting radio airplay... A meteoric rise into the heady world of the music industry, it was during this time that Cheynne emerged as a front man for seminal indie acts Mama Bird, Spinifex and later, Wingspan.
An album was recorded in 2003, with the band Wingspan. Management, record contracts, and touring commitments unfolded in quick succession due to the commercial strength of this material but ultimately the band imploded like all good rock and roll clichés in a haze of scandalous deals, legal battles, hidden agendas, dodgy managers and a band dynamic akin to the krakatoa. This was an ambitious beginning described by reviewers at the time as “ a special orchestral rock record of rare songwriting genius”….Drum Media. See Other Projects for the reformation of Wingspan as Wild Horse.
Upon moving to Byron Bay in 2006 Cheynne recorded his follow up EP- Return to the Source which received national airplay on ABC and great support locally with Bay FM. Supports with Tex Perkins, Pete Murray kept him in good company and set the stage for his latest offering Firesongs For The Soul EP.
Firesongs For the Soul Background Story
FIRESONGS FOR THE SOUL is the latest EP release from Byron Bay singer songwriter Cheynne Murphy who delivers an organic blend of inspiring harmony based acoustic folk music. 2009 marked a successful year for Cheynne with significant radio airplay, performances at multiple festivals including Bluesfest and a local North Coast entertainment industry award for the EP.

The EP was inspired by the idea of sitting around campfires and singing songs with nothing but a few friends, the crackle of a fire, the stars and perhaps a drink or two. Good for the soul for sure but the lyrics of this music explore a deeper, spiritual aspect of our journey as individuals.

“The EP was written and recorded immediately after the separation from a long term relationship. Obviously this was difficult, especially because there were young children involved. This music became a meditation, a therapy. I had incredible support from my local music friends who added harmonies, banjo, mandolin ,trumpet and an erray of interesting sounds to colour the soundscape and bring it to life.”

The artwork for the EP is stunning. A childlike representation of someone playing guitar around a fire. Cheynne explains ‘ a special aspect to the CD artwork was the contribution of my 5 year old Orion who did all the drawings. In fact he did a 40 card set of figures, some of which are over the fire on the cover, during the transition of the separation which are fascinating to look at close up.

The recording process involved a lot of spontaneous unrehearsed performances from guitarists, singers, violinists, flute players and also trumpet helping capture a rich organic tapestry. In fact this is a totally home-grown production right down to the mastering and artwork.
“It makes sense to do things locally. Byron Bay is such a magical place and as such the recording process was full of these magic moments. One day the engineer and I were driving in the hills picking up some overdubs mobile style at friend’s houses. We went around to record a trumpet player in Possum Creek, John Hoffman. EJ plays drums and couldn’t believe John was in Buddy Rich’s band for 15 years, and played with Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald amongst others he was blown away… John has this amazing house in Possum Creek and we set him up blowing his horn out to the green hills. We were going for a wild-west sound in one of the songs Wild Lonesome Feeling…Daniel Boone style. He really nailed it.”

The final piece to the puzzle occurred when local engineer and producer Anthony Lycenko (Pete Murray) heard the rough mixes and came on board to help produce the final mixes. His contribution really shines through on the recording and raised the quality to an international level.

Cheynne is currently out and about doing a number of shows to promote Gratitude the latest single off the EP and will be performing at the Billie-Hoots Festival, Billinudgel Hotel, Sunday, April 4 12-6pm



Cheynne is currently out and about doing a number of shows to promote Gratitude the latest single off the EP and will be performing at the Billie-Hoots Festival, Billinudgel Hotel, Sunday, April 4 12-6pm


Media Release for release June, 2009
Firesongs wins North Coast Music Industry Award

Things are moving along nicely for Byron Bay roots artist Cheynne Murphy at the moment. A big show at this years Bluesfest anniversary show amongst the likes of Ben Harper, Michael Franti and Xavier Rudd and recently nominated for two North Coast Music industry awards, otherwise known as ‘dolphin awards’ on the North Coast in two categories Folk and Alternative Country. He took out at the latter, presented by another well known local identity Pete Murray.

“ It was a great honour to be recognised in your local area with local industry and friends present. I only had one song on the CD that sounded a little country so I sent it in. Actually the music has been described variously as folk, alt country, Americana, bluegrass. It seems like its more of a mash of acoustic roots styles but anyway I appreciate the award. It could be my ticket to Tamworth.”

Cheynne’s current EP is doing well, with solid sales nationally and also strong community radio support and ABC coverage. Just recently he ticked another box in his career aspirations list by supporting Jeff Martin at the Great Northern in Byron Bay.

‘Jeff is a big inspiration to me. He has an incredible 12 string sound, a huge voice and has a big international following so it was a total honour. The highlight was when I finished the show he had an impromptu jam with my flute player Ackshay backstage and they ended up jamming in the middle of the show. It was quite a night’.

Currently Cheynne is showcasing the Firesongs EP material with local songwriter Mark Heazlett as a duo who did most of the harmonies on the recording.