| Background | solo_singer |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Shirley Murdock |
| Birth date | May 22, 1957 (age 69) |
| Birth place | Toledo, Ohio, U.S.[1] |
| Instrument |
|
| Genre | |
| Occupation | Singer-songwriter |
| Years active | 1986–present |
| Label | Elektra Records Dexterity Sounds/EMI Gospel Tyscot Records |
| Associated acts | Roger Zapp |
Shirley Murdock (born May 22, 1957)[1] is an American R&B singer-songwriter. She is best known for her guest appearance alongside Charlie Wilson on Zapp and Roger's 1986 single "Computer Love", as well as her 1986 single, "As We Lay".[2] The latter peaked at number 23 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spawned from her self-titled debut album (1986), released by Elektra Records.
Early life
Murdock was born on May 22, 1957 in Toledo, Ohio. She attended and graduated from St. Ursula Academy.[3]
Career
Murdock started out singing gospel music in her native Toledo.[2] Funk singer/musician Roger Troutman hired Murdock as a backing vocalist for his family's band Zapp, which had several hits on Warner Bros. (and its Reprise Records imprint).[2] Based on this success, Troutman began recording tracks with Murdock and lead singer Sugarfoot of the Ohio Players, among others, at his Dayton-based recording studio, Troutman Sound Labs.[2] Murdock and Troutman's first charted single was a Warner Bros. single issued as Roger (featuring Shirley Murdock), "Girl, Cut It Out", which charted at number 79 R&B in early 1985.[4]
Murdock signed with Elektra Records and released "No More", written by Shirley Murdock and Gregory Jackson (Cincinnati, Ohio funk keyboardist and member of Zapp), which made it to number 24 R&B in early 1986.[5] Then came her signature hit, "As We Lay", written by Zapp's Larry Troutman and keyboardist Billy Beck (of the Ohio Players). The tender, melancholy ballad made it to the R&B Top Ten in 1986 and peaked at number 23 pop and number 21 on the adult contemporary chart in early 1987.[5] Her debut album was certified gold, also helped along by the follow-up hits "Go on Without You" and "Be Free." She also released albums in 1988 (A Woman's Point of View) and 1991 (Let There Be Love!). In early 2000, Murdock toured in the inspirational/gospel play Be Careful What You Pray For with Cuba Gooding, Sr. and David Peaston.[1] Murdock appeared on T.D. Jakes' 1997 project Woman Thou Art Loosed, nominated for Grammy, as well as Jakes' 1999 release Sacred Love Songs.[6]
In 2002, Murdock released Home, her debut gospel-music album, on T.D. Jakes' Dexterity Sounds record label, and peaked at No. 9 on Billboard's Top Gospel Albums chart on March 16, 2002.[7] The album is produced by a list of music engineers, alongside Murdock's husband, Dale Degroat. AllMusic review singled out album's highlights, such as: "We Need a Word From the Lord" (giving a "powerful, message-driven" performance); "Never Let You Down" ( "beautiful song of encouragement"; and inspirational song "The Dream That Would Not Die".[6]
She made her acting debut in the movie Sweating in the Spirit. Most recently, Murdock has signed with Tyscot Records and released her most recent album in March 2007.[8]
In 2009, Murdock collaborated with Teena Marie on the song "Soldier", from Marie's album Congo Square.[9] She also appeared in the 2009 stage play A Mother's Prayer, with Johnny Gill, Robin Givens, and Jermaine Crawford. She also appeared in "A Mother's Love" a stage play produced by Kandi Burruss and Todd Tucker in 2014.
Discography
Studio albums
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [10] | US R&B | US Gos | ||||||||||||
| 1986 |
| 44 | 9 | — | ||||||||||
| 1988 |
| 137 | 19 | — | ||||||||||
| 1991 |
| — | 22 | — | ||||||||||
| 2002 | Home
| — | — | 9 | ||||||||||
| 2007 | Soulfood
| — | 71 | 7[12] | ||||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
Live albums
| Year | Album details | Peak |
|---|---|---|
| US Gos | ||
| 2011 | Live: The Journey
| 24[13] |
Compilation albums
| Year | Album details |
|---|---|
| 2001 | The Very Best of Shirley Murdock |
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [5] | US R&B [5] | US A/C [5] | US Dan [5] | US Gos | UK [14] | |||||||||
| 1986 | "No More" | — | 24 | — | 27 | — | — | Shirley Murdock! | ||||||
| "Truth or Dare" | — | — | — | — | — | 60 | ||||||||
| "As We Lay" | 23 | 5 | 21 | — | — | — | ||||||||
| 1987 | "Go on Without You" | — | 5 | — | — | — | — | |||||||
| "Be Free" | — | 86 | — | — | — | — | ||||||||
| 1988 | "Husband" | — | 5 | — | — | — | — | A Woman's Point of View | ||||||
| "Oh What a Feeling" | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||
| "Found My Way" | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||
| 1991 | "In Your Eyes" | — | 7 | — | — | — | — | Let There Be Love! | ||||||
| "Stay with Me Tonight" | — | 34 | — | — | — | — | ||||||||
| 1992 | "Let There Be Love!" | — | 89 | — | 47 | — | — | |||||||
| 2007 | "I Love Me Better Than That" | — | — | — | — | 22[15] | — | Soulfood | ||||||
| 2011 | "Dream" | — | — | — | — | 22 | — | Live: The Journey | ||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
References
- ^ "Shirley Murdock Page". Soulwalking.co.uk. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
- ^ Hogan, Ed. "Artist Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
- ^ Hamamy, Madison (July 22, 2021). "Homegrown talent: Toledo-raised performers headline African American Festival". Toledo Blade. Retrieved 2025-03-17.
- ^ "Roger Top Songs / Chart Singles Discography". Music VF. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
- ^ "Shirley Murdock Top Songs / Chart Singles Discography". Music VF. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
- ^ Tim A. Smith. "Home – Shirley Murdock". AllMusic
- ^ "Shirley Murdock > Chart History". Billboard.com. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
- ^ "GospelFlava News". December 14, 2006. Archived December 16, 2006 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ "Congo Square : Teena Marie". Concord Entertainment Company. December 16, 2014. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
- ^ "Artist / Shirley Murdock". Billboard Database. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
- ^ "US Certifications > Shirley Murdock". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2014-07-18.
- ^ "Shirley Murdock: Billboard Chart History". Billboard.com. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
- ^ "Shirley Murdock Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
- ^ "UK Charts > Shirley Murdock". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2013-07-06.
- ^ "Shirley Murdock : Chart History". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2013-10-04.