Matt "Guitar" Murphy's Real Name: Matthew Tyler Murphy

Quick answer: Matt "Guitar" Murphy's real name was Matthew Tyler Murphy. He was born on December 29, 1929, in Sunflower, Mississippi, and died on June 15, 2018, in Miami, Florida, at age 88. The "Guitar" tag was a musician nickname that stuck as his professional billing (New York Times; Blues Hall of Fame; LOC).

Memphis and Chicago years

Murphy grew up in Mississippi and Memphis, absorbing electric blues as it took shape. He played with Howlin' Wolf, Memphis Slim and other postwar blues figures, developing a clean, biting lead style that worked in both club bands and studio sessions. Relocation into the wider blues circuit made him a first-call guitarist for tours and recordings through the 1950s–70s (AllMusic; Blues Hall of Fame exhibit).

The Blues Brothers

A much larger pop audience met him through The Blues Brothers. Murphy appeared as "Matt 'Guitar' Murphy" in the 1980 film The Blues Brothers and played in the Blues Brothers Band on tour and records with John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd's Jake and Elwood characters. The movies and tours introduced classic blues chops to mainstream comedy audiences without erasing his earlier resume (NYT obituary).

Later life and death

Murphy led his own groups, cut solo albums and remained a festival draw. Health issues including a stroke affected his playing in later years, but he continued to appear when able. He died in Miami in 2018; obituaries in the New York Times and blues institutions hailed him as a bridge between Chicago/Memphis blues and Hollywood-scale popularity.

Style and peers

Murphy's leads favored clarity and swing over pure distortion, fitting both Chicago club blues and the polished Blues Brothers stage show. Peers in the blues community remembered him as a generous sideman who could also hold a headlining set. Festival bookings in his later decades often billed the Blues Brothers connection first, then reminded crowds of the Howlin' Wolf and Memphis Slim years that came long before Hollywood.