Matt “Guitar” Murphy—best known as a mainstay guitarist for the Blues Brothers—has died, as Rolling Stone reports. He was 88 years old. Murphy was also a renowned sideman for some of the most revered blues musicians, including Howlin’ Wolf, Memphis Slim, Muddy Waters, James Cotton, and others.
Murphy was born in Mississippi and was raised in Memphis. He and his brother Floyd became fixtures in Memphis’ blues scene, playing as sidemen, until Murphy was recruited by Dan Ackroyd and John Belushi for the Blues Brothers in the late ’70s. He appeared in the iconic 1980 comedy, as well as the sequel Blues Brothers 2000 (1998), playing Aretha Franklin’s husband. He performed with the group until the early 2000s. In addition to his work with the Blues Brothers, he recorded solo albums under his own name.
