Webb Wilder
John Webb McMurry (born May 19, 1954), known as Webb Wilder, is an American country, rock & roll singer, guitarist and actor.
Webb Wilder | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | John Webb McMurray |
Born | Hattiesburg, Mississippi, U.S. | May 19, 1954
Genres | Progressive country, outlaw country, roots rock, rock and roll, rockabilly, southern rock, surf rock, Americana |
Occupation(s) | Musician, actor |
Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar |
Years active | 1986–present |
Labels | Racket Records, Landslide Records, Island Records, Zoo/Praxis/BMG, Watermelon Records, Deaf Pig Records, Varèse Sarabande, DixieFrog Records |
Website | WebbWilder.com |
Early life
McMurry was born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.[1] He started playing guitar at the age of 12 and was playing in bands when he was 14.[2]
His aunt was Lillian McMurry, the founder of Trumpet Records.[3] She mentored him and gave advice as he started in the music industry.[2]
Career
With his groups like The Drapes, The Beatnecks, The Nashvegans, Wilder combines the straight-ahead rock & roll with surf guitar of the Ventures and twang of Duane Eddy, drawing on the feel of blues, R&B, country/rockabilly and film noir.[4] His sound incorporated influence from Americana music as well as from the British Invasion.[5]
Wilder said that his music was progressive country.[6] He has been signed to major labels and worked with independent labels. He has also hosted a radio show for Sirius Radio.[1]
Webb Wilder appeared as an actor in Peter Bogdanovich's 1993 feature film The Thing Called Love.[7] As of 2020, he was an afternoon-shift disc jockey for radio station WMOT, which is based in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
Discography
Albums
Date of Release | Title | Label | Producer |
---|---|---|---|
1986 | It Came from Nashville | Landslide Records | R.S. Field |
1989 | Hybrid Vigor | Island Records | R.S. Field for Praxis International |
1991 | Doo Dad | Zoo Records/Praxis International/BMG | R.S. Field |
1993 | It Came from Nashville (CD release) | Watermelon Records | R.S. Field |
1995 | Town & Country | Watermelon Records | R.S. Field, George Bradfute, Webb & the Nashvegans |
1996 | Acres of Suede | Watermelon Records | R.S. Field and Scott Baggett |
2005 | About Time | Landslide Records | R.S. Field |
2005 | Scattered, Smothered and Covered: A Webb Wilder Overview [compilation] | Varèse Sarabande | Various |
2006 | Tough It Out! (Live in Concert) (also released as It's Live Time! and Born to Be Wilder) | Landslide Records/DixieFrog Records/Blind Pig Records | R.S. Field |
2009 | More Like Me | Blind Pig Records | Webb Wilder & Joe V. McMahan |
2015 | Mississippi Mōderne | Landslide Records | Webb Wilder, Bob Williams, Tom Comet, George Bradfute, and Joe V. McMahan |
2018 | Powerful Stuff! | Landslide Records | Various |
2020 | Night Without Love | Landslide Records | Webb Wilder |
Filmography
- Paradise Park (1991)
- Corn Flicks (1992) consisted of three short films, including:
- Webb Wilder Private Eye
- Grand prize winner of the Texas Union National Student Film Competition
- Aired repeatedly on the A&E Network and the USA Network show Night Flight
- Horror Hayride
- Won Silver Hugo Award at the Chicago International Film Festival
- Awarded three stars by the Chicago Tribune
- Presented at the New Orleans Film & Video and Dallas Video Festivals
- Aunt Hallie
- The Thing Called Love (1993) Ned
- Pueblo Sin Suerte (2002) Reb
- Born to be Wilder (2005) Himself
- Scattergun (2007)
- Webb Wilder Amazing B-Picture Shorts (2009)
See also
References
- "Webb Wilder grew big and still wears glasses when he needs 'em". knoxnews.com; Knoxville News Sentinel. February 17, 2017. Retrieved March 6, 2019.
- Sickler, Linda (April 26, 2012). "Webb Wilder and The Beat Necks return to Savannah". savannahnow.com; Savannah Morning News. Retrieved March 6, 2019.
- "Webb Wilder". brilliant-productions.com. Brilliant Productions. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
- Robert Gordon. "Webb Wilder Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
- "Webb Wilder". blindpigrecords.com. Blind Pig Records. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
- "Webb Wilder Bio". webbwilder.com. Webb Wilder. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
- Croce, Fernando F. (March 11, 2006). "Review: The Thing Called Love". slantmagazine.com. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
- Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 302.
External links
- WebbWilder.com
- The ORIGINAL Webb Wilder website
- WEBB-TV
- Webb Wilder Films
- Webb Wilder at IMDb
- Complete discography from AllMusic
- Biography from the Houston Press
- The Webb Wilder Credo
- Hunter Goatley's Webb Wilder Archive
- Webb Wilder interview about Mississippi Moderne