Reader Spotlight: Derrick Lee Murdock
Meet Derrick Lee Murdock, our player in the spotlight for November 3, 2009.
Bio:
Derrick Lee Murdock (aka DOCK) A Native of Philadelphia began playing the Bass at the age of seventeen. While most musicians consider this a late start, Derrick was able to overcome this by intensive practice and study of his favorite bassist. Among his early influences were Bootsy Collins, Kool, Larry Graham, Geddy Lee, James Jamerson, Stanley Clarke, Jaco Pastorius, Tony Smith, Jeff Lee Johnson, Niles Henning Orsted Pederson, Ron Carter, Eddie Gomez, Rufus Reed, Dave Holland to name a few…
Derrick performed at clubs in and around the Philadelphia area while developing his talent and fine tuning his craft. Then in 1994 Derrick relocated to Los Angeles to tour and perform with Sheena Easton before performing and touring the world with a host of talented performers including Kevin Eubanks, The Jazz Crusaders, Tom Scott, Jeff Lorber, Angela Bofill, David Benoit, Bobby Caldwell, Hugh Masekela, Eric Marienthal, Bobby Lyle, Bob Mamet, Gladys Knight, Natalie Cole, Will Smith, Jim Carey, Bill Cosby, Cedric the Entertainer, Michael Bolton, Aaron Neville, Denise Williams, Solomon Burke, Patty Austin, Dr Dre, Rose Royce, The Dazz Band, Mandrill, Cherrelle, BB King, Chuck Berry, Peter Framton, Huey Lewis, John Lucien, 5th Dimension, Miles Jaye, Andre Crouch. The “Della Reese Show”, The Nanny (starring Fran Dresher), and one of the soundtracks for the Power Rangers.
Location:
Burbank, CA, U.S.A.
Day gig:
The Jay Leno Show
Years experience:
25 years.
Bands & Gigs:
I play bass on The Jay Leno Show and The Prime Time Band in the U.S.A.
I also played bass on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno for 3 and a half years.
Gear:
- TC Electronic RH450, RS210, RS410, and RS212
- ESP Power Cords
- Traben Bass
Why I play the bass:
Hearing my father play James Brown Records.
My bass superpower/claim to fame
Playing bass on TV (The Tonight Show with Jay Leno )
My influences
James Brown, Bootsy, Kool, James Jamerson, Geddy Lee, Jaco, Stanley Clarke.
More on the web:
Featured videos
TC Electronic bass stack behind Derrick “Dock” Murdock and David “Fingers” Haynes jam:
Patti Austin with the Jazz Crusaders – Street Life (1997):
Jazz Crusaders / Crawdaddy 1-2:
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