Landau Eugene Murphy Jr.
Murphy performing in December 2011
Murphy performing in December 2011
Background information
Born (1974-08-11) August 11, 1974[1]
OriginLogan County, West Virginia, United States
GenresJazz
Occupation(s)Singer
Instrument(s)Vocals
Years active2010–present
LabelsSony (2011–present)[2]
Columbia (2011–present)[3]
Websitelandaumurphyjr.com
SpousePeyton Konchesky

Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. (born August 11, 1974)[1] is an American jazz singer from Logan County, West Virginia. He received national attention for winning the sixth season of the NBC reality show America's Got Talent.[4] Landau has released a total of 4 albums[5] since his victory in 2011. Landau used his free time during the COVID-19 pandemic to earn his high school diploma[6] and serves as an advocate for adult education in the state of West Virginia with the West Virginia Department of Education's "It's Never Too Late to Graduate"[7] campaign.[8] Landau continues to advocate for adult education, offering the official Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. Scholarship at Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College in his hometown of Logan, West Virginia.[9] Following his time on America's Got Talent, Landau has continued to host a series of charity events around the state of West Virginia.[10] Landau has since performed around the world, having played in Shanghai, China in 2013[11] and at the World Expo in Dubai in 2022.[12] Landau continues to perform around the country annually and wraps up every year with a Holiday tour across his home state.[13] In 2014 Landau was listed in the Jaycees Ten Outstanding Young Americans list.[14]

Early life

Murphy dropped out of high school during his 11th grade year, for 20 years he financially struggled as he drifted between different jobs between Detroit, Michigan and West Virginia. Before his time on television, in 2010 Landau's house was ransacked, leading him to audition for America's Got Talent in the only clothes he owned.[15]

America's Got Talent

In November 2010, Murphy traveled to New York City for the audition. He was selected as the winner of the show on September 14, 2011, after a performance of "My Way", a song popularized by Frank Sinatra.[4][16] He won the $1 million grand prize and began a headlining act in Las Vegas on October 28.[17]

Performances and results

Week Theme Song choice Original artist Performance order Result
Audition "I've Got You Under My Skin" Frank Sinatra N/A Safe
Vegas Week Judge's Favorites "I Get a Kick out of You" Ethel Merman N/A Safe
Top 48 Quarter-finals "Fly Me to the Moon" Felicia Sanders 7 Safe
Top 24 Semi-finals "I've Got the World on a String" Cab Calloway 11 Safe
Top 10 Top Ten Finals "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?" Dean Martin 9 Safe
Top 4 Finale "My Way" Frank Sinatra 1 Winner

Career

That's Life

After winning, Murphy signed to Sony Records and Columbia Records,[3] and released his first album That's Life on November 21, 2011.[2] The album debuted at No. 34 on the Billboard 200, selling 28,000 copies, then fell to No. 41 the next week on the charts. It debuted at number one on the Billboard jazz charts, and also reached No. 1 in the Jazz category on Amazon.com. By May 2017, the album had sold 156,000 copies.[18]

Many have compared Murphy's vocals and phrasing to that of Frank Sinatra, a singer he has always admired. Many of the tracks from That's Life are Sinatra standards. Murphy said of the album, "For a lot of music fans, especially older people, I can bring back some happy memories. And hopefully I can create new memories for generations to come."

That's Life was produced by Steve Tyrell, himself an aficionado of Sinatra's music.

Live performances

As part of his AGT prize, Murphy headlined a show at the Colosseum Theater at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Other tour stops include the Apollo Theater in New York, the DTE Energy Center in Detroit with The Temptations, headlining appearances at the West Virginia and California State Fairs, a Super Bowl appearance, a televised performance at The Hollywood Christmas Parade and a string of sold-out headlining shows across the USA (many supporting local charities). Major media appearances have included The Today Show, Anderson Cooper, The View, The Talk, The Wendy Williams Show, Fox and Friends, CNN, The Tom Joyner Show, Scott and Todd on WPLJ, and Good Day LA, among others.[18]

He has also sung the national anthem at Madison Square Garden, WVU's Mountaineer Field, prior to a West Virginia University/LSU matchup and at several other public events.[17] In 2017, he continues to give concerts[18]

Education Advocacy

Landau used his free time during the COVID-19 pandemic to earn his high school diploma[6] and serves as an advocate for adult education in the state of West Virginia with the West Virginia Department of Education's "It's Never Too Late to Graduate"[7] campaign.[8] Landau continues to advocate for adult education, offering the official Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. Scholarship at Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College in his hometown of Logan, West Virginia.[9]

Charity Work

Following his time on America's Got Talent, Landau has continued to host a series of charity events around the state of West Virginia.[10] In 2014 Landau was listed in the Jaycees Ten Outstanding Young Americans list.[14]

Discography


Singles

Title Details Peak chart
positions		 Sales
US
Come Home to West Virginia
  • Release date: June 20, 2016
  • Label: Columbia
  • Format: CD
 —

Albums

Title Details Peak chart
positions		 Sales
US
That's Life
  • Release date: November 21, 2011
  • Label: Columbia, Syco
  • Format: CD, digital download
 34
Christmas Made for Two
  • Release date: November 5, 2013
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: CD, digital download
 —
Landau
  • Release date: December 1, 2016
  • Label: WeberWorks
  • Format: CD, digital download
 —

References

  1. 1 2 "Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. – AGTNews.com Finale Interview – 09/14/2011". Retrieved September 15, 2011 – via YouTube.
  2. 1 2 "America's Got Talent winner records his million dollar CD in H-Town with Steve Tyrell". Archived from the original on February 23, 2013. Retrieved September 30, 2011.
  3. 1 2 Landau Eugene Murphy Jr., Winner of "America's Got Talent," to Release That's Life November 21
  4. 1 2 Harold, Zack. "Logan wigs out for Landau Murphy Jr". Charleston Daily Mail. Archived from the original on January 22, 2013. Retrieved September 15, 2011.
  5. ↑ "Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. Celebrates 10 Years Since 'AGT' Win With Return to Vegas". Talent Recap. September 17, 2021. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
  6. 1 2 Staff Reports (August 24, 2020). "Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. uses pandemic shutdown time to get high school equivalency diploma". WV News. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  7. 1 2 WVDE launches "Never Too Late to Graduate" Campaign with Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. - July 23, 2021, retrieved May 25, 2022
  8. 1 2 Telegraph, EMILY RICE Bluefield Daily (September 13, 2020). "Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. earns his diploma in quarantine". Bluefield Daily Telegraph. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  9. 1 2 France, Bill (October 19, 2021). "SOUTHERN SCHOLARSHIP ANNOUNCED IN LANDAU EUGENE MURPHY JR'S NAME". EIN News. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  10. 1 2 "Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. Embraces His Fans and Cares for Kids This Holiday Season". WVPB. December 24, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  11. ↑ "Landau and Burke's Excellent China Adventure". Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. Retrieved June 7, 2022.
  12. ↑ Allen, Burke; Priya, Shaili (March 9, 2022). "DIPLOMACY THROUGH MUSIC: LANDAU EUGENE MURPHY JR. TO REPRESENT U.S.A. LATER THIS MONTH AT DUBAI'S GLOBAL EXPO". EIN News. Retrieved June 7, 2022.
  13. ↑ "Home for the Holidays Tour Morgantown, WV". Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  14. 1 2 "US Jaycees name Landau one of Ten Outstanding Young Americans". Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
  15. ↑ "Landau Goes Back to School During Pandemic To Earn High School Diploma". Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  16. ↑ Macht, Daniel (September 15, 2011). "Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. Wins "America's Got Talent"". NBCDFW.com. Retrieved September 15, 2011.
  17. 1 2 Shira, Dahvi (September 15, 2011). "Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. Wants AGT Win to Inspire Hope". People. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
  18. 1 2 3 Carter, Brooke. "What Happened to Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. – Recent News & Updates", The Gazette Review (Minneapolis, Minnesota), May 29, 2017
  19. ↑ "Building Album Sales Chart". HITS Daily Double. January 16, 2012. Archived from the original on September 15, 2014. Retrieved January 20, 2012.
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