Making Radio Stronger In A Disaster
Kansas City Radio Legend Mike Murphy Dies of Stroke
March 10, 2011
Murphy suffered a stroke at his Kansas City home around 3 p.m. Wednesday, and passed away a few hours later. For over 45 years, Murphy worked for many different stations in Kansas City. He retired from KCMO Talk Radio in 2004. He loved to talk about U.F.O's on his show. Murphy is well known in the city for bringing back the St. Patrick's Day parade which started as a stunt in 1973. It is now one of the largest St. Patrick Day parades in the country. In 2005, the parade established the annual “Mike Murphy –Honorary Irishman of the Year” award in his honor. Murphy’s other legacy is co-founding the downtown cattle drive.
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(3/27/2011 3:10:14 PM) Mikey, May the saints adore ye and the divil ignore ye. |
| - Jerry Waltrip |
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(3/13/2011 7:01:50 PM) I love you Mike! |
| - Chris Stoner |
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(3/12/2011 7:16:15 PM) So many memories,back in the late 80's I was a route driver for three years,I always looked forward to hearing Mr. Murphy every day. In the early 90's worked where I could listen to my radio all day, Never missed The Mike Murphy talk show and the cattle drive " WE DON'T NEED NO STINKIN'BADGES " I have three Mike Murphy Cattle Drive shirts in my closet, I will wear one for him monday and look up to bid a farewell to a Great radio talk show host. Tell me if I'm wrong but I think an unknowen Garth Brooks was on the show one day. Bless you Mr. Murphy for all the good days of radio listening, Thank You... |
| - Brady Winkler |
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(3/10/2011 10:58:03 PM) There are only a few people along your trek in life who capture your attention and become part of your every waking day routine. For me in KC, it was listening to Mike Murphy, Dr. Marshall Saper, and eventually the new kid on the block...Rush Limbaugh. The 1980's were magic! The wide variety of guests that Mike interviewed, oddball to quite serious, could command your drive-time ear so much that you didn't want to leave the car when you reached a destination. You'd just sit in the car until a commercial broke your trance. I doubt that anyone anywhere in America had a better 1-2 combo back in the 1980's than Murphy/Saper. From UFO experts to entertainer Marilyn Maye, Mike's guests just seemed to pour into the studio or call in from all ends of the earth on a regular basis. Mike had friends, oh boy, did he ever have friends! I'll never forget his home "Squirrel Manor" where the little rascals kept eating away at his roofline and he'd let it loose on air about 'em. Or the Halloween ghost stories featuring Kansas City's eeriest haunts. His best shows were the unplanned ones. Loved those. Something went wrong in the studio or at home, maybe even at city hall with Mayor Cleaver, Clay Chastain and Union Station, or wry local comedian trying out his jokes on 'ol Mikey unannounced. Mike was the master of "wing'in it". Throw the script out the window. If Mike wanted to know what watering hole you're going to after the show, he'd ask you. Didn't matter if you were a big star or a local bumpkin. I doubt they'll ever be another vaudeville show on radio like "The Mike Murphy Show". They just don't make 'em like they use to. When Mike retired in 2004, you could tell he had run out of gas. Long-time fans of the show could tell. You had to have some history with him to know the time had come. If you're in your late 40's or so, you kinda notice all your long-time favorites passing away. Gets more frequent every year it seems. People you don't hear or see any more expire suddenly. And you just thought they'd live forever. You're left with memories of better times. Times when a good laugh from a radio guy just made everything else in the day seem tolerable. R.I.P. 'ol Mikey Boy...rest in peace. |
| - Aaron Anderson |
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(3/10/2011 8:29:04 PM) Mike use to say, "It's going to be a whiskey day." Meaning that he would end that day with a drink. I spend thousands of hours listening to him. God Bless. |
| - Terry Payne |
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