Charles Shaar Murray
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Charles Shaar Murray (Reading, England, 1951) is a British journalist.
His first writing experience was in 1970 when he responded to the advertisement in Oz (issue 26) for under 18 year olds to edit an issue of Oz which would become known as the Schoolkids issue.
Murray then wrote for IT (International Times) before moving to the New Musical Express in 1972 where he would stay for the next 13 years. He subsequently worked for a number of publications including Q magazine, Mojo, MacUser and The Independent.
He wrote and presented a three part radio programme on Zappa for BBC Radio Three in 2003.
He wrote the interview Frank Zappa: 'Frenk! Frenk! Ees Aynsley playeeng?'
In addition to his magazine work, Murray has written a number of books:
- Shots From The Hip, ISBN 0-14-012341-5, selected writings from his first two decades as a journalist
- Blues on CD: The Essential Guide, (1993), ISBN 1-85626-084-4
- Crosstown Traffic: Jimi Hendrix and Post-War Pop, a musical biography of Jimi Hendrix, ISBN 0-571-20749-9. This won the Ralph J. Gleason Music Book Award.
- Boogie Man: Adventures of John Lee Hooker in the American 20th Century, a biography of John Lee Hooker, ISBN 0-14-016890-7. This was shortlisted for the Gleason award.
- Dancing in the Street: Rock and Roll History, written to accompany a BBC documentary of the same name, ISBN 0-563-36996-5
