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James "Jeeves" Murphy

Growing up in Ellicott City, Jeeves could never say that he was someone who had trouble fitting in, but where his passion truly thrived was in the choir room. From Peabody Chamber groups to high school madrigals, from Barbershop and Classical Opera to Jazz and Big Band ensembles, Jeeves has sung most every style of music in venues from the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris to Carnegie Hall in New York. But even now, Jeeves finds himself drawn back to his favorite style - Contemporary A Cappella. While studying English Literature at UMBC, Jeeves helped start two a cappella groups, singing high tenor for The Mama's Boys, and perc for The Cleftomaniacs. While in his third year at UMBC, Jeeves was named Maryland State Ambassador for the Contemporary A cappella Society of America (CASA). He graduated in 2008, moved to Odenton, MD, and is currently working as an ITS Engineer for a software company in Columbia (yes, with an English Degree). Jeeves continues to surround himself with his music, whether it is listening to Pandora.com at work, playing his iPod in the car, or learning new instruments like keyboard, bass, or guitar. Jeeves is very much looking forward to exploring his musical passion with T&G, and hopes the audience will be ready for it.

Fun Facts About Jeeves

Guilty pleasure: Fleece Pants. Dunno why, they are just awesome. Oh, and a nice glass of wine, preferably red.

Favorite Sound: The sound of a marching snare. That or a fife.

Favorite travel destination: I'd have to say Ireland. No specific place in Ireland. It's all amazing.

Musical Influences: I can't talk about my influences without mentioning Rockapella. They are who got me into a cappella music in the first place. When I started out, I was singing and playing violin and listening to a lot of Classical music (Mozart, Beethoven, Chanticleer, Liszt, Haydn, etc). Thats how I learned. Other than that, I gotta say Stevie Wonder, Andrea Bocelli, Crosby Stills Nash and Young, Rascal Flatts. Basically anyone with a high tenor voice who pushes my upper limits and has a passion for their craft. My two favorite composers are John Rutter and Eric Whitacre. And of course, I have to mention my elementary school director, Mrs. Lynn Hunter, who gave me my first solo - La Marseillaise - my high school director, Ms. Elizabeth Graff, who shaped my passion for music, and my college director, Mr. Dave Smith, who honed my voice.