Albert Murray
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Brief Biography
Albert Murray was born in Nokomis, Alabama, but was adopted and raised on the outskirts of Mobile, Alabama. He graduated from Tuskegee Institute with a bachelor’s degree in English in 1939 and then taught in the area for several years. After serving in the United States Army Air Corps for several years and briefly returning to Tuskegee to teach, Murray pursued graduate studies at New York University and earned a master’s degree in 1948. Murray spent time teaching in Tuskegee again before returning to active service in the U.S. Air Force. He left the U.S. Air Force in 1962 and settled in New York City to work on his writing. His notable works include essays, memoirs, novels, and poems, and he even collaborated with jazz musician Count Basie on Basie’s autobiography Good Morning Blues. Murray's literary contributions have been recognized through numerous awards and honors, including the DuBois Medal from the W. E. B. DuBois Institute for African and African American Research. He continued to live and write in New York City until his death in 2013.
Publications
The Omni-Americans: New Perspectives on Black Experience and American Culture. New York; Outerbridge and Dienstfrey, 1970.
South to a Very Old Place. New York; McGraw, 1972.
The Hero and the Blues. Columbia; University of Missouri Press, 1973.
Train Whistle Guitar. New York; McGraw Hill, 1974.
Stomping the Blues. New York; McGraw Hill, 1976.
Reflections on Logic, Politics, and Reality: A Challenge to the Sacred Consensus of Contemporary American Thinking. New York; Braimanna Publishers, 1989.
The Spyglass Tree. New Year; Pantheon, 1991.
The Seven League Boots. New York; Pantheon, 1996.
The Blue Devils of Nada: Contemporary American Approach to Aesthetic Statements. New York; Pantheon, 1996.
Conversations with Albert Murray. Kackson; University Press of Mississippi, 1997.
Trading Twelves: The Selected Letters of Ralph Ellison and Albert Murray. New York; Knopf, 2000.
Conjugations and Reiterations. New York; Pantheon Books, 2001.
From the Briarpatch File: On Context, Procedure, and American Identity. New York; Pantheon, 2001.
The Magic Keys. New York; Pantheon Books, 2005.
Joint Publications:
Good Morning Blues; The Autobiography of Count Basie. New York; Random House, 1985.
South to a Very Old Place. New York; McGraw, 1972.
The Hero and the Blues. Columbia; University of Missouri Press, 1973.
Train Whistle Guitar. New York; McGraw Hill, 1974.
Stomping the Blues. New York; McGraw Hill, 1976.
Reflections on Logic, Politics, and Reality: A Challenge to the Sacred Consensus of Contemporary American Thinking. New York; Braimanna Publishers, 1989.
The Spyglass Tree. New Year; Pantheon, 1991.
The Seven League Boots. New York; Pantheon, 1996.
The Blue Devils of Nada: Contemporary American Approach to Aesthetic Statements. New York; Pantheon, 1996.
Conversations with Albert Murray. Kackson; University Press of Mississippi, 1997.
Trading Twelves: The Selected Letters of Ralph Ellison and Albert Murray. New York; Knopf, 2000.
Conjugations and Reiterations. New York; Pantheon Books, 2001.
From the Briarpatch File: On Context, Procedure, and American Identity. New York; Pantheon, 2001.
The Magic Keys. New York; Pantheon Books, 2005.
Joint Publications:
Good Morning Blues; The Autobiography of Count Basie. New York; Random House, 1985.
Themes
Albert Murray wrote short stories, poems, essays, memoirs, and novels. A major theme in his works is the richness of the intersection between African American and American culture. He created a unique style of writing using elements of Black cultural traditions that influenced him while he was growing up in Alabama.
Publisher
Alabama Authors of the 19th and 20th Centuries, edited by Beverley Park Rilett, http://AlabamaAuthors.org
Collection
Citation
Murray, Albert, “Albert Murray,” Alabama Authors of the 19th & 20th Centuries, accessed September 19, 2024, https://alabamaauthors.org/items/show/638.