Murphy Hicks Henry

Murphy Hicks Henry is a banjo player, fiddler, teacher, and writer. She is the eldest of the five Hicks sisters of Clarkesville, Georgia, who sang as the Hicks Sisters. That same year she and her husband, mandolinist Red Henry, formed the duo Red and Murphy and moved to Florida, near Gainesville. The duo grew into Red and Murphy & Co., with her sisters Argen, Laurie, and Nancy Hicks, and released albums on the couple's own Arrandem label. It later became Red and Murphy and Their Excellent Children, with their children Casey and Chris Henry. In 1981 the Henrys built a home studio and began selling her beginner banjo lessons on cassette, the start of the Murphy Method. The series later grew to cover every bluegrass instrument. The family moved to Winchester, Virginia, which became the series' home. She founded and edited the Women in Bluegrass newsletter, where her columns, profiles, and editorials covered the gender imbalance in bluegrass, wrote about women such as Sally Ann Forrester and Betty Fisher, and examined song traditions from a feminist point of view. She also wrote for Bluegrass Unlimited, including its General Store column, and for Banjo Newsletter. She served on IBMA's board of directors, and gave a keynote address at the IBMA business conference. Her book Pretty Good for a Girl: Women in Bluegrass was published by the University of Illinois Press in 2013 in its Music in American Life series, and IBMA gave her a Distinguished Achievement Award in 2015.

In the newsletter

No. 1 September 1994
No. 2 January-March 1995
No. 7 Spring 1996
No. 8 Summer 1996
No. 9 Fall 1996
No. 11 Spring 1997
No. 12 Summer 1997
No. 13 Fall 1997
No. 14 Winter 1998
No. 15 Spring 1998
No. 16 Fall 1998
No. 17 Fall 1998
No. 18 Winter 1999
No. 19 Spring 1999
No. 20 Summer 1999
No. 22 Winter 2000
No. 23 Spring/Summer 2000
No. 24 Fall 2000
No. 26 Spring 2001
No. 27 September 2001
No. 30 August 2002
No. 32 April 2003
No. 33 September 2003

Wrote

Greetings! (No. 1)
Greetings!: Database (No. 1)
Greetings!: Important New Book (No. 1)
Spotlight on...Louisa Branscomb (No. 1)
Where you can find what we've been talking about (No. 1)
Change of Life (No. 1)
Back page (No. 1)
Greetings! (No. 2)
Greetings!: The Database (No. 2)
The Questionnaire (No. 2)
HORROR STORIES (No. 2)
Change of Life (No. 2)
Greetings! (No. 3)
Greetings!: Database Crosses 900 Mark (No. 3)
Greetings!: Letter (No. 3)
Greetings!: Subscriptions (No. 3)
Spotlight on... Lynn Morris (No. 3)
Book Review, Come And Go, Molly Snow (No. 3)
Change of Life (No. 3)
Greetings! (No. 4)
Greetings!: Molly Snow Revisited (No. 4)
Greetings!: Votes For Women! (No. 4)
Greetings!: Stories on Child Care Wanted (No. 4)
"Take Your Pillow from Home and Don't Ever Let Them Have Your Guitar.": An interview with Mary Jo Leet and Suzanne Thomas of the Dry Branch Fire Squad (No. 4)
Change of Life (No. 4)
Greetings! (No. 5)
Greetings!: Claire Lynch Interview Inside (No. 5)
Greetings!: Who is This "Little Lady?" (No. 5)
Greetings!: Early Woman Dobro Player Located (No. 5)
Spotlight on... Claire Lynch (No. 5)
Greetings! (No. 6)
Greetings!: Back Issues (No. 6)
Greetings!: Expiration Dates (No. 6)
Greetings!: Interview With Gloria Belle (No. 6)
Spotlight on... Gloria Belle (No. 6)
Personal Horror File: Babysitting Stories (No. 6)
Database Update (No. 6)
Greetings! (No. 7)
Greetings!: New Coon Creek Girls Inside (No. 7)
Spotlight on...The New Coon Creek Girls (No. 7)
To That Mansion in the Sky (No. 7)
Back page: Remember the Ladies! (No. 7)
Back page: All-Female Jam at IBMA (No. 7)
Greetings! (No. 8)
Greetings!: Tribute for Hazel in D.C. (No. 8)
Greetings!: Dead Mother Songs (No. 8)
I'm Not About to Die: The Voices of Women in Bluegrass (No. 8)
Greetings! (No. 9)
Greetings!: Editorial: A Bone to Pick (No. 9)
Spotlight on…Patsy Stoneman: The Young’un With the Strongest Backbone (No. 9)
Spotlight on…Patsy Stoneman: The Young’un With the Strongest Backbone: "One Of Our People's Been Hurt" (No. 9)
Spotlight on…Patsy Stoneman: The Young’un With the Strongest Backbone: Hard Times in Mississippi (No. 9)
Spotlight on…Patsy Stoneman: The Young’un With the Strongest Backbone: Back to Music (No. 9)
Spotlight on…Patsy Stoneman: The Young’un With the Strongest Backbone: Patsy Meets Bill Monroe (No. 9)
Spotlight on…Patsy Stoneman: The Young’un With the Strongest Backbone: Patsy's Mom (No. 9)
Spotlight on…Patsy Stoneman: The Young’un With the Strongest Backbone: "The Family's Got to Find Out About the Family" (No. 9)
Spotlight on…Patsy Stoneman: The Young’un With the Strongest Backbone: Patsy Records for Edison (No. 9)
Spotlight on…Patsy Stoneman: The Young’un With the Strongest Backbone: Learning to Play: The Stoneman Method (No. 9)
Spotlight on…Patsy Stoneman: The Young’un With the Strongest Backbone: I Was Never Boss But... (No. 9)
Spotlight on…Patsy Stoneman: The Young’un With the Strongest Backbone: I Liked to Have My Own Spot (No. 9)
Spotlight on…Patsy Stoneman: The Young’un With the Strongest Backbone: The Old Songs (No. 9)
Spotlight on…Patsy Stoneman: The Young’un With the Strongest Backbone: Folk Singers (No. 9)
To That Mansion in the Sky (No. 9)
Subscribe Today! (No. 9)
Ee Gads! My Subscription Expired! (No. 9)
Greetings! (No. 10)
Greetings!: More Nominations for Women (No. 10)
Greetings!: Those Girl's Keys (No. 10)
Girl's Keys: My Two Cents Worth (No. 10)
New Book! (No. 10)
Greetings! (No. 11)
"It Just Came Natural To Me" (No. 11)
Hazel and Alice Tour (No. 11)
Greetings! (No. 12)
Greetings!: IBMA: WIB To Pick at FanFest (No. 12)
Greetings!: Rose Maddox Biography (No. 12)
Spotlight on…The Schankman Twins: “Totally talking at the same time.” (No. 12)
Book Review: Bluegrass and Time Travel (No. 12)
Greetings! (No. 13)
Greetings!: MORE WOMEN ON THE AWARDS SHOW (No. 13)
Greetings!: BUT FEW WOMEN NOMINATED (No. 13)
Greetings!: ESTROGEN-GENERATED BLUEGRASS (No. 13)
Women in Bluegrass at IBMA: The Trade Show (No. 13)
Women in Bluegrass at IBMA: The Fan Fest (No. 13)
Susi Gott in Back! (No. 13)
All-Female Bands: A Thing of the Past? (No. 13)
POLITICALLY CORRECT LYRICS? (No. 13)
Greetings! (No. 14)
Greetings!: Remembering Anita Mathis (No. 14)
Greetings!: Inside You'll Find... (No. 14)
Spotlight on...Hazel McGee: “The women never had the time... the men had all the time in the world.” (No. 14)
Last Page (No. 14)
Greetings! (No. 15)
Greetings!: She Was a Friend of Mine (No. 15)
INGRID (No. 15)
Roni Stoneman Rules! (No. 15)
SHORT STUFF (No. 15)
Greetings! (No. 16)
Greetings!: IBMA Awards–Almost No Women Nominated (No. 16)
Greetings!: Inside (No. 16)
Greetings!: Keynote Address (No. 16)
WOMEN TO PERFORM AT IBMA (No. 16)
Greetings! (No. 17)
Greetings!: Tina Wright (No. 17)
Missy Raines Wins IBMA Bass Player of the Year (No. 17)
IBMA Keynote Address (No. 17)
Greetings! (No. 18)
Greetings!: Sally Ann Forrester (No. 18)
Betty Fisher: The Leader of the Band (No. 18)
Betty Fisher: The Leader of the Band: BETTY AND BUCK: THE EARLY YEARS (No. 18)
Betty Fisher: The Leader of the Band: "I DID NOT MISS THE MUSIC AT ALL" (No. 18)
Betty Fisher: The Leader of the Band: "I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT BLUEGRASS WAS." (No. 18)
WIB–LITE (No. 18)
Greetings! (No. 19)
BETTY FISHER: FROM BANDLEADER TO SIDE MUSICIAN (No. 19)
Women on Top (No. 19)
Greetings! (No. 20)
Greetings!: IBMA Awards Nominees (No. 20)
Greetings!: Ask and It Shall be Given: Women on the Charts (No. 20)
Greetings!: Inside (No. 20)
Obituary: Terry Boswell (No. 20)
"To Pick or Not to Pick" (No. 20)
What's the Problem! (No. 20)
Greetings! (No. 21)
Greetings!: IBMA Awards (No. 21)
Greetings!: Rounder Women Showcase (No. 21)
Greetings!: WIB Workshop at IBMA (No. 21)
Greetings!: Unfortunately... (No. 21)
Greetings!: You Can Have a Voice (No. 21)
Women in Bluegrass Workshop at IBMA (No. 21)
She's With the Angel Band: Sally Ann Forrester (No. 21)
country.com (No. 21)
Greetings! (No. 22)
Greetings!: Bay Area Wibbers (No. 22)
Women on Stage at IBMA (No. 22)
A Most Womanly Job (No. 22)
Greetings! (No. 23)
Greetings!: Surrounded by Estrogen (No. 23)
Sharon K. Watts: "If You Can't Run With The Big Boys, You'd Better Get Off The Porch" (No. 23)
Ramona Jones: Make Music While You Can (No. 23)
Alison Brown: Girl's Breakdown (No. 23)
Greetings! (No. 24)
Greetings!: IBMA Board (No. 24)
Greetings!: IBMA Awards Nominees (No. 24)
Darlene Hodges: My Eye Was Always on the Fiddle (No. 24)
Michelle Porter–Mandolin Picking Girl (No. 24)
Email Exchange (No. 24)
Greetings! (No. 25)
Greetings!: IBMA (No. 25)
Greetings!: Inside (No. 25)
Women's Stories, Women's Songs (No. 25)
Sally Ann Forrester: Forgotten Foremother (No. 25)
Sally Ann Forrester: Forgotten Foremother: INTRODUCTION (No. 25)
Sally Ann Forrester: Forgotten Foremother: CHILDHOOD (No. 25)
Great New CD! (No. 25)
Greetings! (No. 26)
Sally Jones and the Sidewinders:: Just One of Those Trips (No. 26)
Sally Ann Forrester: Forgotten Foremother (No. 26)
Sally Ann Forrester: Forgotten Foremother: High School (No. 26)
Sally Ann Forrester: Forgotten Foremother: Enter Howard Forrester (No. 26)
Sally Ann Forrester: Forgotten Foremother: Saddle Mountain Roundup (No. 26)
Sally Ann Forrester: Forgotten Foremother: Little Orphan Girl (No. 26)
Sally Ann Forrester: Forgotten Foremother: Letters From Howard (No. 26)
Sally Ann Forrester Scholarship (No. 26)
Greetings! (No. 27)
Greetings!: Amanda Kowalski Receives Sally Ann Forrester Scholarship (No. 27)
Greetings!: IBMA: Those Amazing Kids to Feature Young Women (No. 27)
Greetings!: First Women Inducted in IBMA Hall of Honor: The Carter Family (No. 27)
IBMA Award Nominations: The Women (No. 27)
IBMA Award Nominations: The Women: SECOND BALLOT (No. 27)
IBMA Award Nominations: The Women: FINAL BALLOT (No. 27)
FRAN LARKIN: TO THAT MANSION IN THE SKY (No. 27)
Gotta Get These CDs! (No. 27)
Greetings! (No. 28)
Greetings!: IBMA Awards (No. 28)
Greetings!: Grand Finale (No. 28)
Laurie Lewis Presents Alice Gerrard with Distinguished Achievement Award (No. 28)
IBMA Honors the First Generation: Men and Women (No. 28)
Those Amazing Young Girls (No. 28)
Two Teens View the Roanoke Bluegrass Weekend (No. 28)
The Continuing Story of Sally Ann Forrester: The Original Bluegrass Girl (No. 28)
The Continuing Story of Sally Ann Forrester: JUST MARRIED (No. 28)
The Continuing Story of Sally Ann Forrester: BACK TO NASHVILLE: THE TENT SHOW (No. 28)
The Continuing Story of Sally Ann Forrester: THE KENTUCKY SWEETHEARTS (No. 28)
The Continuing Story of Sally Ann Forrester: BILL MONROE (No. 28)
WIB NOTES (No. 28)
Greeting! (No. 29)
Greeting!: Wintergrass 2003 to Focus on Women in Bluegrass (No. 29)
Greeting!: Sally Ann Forrester Scholarship (No. 29)
RONI STONEMAN: COMEDY AND TRAGEDY GO HAND IN HAND (No. 29)
O SISTER!: THE WOMEN'S BLUEGRASS COLLECTION (No. 29)
Greetings! (No. 30)
Greetings!: What it Was Like 30 Years Ago (No. 30)
Greetings!: Rubye Davis Discography (No. 30)
RUBYE DAVIS: I DO HAVE A NAME AND I WAS PART OF THAT BAND, TOO (No. 30)
Looking for First Generation Wibbers (No. 30)
Kudos to Kaufman Kamp (No. 30)
To That Mansion in the Sky (No. 30)
Greetings! (No. 31)
Greetings!: I'm Writing a Book (No. 31)
Greetings!: IBMA Awards (No. 31)
Sally Ann Forrester: The Story Continues (No. 31)
Sally Ann Forrester: The Story Continues: Billie Gets a New Name (No. 31)
Sally Ann Forrester: The Story Continues: Why a Woman? (No. 31)
Sally Ann Forrester: The Story Continues: Kept On As a Favor? No Way! (No. 31)
Sally Ann Forrester: The Story Continues: But What Was She Playing? (No. 31)
To That Mansion in the Sky: Rubye Davis 1937-2002 (No. 31)
Japanese Translation of Bluegrass: A History (No. 31)
Greetings! (No. 32)
Greetings!: Finding Her Voice (No. 32)
Greetings!: Bluegrass Divas (No. 32)
Memphis Beck: There Was No One to Tell Me I Couldn’t (No. 32)
IT'S THE SAME THE WIDE WORLD OVER... (No. 32)
Wintergrass Salutes Women (No. 32)
Wintergrass Salutes Women: WOMEN-LED BANDS (No. 32)
Wintergrass Salutes Women: ALL-FEMALE BANDS (No. 32)
Wintergrass Salutes Women: MIXED-GENDER BANDS (No. 32)
Inspiring Quote (No. 32)
Memphis Beck: There Was No One To Tell Me I Couldn’t (Part 2) (No. 33)
Taking A Hiatus? (No. 33)

On the podcast

Murphy

Murphy Hicks Henry

In the newsletter

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