A Big time in Branson: The remarkable adventure of local artist George Murray
By Heather Lowery
George Murray, local artist and owner of Murray Art & Frame, at the Waterford Shoppes, never expected his talent of portraying celebrities through black-and-white pencil drawings to lead him to so many exciting endeavors.
His latest venture started when a couple from Branson, Missouri, spotted Murray’s celebrity portrait prints in a Myrtle Beach gift shop. After purchasing several drawings, the couple knew they had to talk to this artist in person—they had big plans for him.
The couple sought out Murray’s shop in Leland and told him of their idea. They knew some board members for the Branson Entertainment Hall of Fame—and they just happened to know that the board was looking for a portrait artist to draw their new inductees. They were impressed with Murray’s drawings and thought he would be perfect for the job. The couple got Murray’s permission to bring a Charlie Daniels portrait back to show the board.
A few weeks later, Murray received a phone call from the executive director of the Branson Entertainment Hall of Fame asking him to send more samples of his work. That was all it took for the Hall of Fame to make their decision. They immediately asked Murray to be their artist and draw seven to eight Hall of Fame inductees for the 2007 Inaugural Induction Ceremony on Sunday, November 4.
Murray accepted the offer and got right to work because the November deadline was fast approaching. As it turned out, the inductee list became larger, and Murray ended up drawing 18 portraits.
Murray started his mornings at 5 a.m. to work on his drawings—before he opened his shop for the day. Roy Clark, Andy Williams, Mel Tillis and Jim Stafford are just a sampling of the portraits he drew.
Once the drawings were complete, Murray scanned his creations and sent them to engravers in Nashville, Tennessee, who put the engravings under glass. The Hall of Fame used these for their display.
As if doing the project was not special enough, Murray received an invitation to attend the inductee ceremony as a VIP guest. With originals in hand to give to the entertainers personally, Murray boarded a flight and took off for Branson, Missouri.
Known as the "Live Entertainment Capital of the World," Branson is the home of 49 live performance theaters. Among them are Dick Clark’s American Bandstand Theater and Dolly Parton’s Dixie Stampede Dinner and Show. The area theaters host many legendary performers, such as ’50s and ’60s rock stars Bill Medley of The Righteous Brothers and Paul Revere and the Raiders, as well as many variety shows, like Gene Williams’ Country Show, to name just a few.
Murray felt honored to play a part in the new Hall of Fame’s induction ceremony. Having never been to Branson, he was impressed with the area.
"It is beautiful country," Murray says. "The entertainment section is like a mini Las Vegas."
Bob Leftridge (emcee of
The Baldknobbers Jamboree Show, vocalist and local celebrity in Branson) was the master of ceremonies for the afternoon, while Paul Revere of Paul Revere and the Raiders presented the awards. A reception and the unveiling of the Hall of Fame followed.Being a VIP at the event, Murray got a chance to mingle with the inductees.
"I got to meet some of the inductees like Roy Clark, Mel Tillis and Yakov Smirnoff," he says. "I found all of them to be very gracious people."
Murray’s brush with legendary celebrities and excitement did not stop there.
"Paul Revere approached me and invited me to a show that he and Bill Medley of The Righteous Brothers were playing later that evening at Dick Clark’s American Bandstand Theater," Murray says.
Murray kindly accepted his front-row seat at the show. It was a lively performance—Paul Revere style—which included the band’s unique stage props and Paul’s organ, shaped like a front end of classic car.
"After Paul finished up a performance, he actually introduced me to the audience as a special guest who did the artwork of the Branson inductees, and he asked me to stand up and take a bow," Murray says. "I wasn’t expecting that."
As Murray sat at the show listening to Bill Medley and The Righteous Brothers singing one of their popular songs, he received a note that personally invited him to meet Paul Revere, Bill Medley and the band members after the show at The Dick Clark Café.
"That was really something," Murray remembers. "Here I was having drinks with them and talking to them about my artwork and other things. I grew up with this music and
"It is beautiful country," Murray says. "The entertainment section is like a mini Las Vegas."
Bob Leftridge (emcee of
The Baldknobbers Jamboree Show, vocalist and local celebrity in Branson) was the master of ceremonies for the afternoon, while Paul Revere of Paul Revere and the Raiders presented the awards. A reception and the unveiling of the Hall of Fame followed.Being a VIP at the event, Murray got a chance to mingle with the inductees.
"I got to meet some of the inductees like Roy Clark, Mel Tillis and Yakov Smirnoff," he says. "I found all of them to be very gracious people."
Murray’s brush with legendary celebrities and excitement did not stop there.
"Paul Revere approached me and invited me to a show that he and Bill Medley of The Righteous Brothers were playing later that evening at Dick Clark’s American Bandstand Theater," Murray says.
Murray kindly accepted his front-row seat at the show. It was a lively performance—Paul Revere style—which included the band’s unique stage props and Paul’s organ, shaped like a front end of classic car.
"After Paul finished up a performance, he actually introduced me to the audience as a special guest who did the artwork of the Branson inductees, and he asked me to stand up and take a bow," Murray says. "I wasn’t expecting that."
As Murray sat at the show listening to Bill Medley and The Righteous Brothers singing one of their popular songs, he received a note that personally invited him to meet Paul Revere, Bill Medley and the band members after the show at The Dick Clark Café.
"That was really something," Murray remembers. "Here I was having drinks with them and talking to them about my artwork and other things. I grew up with this music and remember listening to it while in high school. This was the icing on the cake for me."
"By being able to have talked and listened to all of these celebrities I met on the trip, I realized what entertainment really means to these people," says Murray. "And being able to have shared this entire event with them at such a personal level meant more to me than being recognized for my drawings."
During the evening of dining with these stars, the performers also invited Murray to go on an upcoming "Rock and Roll Cruise" that would feature them, as well as other legendary rockers, such as Steve Boone from The Lovin’ Spoonful.
"It is a small world," Murray says. "Steve Boone is actually a resident of Waterford and a customer of mine and we serve on a local committee together in Leland."
Murray’s work for The Branson Entertainment Hall of Fame, however, is not over. He will continue to be their official artist and create as many as one to three inductee portraits per year. In addition, The Hall of Fame’s website features his recent inductee portraits.
Newcomers to Murray’s portraits immediately become admirers. For instance, Paul Revere, Bill Medley of The Righteous Brothers and Mel Tillis showed interest in him doing artwork for them, and Murray may have landed a project to do for The Lovin’ Spoonful.
About the entire Branson experience, Murray adds, "I felt very fortunate to be a part of such a wonderful event. It was very nostalgic for me."
This last undertaking was just the most recent pleasure for Murray. He enjoys donating his artwork to charity events, and in the past famous personalities, such as characters from
The Andy Griffith Show cast, Chelsea Cooley (Miss USA 2005) and Margaret Kerry (actor and live model for Disney’s animated character, Tinker Bell) have recognized his talent for drawing celebrity portraits. Each has their own unique story of how they discovered Murray’s artwork."Margaret Kerry’s agent spotted on e-bay a portrait I did of the characters from ‘Our Gang,’" Murray says. "Margaret was one of the original Little Rascals, so her agent wound up purchasing it and giving it to her for her 75th birthday."
From then on, Murray and Kerry became dear friends. She even asked him to be the official artist for her autobiography,
Tinker Bell Talks: Tales of a Pixie Dusted Life. Murray drew 30 portraits for her book, which is due out soon in conjunction with the new Tinker Bell movie, both due out this year. When the book debuts, Kerry and Murray will participate together in a book signing at his art store.As one can see, Murray’s talent has already produced many interesting stories. One thing is for sure, these exciting endeavors did not just happen by chance. More opportunities are sure to lie ahead for Murray because of his friendly disposition, artistic talent, dedication as a business owner, and generosity to his community. The public can only await hearing about Murray’s next remarkable adventure.
Opinions in the magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent management views.