Blue Sky – Night Thunder is the fourth album by American singer-songwriter Michael Murphey and is considered one of the seminal albums of his career. Released in 1975, it produced two major hit singles—the platinum-certified "Wildfire" and "Carolina in the Pines"—and established him as a major force in popular music. Members of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band provided backing on some of the tracks.
The album was Murphey's most successful and reached #18 on the Billboard album chart, eventually selling 800,000 US copies. It remains his most commercially successful album to date.
Track listing "Wildfire" (Murphey, Larry Cansler) – 4:47 "Carolina in the Pines" (Murphey) – 3:54 "Desert Rat" (Murphey) – 3:53 "Wild Bird" (Murphey) – 2:24 "Blue Sky Riding Song" (Murphey) – 3:32 "Medicine Man" (Murphey, Murphey) – 3:49 "Secret Mountain Hideout" (Murphey, Jac Murphey) – 3:56 "Without My Lady There" (Murphey) – 2:33 "Night Thunder" (Murphey) – 2:46 "Rings of Life" (Murphey, Gary P. Nunn) – 3:18
Personnel Music Michael Murphey – vocals, guitar, harmonica, piano John McEuen – banjo Jerry Mills – mandolin Sam Broussard – guitar Richard Dean – guitar, background vocals Jac Murphy – keyboards Tom Scott – saxophone Michael McKinney – bass, background vocals Harry Wilkinson – drums Tracy Nelson – background vocals Jeff Hanna – background vocals Jimmy Ibbotson – background vocals
Production Bob Johnston – producer Jeff Guercio – engineer
Charts
Weekly charts Chart (1975) Peakposition Australian Album (Kent Music Report) 97
Year-end charts Chart (1975) Position US Billboard 200 14
References
External links Michael Murphey's Official Website