Mick Murray
Mick Murray (1907-1981), Mike and Jim's dad, continued to take fiddle lessons (from the grain elevator operator in Homestead, Montana) for several years after dropping out of the third grade. He rode a horse ten miles, each way, for each lesson.
He played fiddle for dances well into the 1940s, accompanied by piano or guitar, sometimes both. He learned a variety of Irish tunes from his father, Jack Murray (who couldn't play fiddle, but whistled the tunes). He also scoured old sheet music for good tunes.
Here's one of his few surviving tune fragments, recorded in the mid-1950s:
Here's the house Mick (Michael Lester) Murray was born in, July 1, 1907 in Culbertson, Montana. Its an old photo and the house hasn't existed for many years.
