Melding poetic lyricism with hard-edged rock & roll arrangements, Elliott Murphy came up through New York's art rock scene of the early '70s. His 1975 debut, Aquashow, is considered a cult classic. He recorded a spate of influential and highly respected albums throughout the late '70s and '80s, which for reasons unknown failed to find a significant American audience, leading him to take his trade to Europe. By the 2010s, his reputation had taken on a certain amount of luster, though he continued to record frequently, working with his son Gaspar Murphy as producer on later highlights like 2017's Prodigal Son and 2022's Wonder. Murphy is also a prolific novelist and occasional actor who starred in the 2020 film Broken Poet as well as writing its soundtrack.