PETE Murray owes his music career to his knees.
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The iconic Australian singer-songwriter has sold more than a million albums.
His first three albums – Feeler, See the Sun and Summer at Eureka – all went to No.1 on the charts.
With a new album in the works, Murray embarked on his Yours Acoustically Tour.
The show comes Paddy’s in Albury on November 29.
“This tour is all about the old stuff, we’re putting some of the old songs to bed,” he says.
An acoustic tour is just the right pace as Murray is still recovering from a left knee reconstruction.
“It was an old rugby injury from years ago but trying to play footy with my boys was pretty tough,” Murray says of the operation in his laid back style, dismissing the story he has re-told countless times over the past 20 years.
It was not just any old rugby injury.
Music would have never heard of Murray if not for his troublesome knees.
While at high school in the 1980s, and the years after leaving, Murray wasn’t musical. He didn’t play an instrument, he played sport.
Music at Brisbane’s famous Nudgee Collge “was for the geeky guys”.
He was a Queensland underage rugby representative and was in the mix to make the 1993 Australian rugby sevens team to play in Hong Kong, a stepping stone to a Super Rugby contract with the Queensland Reds.
The squad, which finished runner-up, included players such as David Campese, Michael Lynagh, Matt Burke and Willie Ofanhengaue.
“The (sevens) coach back then was Bob Dwyer and I played in the trial. My knee was giving me trouble,” Murray recalls.
“Jeff Miller was a selector and I spoke to him about my chances, he said I should play. I asked my physio and he said if there’s a chance to get selected then play, otherwise rest it. So I played.
“Afterwards nothing happened. I didn’t hear from anyone so I thought ‘Oh well, that was that’ and moved on.
“I was living with my sister (Nicole) at the time and a month or so afterwards I was speaking with my her about rugby and she said 'Oh, I think someone rang about rugby a few weeks ago. I think his name was Bob, or something like that.
"So that was it."
Dwyer never phoned back and opportunity didn’t knock twice.
During one recovery session in his early 20s, Murray picked up a guitar and taught himself to play.
The rest is history.