Murphy Karges

Murphy Karges (born Matthew Murphy Karges; June 20, 1967) is an American bassist, best known for his tenure with Sugar Ray.

Life and career

Born and raised in Orange County, California, Karges was a founding member of Sugar Ray. As part of the band, he has appeared in the films Scooby-Doo and Father's Day, as well as on the TV series Las Vegas. In 2012, it was made official that Karges was no longer a part of Sugar Ray.

Karges also performed for a period of time during the early 1990s with Californian Punk/Rock band T.S.O.L, a band who continuously struggled with internal turmoil which Karges was ultimately a victim of, leaving the band. He replaced the last remaining original member of the band, Mike Roche, on bass guitar upon Roche's leaving, the band subsequently endured an ownership battle with the original members who had reformed and were playing under the T.S.O.L name, often in the same cities and on the same nights as the Karges led T.S.O.L.

Karges is married to Julie Holland-Karges. They have three sons: Matthew Jr., Andrew and John. In 2002 Karges and his wife created the charity 'Music For A Cure' which raises money to support music therapy programs in hospitals. They also find instruments for kids in hospitals who can't afford them. To help aid the organization, Karges has organized exclusive Sugar Ray concerts (where ticket sales go to MFAC), as well as several eBay auctions of his signed bass guitars all of Fender make.