Merritt boasts being: The Country Music Capital of Canada. Merritt annually hosts the largest country music festival in Canada where over 150,000 visitors come to Merritt for the 4 day event. Some of Country Music biggest recording stars perform at the event.
To honor and pay tribute for their performance a plaque with their hand prints, signature, picture and some with a personal note are encased in a wooden frame display case and installed on the streets of downtown. The Walk of Stars walking tour highlights some of the historical, western and country music murals painted on the side of many of the downtown buildings. Many of these murals highlight some of Country Music biggest stars.
David Lee Murphy was born on January 7, 1959 in Herrin, Illinois. By 1983, he had moved to Nashville, Tennessee, seeking a successful career in country music. Two years later, he was spotted by record producer Tony Brown at a club in Nashville, although Brown did not sign Murphy to a record deal until nearly a decade later. In the meantime, however, Murphy did co-write album cuts for Reba McEntire and Doug Stone.
David Lee Murphy's polished blend of neo-traditional country and mainstream rock flourishes made the vocalist a star in the mid-'90s. Murphy moved to Nashville with hopes of become a star in 1983. For ten years he struggled in the Music City, honing his craft but never catching the attention of the music industry. By the early '90s, he had gained a reputation in Nashville and in 1992 signed with MCA Records. Murphy's first recording was a contribution to the soundtrack of the Luke Perry rodeo movie Eight Seconds.
Out With a BangOut With a Bang, his first album, was released in early 1995. "Party Crowd" became the most-played song on country radio in 1995, and the record's second single, "Dust on the Bottle," spent two weeks at number one. Out With a Bang would go platinum become the best-selling debut album by a male country single for the entire year of 1995. The Academy of Country Music nominated him for Top New Male Vocalist at the end of the year.
Source:
AllMusic