Peter Murphy

Peter John Joseph Murphy (born 11 July 1957) is an English singer and songwriter. He is the vocalist for the post-punk band Bauhaus, which he co-founded with Daniel Ash in 1978. After Bauhaus disbanded, Murphy formed Dalis Car with Japan's bassist Mick Karn and released one album, The Waking Hour (1984). He went on to release a number of solo albums, including Should the World Fail to Fall Apart (1986) and Love Hysteria (1988).

In 1990, Murphy achieved commercial success with his album Deep which reached No. 44 on the Billboard 200. It was accompanied by the single "Cuts You Up", which reached No. 55 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 1992, Murphy released Holy Smoke, which reached No. 108 on the Billboard 200 chart, featuring lead single "The Sweetest Drop". After the release of Holy Smoke, he moved from London to Turkey with his family and from there he released Cascade in 1995. Bauhaus then reunited briefly for the well-received Gotham tour in 1998.

In 2002, Murphy released Dust with Turkish-Canadian composer and producer Mercan Dede, which largely abandoned rock music for traditional Turkish instrumentation and eclectic genre influences. He followed this up two years later with Unshattered (2004), a return to alternative rock. The next several years would see a second reunion of Bauhaus from 2005-2007 during which they recorded their fifth and final album Go Away White, released in 2008 after they had broken up again. Murphy then returned to his solo efforts, releasing Ninth in 2011. In 2014, he released Lion, produced by Youth, which reached No. 173 on the Billboard 200. On 9 May 2025 Murphy released Silver Shade, again produced by Youth. Three singles from the album preceded its release, "Let the Flowers Grow" - a song with Boy George, "Swoon" - which had Trent Reznor contributing vocals, and "The Artroom Wonder."

Thin with prominent cheekbones, a baritone voice, and a penchant for gloomy poetics, he is often called the "Godfather of Goth".