Oceana Native Still Amazed By God's Plan

He grew up in the small-town streets of Oceana, but now performs in the glitz of Dollywood. Still amazed by God's plan for his life, Dennis Murphy doesn't take one moment for granted. He openly admits to being blessed in his family and career.

Part of the well-known and hugely successful southern gospel quartet The Kingdom Heirs, Murphy has been the drummer for the past 13 years. He is now beginning to sing with the group, and his fellow musicians have affectionately voted him the "Most Likely To Sing Off-Key."

He was nominated as this year's Favorite Musician by Singing News magazine fans; the group is also the reigning Favorite Band. The group's most recent single, "Mighty Deep Well," is already at the top of the charts.

The Kingdom Heirs has been the resident quartet at Dollywood for nearly two decades. It plays to more than 2 million people during a nine-month schedule in the park. "I could say it wouldn't matter who I was with, as long as I was playing the drums. I could say that, but it wouldn't totally be true. I love being part of a group that has put in the time to establish themselves.

"I could say that it doesn't matter if anyone recognizes me, but again, that wouldn't be totally true. When you're part of something that is around for a long time, you earn the respect of those around you, whether it be my fellow musicians or the people that come to see our show."

"I think everyone looks for a certain amount of respect and I feel like The Kingdom Heirs are respected."

"I guess with everything that is good, there has to be a downside. If that is the case, someone tell me what it is. I can honestly say that there isn't one day I dread going to Dollywood to play the drums."

"Our 18 years at Dollywood show our dedication to telling people about Jesus. As far as success goes, everyone has a different definition of success."

"I do know this, if you love what you're doing and you're affecting people in a positive way, then according to my definition, you're a success."

Dollywood is closed January-March, so The Kingdom Heirs tours the country four days a week. The tour will bring the group to Charleston's Gearry Auditorium Feb. 20.

"If I wasn't playing the drums in (the high school) band for one thing or another, you could find me sitting behind a set of drums in church somewhere," he said of his early days.

"I began playing gospel music with a man that most people in Wyoming County are going to know. I owe so much to a fellow named Joe Stewart. That's right, the guy you all probably know as Mr. Stewart. The last time I checked he was a principal there somewhere in Wyoming County."

Stewart is the new Title I director for Wyoming County Schools, but worked as principal at both Glen Fork and Pineville elementary schools for several years. His family still performs as The Joe Stewart Family.

"Anyway, I traveled with Joe, his wife Sharon, Randy Brown, Bill and Rena Runyon and Larry Arbogast in a van every weekend from the time I was 12 until I graduated."

"We didn't do it because we got a paycheck at the end of the week. We did it because we loved the music and loved who we were singing about. Each person I mentioned is special to me and is part of some of the best days of my life."

"I started playing professionally in 1990. While living in Ridgeway, Va., I was on my way to the mall one day when I saw Dean Hopper of The Hopper Brothers and Connie out washing their tour bus. I remembered Dean from the singings that Bill Patton used to have at Kopperston. Dean played the drums for his family and I always admired him."

"I stopped to say 'hey' and tell Dean how much I enjoyed his playing. I told him I grew up playing but hadn't played in a few years."

"I gave him my name and phone number thinking that's all that would come of it. Two weeks later, The Greenes called me and offered me a chance to audition."

"After being with The Greenes for a year, I moved to Tennessee and settled into the best job in gospel music. Little did I know how that stop to say 'hey' would change my life," Murphy recalled.

"My life took an amazing change within three days, so there is no way I'm going to speculate on where I'll be in 10 years."

"I'm a guy working at a knitting mill in Virginia. I go to work on a Tuesday morning just like every other morning. I'm doing OK, nothing to really complain about - drifting through life, not really thinking about the future. The following Friday, I'm on a tour bus headed for Pittsburgh, Pa., with a gospel group that I'm going to play drums with. Now if that isn't God at work, you tell me what is."

"I lived in Wyoming County for 18 years. I started kindergarten when it was way down there in Elk Lick," he said. "We moved around a few times from Lynco to Kopperston, and then I became a city boy at the age of 12 by moving into Oceana."

Murphy is the son of Glen and Mary Murphy. His dad worked for Phillips Coal and his mother worked for several years as the manager of Dollar General Store in Oceana. They now live in Pigeon Forge, about 8 miles from their son. He still has other family members in the Oceana area.

"I pretty much grew up right there on the sidewalks and alleys of Oceana. My best memories are of us living in the neighborhood behind 7-Eleven and Belchers Cleaners. I had some good friends there and we always had a good time. We played football, basketball, kick the can, you name it, we played it."

"Oceana used to seem bigger than life to me. I loved every minute I spent growing up there and wouldn't change a thing about it," Murphy emphasized.

He recalls with laughter the Bigfoot story that swept the county in the early 1980s.

"It was 1980 or '81 and the police there in town had spotted Bigfoot, or so they thought. It turned out to be a whooping crane that had escaped from somewhere."

"Anyway, me and my buddies were out right at dark playing football. All of a sudden there it was, Bigfoot, I mean the whooping crane. It made several circles right over our heads and flew off back to the mountains."

"I remember that like it was yesterday. I still see that bird in my dreams."

"I think I remember one of our officers actually taking a shot at it, as it was drinking from the creek. Now that is a precious memory!"

"I hope there is no doubt how I feel about where I grew up. I'm proud when I'm introduced as being from Oceana, WV, and wouldn't have it any other way."

"There was one short time when I was introduced as being from Martinsville, Va. A good friend took care of that and set things straight. As for the people I grew up with and became friends with, I think about them all more than they know. There are times when I want to be back riding my bike down the sidewalks or lining up at the fire department preparing for a pre-football game parade. Those memories are as fresh as yesterday. So many people from Oceana touched my life in different ways."

"My parents headed to Martinsville, Va., after I graduated (from Oceana High) in 1985. That is where my mom grew up, and she wanted to be close to her family. It didn't take me long to realize that life was much better when you lived at home. So after one semester at Southern (West Virginia Community College) in Pineville, I headed south to continue my dependency on good ol' Mom and Dad. After all, they had been without me for seven months and I know they had to be missing me," he said jokingly.

"After moving to Martinsville, actually Ridgeway, I found out another reason why they moved there - jobs were everywhere. I spent several years trying to find something I was good at. I tried everything from working in a furniture factory to running a cotton machine. I'm not knocking these jobs in any way, but I just couldn't seem to settle into a life of doing this every day."

"Having said that, I wouldn't change a thing about it. It's made me appreciate where I'm at today and not take anything for granted. Little did I know, God was grooming me for His plan, not mine."

"I started out in college wanting to be an accountant. I also remember one time when I wanted to be a stock broker and even a chiropractor."

"I think it does us good to step back from what we're doing and put ourselves in another situation. Two things can happen from this, either you're going to realize what your dream really is, or you're going to realize that you're living your dream. I consider myself to be doing the latter."

"I tell people I can't ever remember not playing the drums. I started taping coffee cans together and using pencils as my sticks around the age of 4."

"I joined the OHS band when I got in the fifth grade. It's amazing when I look back on it, because there was never any question what I wanted to do. I started playing drums in the fifth grade and I still haven't stopped. I loved every minute of being in the band and met some special people along the way."

"Now I wasn't the biggest drummer you'd ever seen. Mom used to meet me at the bus stop and carry my snare drum to the house for me. I brought it home every day to practice. We lived above the Lynco Post Office during this time. I remember this because I used to have to wait until five o'clock for the post office to close before I could play the drums."

"Although I'm making a living as a musician, my talents don't extend too far from the drums. I have a decent ear when it comes to music, but as far as being able to play a variety of instruments, I'm not your man. I do know when someone else is playing it wrong though."

While playing with a successful gospel group is rewarding, it isn't always stress-free.

"It's a lot of work doing the amount of shows we do. We sing three times a day, five days a week. The good thing about it is, I get to play the drums and not have to travel to do it. So if I've had a long day at Dollywood, I know my family is waiting for me when I get home. Spending quality time with them is my relaxation."

His wife, Angie, has been the biggest influence in his life, he notes.

"She's a genuinely good person. She makes me want to be a better man. I'm not saying I am, I'm just saying she makes me want to be," he joked. "Seriously, when they talk about your spouse being your best friend, I'm here to tell you, it's possible."

"Dennis has a huge heart and has always made me laugh," Angie said. "He loves life more than anyone I know and he wants other people to love and experience life the way he has. He is truly a great person, husband and dad."

"The quicker you get 'self' out of the way, the more good you're going to be to the people around you. After all, isn't it the people around us that's most important?"

Visit the Web site at www.kingdomheirs.com