Regina Swarn Audio Series Presents
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Regina Swarn Audio Series Presents
Celebrating Chris Murphy Elliot And The Music That Moves Us
A single melody can carry a show. We celebrate composer Chris Murphy Elliot with a warm birthday tribute and the story behind Reaching for the Stars, the theme that turned a short-lived radio experiment into the musical backbone of our podcast. From the first bars, Chris’s writing paints open horizons—jazz-kissed harmony, patient rhythm, and a melody that makes room for voice without losing its own voice.
We share how listeners describe vivid scenes when the theme plays: riders crossing a sunlit plain, the hush of a late-night set, the promise of a new day. That’s the magic producers chase and rarely catch—the right song that feels inevitable. We trace our first collaboration more than a decade ago, why the track outlasted formats and seasons, and how carefully crafted music shapes tone, trust, and pacing in spoken-word storytelling. Along the way, we spotlight the Elliot family’s creative thread, from Murphy Elliot’s paintings to the wider circle of makers who turn skill into sustenance.
As we gear up for season nine and an upcoming iHeartRadio show, we open the door to future conversations with Chris about the craft behind the theme—tempo, arrangement, harmonic choices, and the subtle production moves that keep speech clear and music alive. If you care about audio design, jazz-inflected composition, and the way a theme can become a character, you’ll feel right at home here. Celebrate with us, explore Chris’s catalog on YouTube, and hear why gratitude sits at the center of our sound.
If this story resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review to help others find us. Your notes and questions guide what we make next, so tell us: what theme song lives in your head and why?
Music
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On December fourteenth Chris Murphy Elliot's birthday. Chris Murphy Elliot was born on December fourteenth. And I'm Regina Soren and I want to say happy birthday to Chris Murphy Elliot. This man has brought so much joy into music for years. For many, many years. And I guess I came into contact. Oh my god, I'm getting messages, I'm sorry. But I came into contact with Chris Murphy Elliott over 10 years ago. He created the most beautiful song, the most beautiful music, Reaching for the Stars, for my Zen radio show at um icono for a radio, which was it didn't last very long. The radio station didn't last very long. There was another not a lot of love there, I should say. But um 10 years later, I am using the music that he created for the radio show. And I just want to take a moment to say happy birthday to Chris because he is such an important individual, such an important person in music. You know, when I listen to any of his music on YouTube, I mean any of it, I am totally drawn to just all of the great jazz musicians and all of the great, the great artists. I really am. He's a genius. His entire family, I mean his his dad, Murphy Elliott, the guy who who uh does all the painting and the drawings and the pictures, he was on my podcast a couple of months ago, his dad, Murphy Elliott. And then he had he had a daughter, his Chris's sister, Sam. When I tell you this family is just, oh god, so incredibly talented. Even their mother, Wendy, they are all just a great family of talented individuals in their own right. And I thank the Lord that you all are here, what can I say? And I just want to wish Chris a happy birthday. It's a couple of days later, but I just want you to know that I thank I thank the Lord for you so much. I I really do, because when people listen to my podcast, the music, it just resonates so strongly with the people. They just, oh my god, it's like one guy told me, he said, you know, when I listen to the the music, your theme um for the podcast, he said, this department gets me. He said, I think of uh the Virginian, you know, those guys riding on the horses. And I hadn't even thought of that. And then I when I thought of it, it was like, yeah. And I made a post one day about it because I love the old westerns, um, especially the Virginian and Ponterosa uh cartwrights. But um, Chris, thank you so much. Thank you, and happy birthday to you, Chris. This is a short podcast. I wanted to say happy birthday to my dear friend Chris Murphy Elliot. Please go visit him on YouTube. Um, he has a YouTube channel, his music is over there. Um, I'm not quite sure if he's created anything new lately, but I'm gonna definitely find out. I want to talk to him so bad for my podcast. I have a lot of musicians scheduled for season nine. I will be having uh a radio show with iHeartRadio as well. So I got a lot of things in the can right now, so that that's I'm I'm about to do. So I just hope Chris is a part of it because he's been wonderful. He's been just amazing. What can I say? So, Chris, listen to me good. From me to you, happy birthday, Jen. Wishes you a happy birthday. I wish you many, many more. I am so thankful for you. I appreciate what you do, what you have done for music. Because when when people hear reaching for the stars, that is such a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful song. So thank you, Chris. Thank you, thank you. Happy birthday, Chris from me to you.