Tom Murry, the former chief executive officer of Calvin Klein who is now CEO at Venezuelan designer brand Raul Peñaranda, is pursuing his passion as a country blues singer.
The executive has been going to Nashville and has written and recorded 12 songs for an album.
“Literally, I started playing guitar when I was 12 years old,” said Murry, who grew up in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. His grandmother bought him a radiant red Les Paul guitar and by age 15, he was already teaching guitar lessons at the local music store. Soon after, he formed the band The Aceman, playing the music of James Brown and similar artists channeling the spirit of his distant cousin, Jessie James.
“I’m having fun with it,” said Murry, who has a rich, baritone voice. Among the songs he’s recorded are the title track, “Lay Me Low,” and “Lynda,” which is devoted to his wife, whom he will have been married to for 49 years in April, as well as “If You Take a Man’s Life,” and “Amazing Grace.” They are available on all streaming platforms. His website is tommurrymusic.com.
“There’s no limit to how big this can be. We’re putting out an album and all the songs have been recorded,” said the 71-year-old executive. “That’s just my chronological age. People slow down after retirement, I’m speeding up.”
If that’s not enough, Murry wrote a book several years ago called “A Great Fit,” and Steven Spielberg’s office recently reached out to him to do a miniseries or movie based on it. The book is about life, charisma, leadership and pursuing the career that suits you.
During Murry’s 17 years at Calvin Klein, he oversaw tremendous growth for the brand, which expanded from $2.8 billion in global retail sales in 2003 to nearly $8 billion in 2013. He retired in the first quarter of 2015.
“I don’t need the money, if it wasn’t fun I wouldn’t do it,” said Murry.
Source: WWD