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Murry of Koes Plus passes away at 64
Murry: (Warta Kota)Murry, the drummer of Indonesian rock ânâ roll band Koes Plus, passed away aged 64 on Saturday morning at his residence in Jatisampurna, Bekasi, West Java
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Murry: (Warta Kota) (Warta Kota)
Murry: (Warta Kota)
Murry, the drummer of Indonesian rock 'n' roll band Koes Plus, passed away aged 64 on Saturday morning at his residence in Jatisampurna, Bekasi, West Java. He is survived by his wife, four children and five grandchildren.
Murry's death has left the band with only two living members: Yon and Yok Koeswoyo.
Antara news agency reported that Murry, whose real name is Kasmuri, died at around 5 a.m.
'At 4.30 a.m., he asked one of his children to turn off the air conditioner because he felt cold. He was later rubbed with minyak kayu putih [eucalyptus oil] and blanketed. He then laid down and coughed before passing away,' Yana, one of Murry's relatives, told the news agency.
His body was later buried at Pondok Rangon public cemetery in Cipayung, East Jakarta, on Saturday afternoon in a simple funeral.
Jakarta Governor Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo visited Murry's grave shortly after the burial. Jokowi said that Murry's dedication to Koes Plus would remain legendary.
Murry, who was born in Jember, East Java, on June 19, 1949, was the only member of Koes Plus who was not a member of the Koeswoyo family.
The band started as a sibling band called the Koes Brothers in 1958 and was made up of Koeswoyo's five sons, namely Koesdjono (Jon), Koestono (Tonny), Koesnomo (Nomo), Koesyono (Yon) and Koesroyo (Yok).
They later changed their name to Koes Bersaudara in 1962 before releasing their first album. Jon left the band when the album was being recorded.
In the spirit of their time, Koes Bersaudara played and pioneered Beatles-influenced rock 'n' roll to the dismay of the ruling government. Then president Sukarno had a stern anti-imperialist and anti-western stance and had distaste for modern art and pop music.
In 1965, Sukarno had Koes Bersaudara imprisoned for their playing covers of Beatles songs and western-style music with decadent lyrics.
In 1969, after drummer Nomo decided to quit the band, Koes Bersaudara found Nomo's replacement in Murry.
Because Murry was not part of the Koeswoyo family, the band changed its name to Koes Plus, meaning the Koes brothers plus Murry.
Murry was considered as an important addition to the band for introducing more of a rock rhythm into the previously ballad-laden Koes Bersaudara songs. Murry's drum and Tonny's keyboard sounds filled many of the intros of Koes Plus' songs.
The band is widely known as a group that radiates the spirit of nationalism through its lyrics. Although viewed as pioneers of pop and rock 'n' roll music in Indonesia and often referred to as the Indonesian Beatles, Koes Plus continued to grow even after the decline of the rock 'n' roll era.
Koes Plus is among only a handful of Indonesian bands that have millions of loyal fans all over the archipelago and even overseas.
