There are two musicians named James Murphy. 1) James Franklin Murphy (July 30, 1967, Portsmouth, Virginia) is an American guitarist. He is best known for his work in metal bands, Obituary, Death[1] and Testament.[2] He founded Disincarnate,[3] an early death metal band. He was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2001 but recovered. In October 2011, Murphy stated that the tumor had returned but that it was non-cancerous and that it was being treated pharmacologically.