Anne Murray
BORN: June 20, 1945, Springhill, Nova Scotia, Canada
Nova Scotia-born Anne Murray built her musical influences from the pop sounds
that her parents listened to (Rosemary Clooney, Perry Como) and the Top 40
sounds that AM New York radio stations piped into Canada (Buddy Holly, Elvis
Presley, Brenda Lee). Originally she intended to work as a physical-education
instructor, but she continued to pursue an interest in music. After she was
turned down for a spot on a national TV show called Singalong Jubilee, she
received a call from the show's producer two years later. He offered her
a chance to make records, and when she agreed, she found herself with a million-selling
crossover single in 1970, "Snowbird." Murray was frequently at odds with
the trappings of success -- she even performed barefoot in Las Vegas -- and
when she got married in 1975, she seemingly dropped out of the business.
With her family established, she started working in 1978 with a new producer,
Jim Ed Norman, who returned her to prominence with "Walk Right Back" and
the million-selling follow-up "You Needed Me." Throughout the late '70s and
early '80s, Murray successfully walked the line between country and pop with
a rich alto voice and a knack for romantic material.
As a child in Nova Scotia, music was always one of Anne Murray's hobbies.
While she was enrolled at the University of New Brunswick studying physical
eduation, she auditioned for a spot on the Halifax-based weekly CBC television
series, Singalong Jubilee, but she wasn't hired because they already had
an alto singer. Following the rejection, Murray graduated from college and
began teaching physical education at the high school level. Two years after
the initial Singalong Jubilee audition, the show's producer Bill Langstroth
called her with the information that a new television show, Let's Go, needed
an altoist. After some persuasion, Murray agreed to join the program, although
she did not give up her teaching job. For the next four years, she sang on
Let's Go, eventually striking up a professional releationship with the program's
musical director, Brian Ahern.
Anne Murray began her career as a recording artist in 1968. Early that year,
she was still teaching when she received a call from Ahern, asking her to
record for the independent label, Arc. Accepting the offer, Murray recorded
and released her debut album, What About Me, that year. The record was well-received
and popular for an independent album, thereby earning the attnetion of Capitol
Records, whose Canadian division signed her to a long-term contract in 1969.
The following year, her debut single for the label, "Songbird," became an
international hit, reaching the Top Ten on both the country and pop charts
in America, while reaching the British Top 40. Following the success of "Songbird,"
Murray moved to Los Angeles, where she began to regularly appear on Glen
Campbell's syndicated television show. However, she didn't like the Californian
lifestyle, and she quickly returned to Canada.
Over the course of 1971, it looked like "Snowbird" would be Anne Murray's
only big hit, since none of her followup singles gained much attention; only
"A Stranger in My Place" cracked the Top 40. A cover of Gordon Lightfoot's
"Cotton Jenny" in early 1972 returned her to the higher regions of the country
Top 40, peaking at number 11, while its follow-up "Danny's Song" became a
Top Ten hit on both the pop and country charts in early 1973. Following two
minor country hits, she returned to the Top Ten early in 1974 with "Love
Song." The single was followed by two Top Ten country hits -- the number
one "He Thinks I Still Care" and "Son of a Rotten Gambler." Following those
two success, Murray spent a number of years struggling to crack either the
pop or country Top 40; during this time, she concentrated on raising a family
(she married Bill Langstroth and had a son) more than her musical career.
Murray entered her period of greatest commercial success in 1978, as a cover
of "Walk Right Back" climbed to number four on the country charts, followed
shortly afterward by "You Need Me," her biggest hit since "Songbird; " the
single reached number four on the country charts and topped the pop charts,
going gold by the end of the year. For the next eight years, she had a virtually
uninterrupted string of Top Ten country hits, highlighted by nine number
one hits: "I Just Fall in Love Again" (1979), "Shadows in the Moonlight"
(1979), "Broken Hearted Me" (1979), "Could I Have This Dance" (1980), "Blessed
Are the Believers" (1981), "A Little Good News" (1983), "Just Another Woman
in Love" (1984), "Nobody Loves Me like You Do" (1984) and "Now and Forever
(You and Me)" (1986). Murray prospered during the era of Urban Cowboy, since
her music drew as much pop and easy listening as it did from country.
Murray's sales began to decline in the latter half of the '80s, primarily
due to the shifting tastes of the country audience, who were beginning to
seek out harder-edged, new traditionalist performers. Nevertheless, she maintained
a dedicated following during the late '80s and '90s through her occasional
recordings ("Feed This Fire" became a surprise Top Ten hit in the summer
of 1990) and her concerts. ~ Tom Roland, All Music Guide