 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."
Anne 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,
Anne 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 education, 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,
Anne 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,
Anne 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 relationship 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,
Anne 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 attention 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,"
Anne 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 follow-up 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,
Anne 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.
Anne 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).
Anne Murray prospered during the era of Urban Cowboy, since her music drew as
much from pop and easy listening as it did from country.
Anne Murray's sales began to decline in the latter half of the '80s, primarily
due to the shifting tastes of the country audience, who was 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
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