Anne Murray

Singer, musician

• Born: June 20, 1945
• Place of Birth: Springhill, Nova Scotia, Canada

Significance: Anne Murray is a Canadian singer and musician who sold more than fifty million albums around the world. She has recorded music in the pop, country, adult contemporary, and gospel genres.

Background

Singer, musician. Anne Murray was born June 20, 1945, in a small town called Springhill in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Her father was a doctor, and her mother was a nurse and a homemaker. Anne has three older brothers, and two that are younger.

Anne took an interest in music at a young age and developed a fondness for singing in her early years. A quote by Murray from her official website reads, "As far back as I can remember, I sang." She studied piano for six years as a child and began taking voice lessons as a teenager.

Her early influences included traditional pop music by Bing Crosby, Pat Boone, Perry Como, Rosemary Clooney, and other artists her parents enjoyed. Growing up, she also listened to rock ’n’ roll music by Buddy Holly and Elvis Presley, among others. Murray was inspired by additional musical genres, including country, folk, and gospel.

In 1962, Murray performed "Ave Maria" at her high school graduation. Although she later studied physical education at the University of New Brunswick, music remained an important part of her life. In 1966, she was hired as a singer on Singalong Jubilee, a television variety series aired by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. She had auditioned for a role on the same show two years earlier but was rejected. This time, she got the part.

After a summer of performances, Murray left television to begin work as a teacher of physical education at a high school on Prince Edward Island. This detour from a music career lasted one year. She was offered a part on a TV show for teens entitled Let’s Go, and she also returned to Singalong Jubilee. Murray then decided to pursue a full-time career as a singer.

Life’s Work

In the late 1960s, Anne Murray began her career as a recording artist. After appearing on the cast album for Singalong Jubilee, she recorded her first solo album. Entitled What About Me, it was produced on Arc Records and was released in 1968. The album showcased her rich alto voice and skill at performing ballads. The following year, Murray signed with Capitol Records and released This Way Is My Way, her second album. It featured Murray’s first hit song, "Snowbird," which reached number 1 in Canada and number 8 on the U.S. charts. "Snowbird" also was the first gold record ever awarded to a Canadian artist in the United States.

After this success, Murray had a number of hit singles on both the pop and country charts. They included "Danny’s Song," "A Love Song," and "Now and Forever (You and Me)." Her biggest hit, "You Needed Me," was released in 1978 and appeared on the album Let’s Keep It That Way. The song reached number 1 on the U.S. Hot 100 chart and won Murray a Grammy Award for best female pop vocal performance. She was the first Canadian artist to win in this category. In 1980, Murray had a song entitled "Could I Have This Dance" on the hit soundtrack for the film Urban Cowboy.

During this time, Murray became a regular performer on the TV variety series The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour. She also had numerous appearances on other popular TV programs during the 1970s and 1980s. They included American Bandstand, Dinah!, The Mike Douglas Show, The Smothers Brothers Show, Solid Gold, Saturday Night Live, and The Muppet Show. In 2013, she appeared as an animated character on the "Chris Cross" episode of Family Guy. Murray also starred in her own specials that aired on Canadian television.

Anne Murray’s career continued into the 1990s and twenty-first century. She released an album of inspirational songs entitled What a Wonderful World in 1999. It included a song, "Let There Be Love," that Murray recorded with her daughter Dawn. In 2001, she rereleased her children’s album There’s a Hippo in My Tub, this time with three new songs. In 2007, she released Duets: Friends & Legends, an album of collaborations with other artists. It included a rerecording of her biggest hit, "You Needed Me," with Shania Twain. Murray also continued to tour and perform on television.

During her career, Murray has received numerous awards. She has won four Grammys, three American Music Awards, twenty-four Juno Awards, three Country Music Association Awards, and three Canadian Country Music Association Awards. In 1993, Murray was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. She also received the highest honor that can be awarded to a Canadian citizen when she was named Companion of the Order of Canada. In addition, Murray has a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame in Toronto and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles. In 2007, she received another major honor when Canada Post issued a limited-edition Anne Murray stamp.

Murray has achieved other accomplishments outside the world of music. In 2009, she published her autobiography, All of Me. She also helped found the Anne Murray Centre in her hometown of Springhill. This nonprofit association promotes tourism and awareness of the culture of Nova Scotia. The center also includes exhibits about Murray’s life and career. In 2021, Anne Murray: Full Circle, a documentary outlining Murray's life and career, was released on CBC.

Impact

During her career, Anne Murray has recorded more than thirty albums, and she has become known as Canada’s Songbird. She has inspired other Canadian artists who followed in her footsteps, including k.d. lang, Shania Twain, Celine Dion, Alanis Morissette, and Sarah MacLachlan. Billboard ranked Murray tenth on its 50 Biggest Adult Contemporary Artists Ever list in 2011.

Personal Life

In 1975, Anne Murray married music producer Bill Langstroth, whom she met on Singalong Jubilee. They had two children, a son named William and a daughter named Dawn. Dawn Langstroth became a singer like her mother. Murray and her husband later divorced, and Bill Langstroth died in 2013. Murray completed her final tour in 2008 and retired. In 2019, she settled in Halifax, Nova Scotia. In her spare time, Murray enjoys recreational golfing.

Bibliography

"Anne Murray—Biography." Anne Murray, www.annemurray.com/biography. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.

Campbell, Anna. Anne Murray: 213 Success Facts, Everything You Need to Know. Emero Publishing, 2014.

Martin, Sandra. "Obituary: Bill Langstroth, a Driving Force in Canadian Country Music." The Globe and Mail, 6 June 2013, www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/bill-langstroth-a-driving-force-in-canadian-country-music/article12405967. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.

Murray, Anne. All of Me. Vintage Canada, 2009.

Roland, Tom. "About Anne Murray: Artist Biography." All Music, www.allmusic.com/artist/anne-murray-mn0000490549/biography. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.

Wheeler, Brad. "Anne Murray: Full Circle is a gentler trip down memory lane." The Globe and Mail, 16 Dec. 2021, www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/television/article-anne-murray-full-circle-is-a-gentler-trip-down-memory-lane/. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.

Young, Rick. "In Conversation With Legendary Musical Artist and Passionate Golfer, Anne Murray." Score, 26 Sept. 2023, scoregolf.com/features/in-conversation-with-legendary-musical-artist-and-passionate-golfer-anne-murray/. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.