Anne Murray
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| Anne Murray | |
|---|---|
| Image:Replace this image female.svg | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Morna Anne Murray |
| Also known as | Anne Murray |
| Born | June 20 1945 |
| Origin | Springhill, Nova Scotia |
| Genre(s) | Pop Adult Contemporary Country |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, Talk Show Host, Actress |
| Instrument(s) | vocals |
| Years active | 1968 – present |
| Label(s) | Arc Records, Capitol Records, Liberty Records, Straightaway Records, Manhattan Records |
| Website | Anne Murray Official Website |
Anne Murray, CC, ONS (born Morna Anne Murray on June 20, 1945) is a Canadian singer born in Springhill, Nova Scotia, known for her rich alto voice and her choice of songs appealing to listeners over a broad spectrum, including Pop, Country and Adult Contemporary styles. For many, her fame as the representative Canadian singer is rivaled only by Gordon Lightfoot. Unlike many internationally-renowned Canadian singers like Joni Mitchell, she has always resided in Canada and now lives in Toronto, but spends most summers in Nova Scotia.
Murray was the first Canadian female solo singer to reach #1 on the US charts, and also the first to earn a gold record (for one of her signature songs, 1970's "Snowbird". She is often cited as the woman who paved the way for other Canadian international success stories such as Céline Dion, Sarah McLachlan and Shania Twain. So far, her albums have sold over 54 million copies worldwide.[1] [2]
She is also the first woman and the first Canadian to win "Album of the Year" at the Country Music Association Awards for her 1984 album A Little Good News.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
[edit] Early career
Anne Murray was born on June 20, 1945, in the small town of Springhill, Nova Scotia. Her father, James Carson Murray, was a doctor and her mother, Marion Murray, was a registered nurse.
After expressing an early interest in music, she studied piano for six years; by age fifteen, she began taking voice lessons. Every Saturday morning, she took a bus ride from Springhill to Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia, for her singing lesson with her teacher, Karen Mills.
Following high school, Anne spent a year at Mount Saint Vincent University, a women's college in Halifax, Nova Scotia. After dropping out of Mount Saint Vincent University she went to the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton, New Brunswick, where she studied Physical Education. Friends of Anne encouraged her to audition for the 1960's CBC music television show "Singalong Jubilee". However, the cast was full but two years later, she got a call from "Singalong Jubilee" co-host and associate producer, Bill Langstroth. She then returned for a second audition and was cast for the show.
After a summer of singing, Anne began teaching Physical Education at a high school in Summerside, Prince Edward Island. However after one year of teaching, she was offered a spot on a television show, "Let's Go" and returned to "Singalong Jubilee." A "Singalong Jubilee" soundtrack was released by Arc Records, one of Canada's first record labels. The show's musical director, Brian Ahern, advised Anne that she should record a solo album; her first album, What About Me, was produced by Ahern in Toronto and released in 1968 on the Arc label.
[edit] Success
After a year long stint on Arc Records, Anne switched to Capitol Records in 1969 to record her second album. With this her second album, This Way Is My Way, was released in the fall 1969. This album featured the single that launched her successful career, "Snowbird", which became a major hit. With "Snowbird" being a number one in Canada led to a surprise hit on the US charts. The song led to Anne being awarded the first gold record given to a Canadian solo artist in the United States. Anne became the demand of several television appearances in Canada and the United States, along with becoming a regular on The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour.
After the success of "Snowbird", Anne had a number of subsequent singles that have charted both pop and country simultaneously. During 1970s and early 1980s, her hits included "Danny's Song" (1972), "He Thinks I Still Care" (1974), "You Needed Me" (1978), "I Just Fall In Love Again," "Shadows in the Moonlight" and "Broken Hearted Me" (all 1979), "Could I Have This Dance" (1980), "Blessed Are the Believers" (1981), and "A Little Good News" (1983). Her hits started to taper off into the mid '80s, and her last top 100 charting pop hit was "Now and Forever (You and Me)" from 1986; it also was her last #1 on the country charts.
In 1996, she signed on with a new manager, Bruce Allen, who also has managed careers for Bryan Adams and Martina McBride. She recorded her first live album in 1997 and in 1999, she released What A Wonderful World, an inspirational album. She also released Country Croonin, the follow-up to her successful 1993 album, Croonin. In 2004, she released I'll Be Seeing You, which features a collection of songs from the early 20th century through to the mid 1940's. The American version, titled All of Me, features a bonus disc containing many of her hit singles.
Anne Murray was ranked #24 in Country Music Television's 40 Greatest Women of Country Music in 2002. [3]
Anne's latest album is Anne Murray Duets: Friends & Legends, released in November 2007 in Canada and due out in January 2008 in the United States. The album consists of many of Anne's biggest hits re-recorded as duets. Artists such as Shania Twain, k.d. lang, Isabelle Boulay, Nelly Furtado, Carole King, Céline Dion, Martina McBride, her daughter Dawn Langstroth and more artists are featured. She also duets her number one hit "Snowbird" with Sarah Brightman. The album was recorded in Toronto, Nashville and Los Angeles. According to Billboard magazine, the album has so far made it all the way to #3 on the Canadian Pop charts. The album was certified platinum in Canada after just 3 weeks, for the sale of 100,000 units.
On October 10, 2007, Murray announced that she will embark on her final major tour. She will tour in February and March in the U.S. and April and May in Canada. [4]
[edit] Personal life
Anne married Bill Langstroth in 1975 and gave birth to two children, William (a computer programmer for the Government of Ontario) and Dawn (a singer-songwriter).
In recent years, she has faced many personal challenges: her departure from Capitol Records after some 25 years; the apparent suicide of the author of her first hit "Snowbird" Gene MacLellan; the death of her beloved manager Leonard T. Rambeau of cancer; her separation and divorce from her husband; her daughter's battle with anorexia (they reluctantly did the US talk-show circuit to raise awareness); and most recently, the loss of her best friend to cancer (she recorded her album All of Me as a tribute to her). She has overcome all of these obstacles, and emerged in 1999 with her best-selling album in 20 years "What a Wonderful World" – and has followed up with three subsequent albums.
Anne has always kept strong ties to her hometown, Springhill, Nova Scotia, located about an hour south of Moncton, New Brunswick and one and a half hours north of Halifax, Nova Scotia. She has a museum there which houses her memorabilia and employs local people. She has been instrumental in the construction of the local arena, and has been a spokeswoman for many charities.
She was a celebrity corporate spokeswoman for The Bay. Celine Dion was also a spokesperson at the same time. Murray also sang the company jingle for the CIBC bank.
Her mother, the former Marion Burke, died April 10, 2006.
In October 2007, Murray was invited to perform on the Howard Stern Show on an on-air birthday party for comedian and Murray admirer Artie Lange. Her management declined the invitation.[5]
[edit] TV work
Anne Murray has had four highly-rated US specials on CBS (over 40 million viewers each), countless Canadian specials on CBC (Anne Murray in Nova Scotia) and has appeared on Solid Gold, Sesame Street, The Muppet Show, Saturday Night Live, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, Dean Martin Summer Show, Singalong Jubilee, Dinah!, The Mike Douglas Show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, 20/20, CNN, The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, Live with Regis and Kathie Lee and The Pat Sajak Show. Her 2005 CBC special Anne Murray: The Music of My Life broke ratings records for a Thursday night, with more than 1 million Canadian viewers tuned in. The guests on her TV specials have included Julio Iglesias, Patti LaBelle, Celine Dion, Bryan Adams, Dusty Springfield, Bananarama, Barenaked Ladies, Alan Thicke, Roch Voisine, Glen Campbell, Valerie Harper, Diana Krall, Jann Arden, Miss Piggy and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Awards and honors
[edit] References
- Millard, Bob. (1998). "Anne Murray". In The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 361-2.
- Grills, Barry. (1996) Snowbird: The Story of Anne Murray. Kingston, ON: Quarry Press.
- Livingstone, David(1981) Anne Murray: The Story so Far. Scarborough: Prentice Hall Canada, Inc. 0-13-037697-3
- http://www.annemurray.com/pages/story.htm
[edit] External links
- Annemurray.com - Anne Murray's official website
- Order of Canada Citation
- Dawn Langstroth's (Anne Murray's daughter) website
de:Anne Murray fr:Anne Murray nl:Anne Murray ja:アン・マレー simple:Anne Murray fi:Anne Murray sv:Anne Murray
Categories: 1945 births | Canada's Walk of Fame | Canadian country singers | Canadian female singers | Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductees | Canadian pop singers | Canadians of Acadian descent | Canadians of Scottish descent | Companions of the Order of Canada | Grammy Award winners | Hollywood Walk of Fame | Juno Award winners | Living people | Members of the Order of Nova Scotia | Nova Scotia musicians | People from Cumberland County, Nova Scotia | University of New Brunswick alumni
