Morna Anne Murray (born June 20, 1945) is a retired Canadian
country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...
,
pop and
adult contemporary music
Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, sou ...
singer who has sold over 55 million album copies worldwide during her over 40-year career. Murray has won four
Grammys
The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
including the
Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance was a Grammy Award recognizing superior vocal performance by a female in the pop category, the first of which was presented in 1959. It was discontinued after the 2011 Grammy season. The awar ...
in 1979.
Murray was the first Canadian female solo singer to reach No. 1 on the U.S. charts and also the first to earn a
Gold record
Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
for one of her signature songs, "
Snowbird" (1970).
She is often cited as one of the female Canadian artists who paved the way for other international Canadian success stories such as
k.d. lang,
Céline Dion, and
Shania Twain. Murray is well known for her Grammy Award-winning 1978 number-one hit (in several countries) "
You Needed Me", and is the first woman and the first Canadian to win Album of the Year at the 1984
Country Music Association Awards for her Gold-plus 1983 album ''
A Little Good News''.
Besides four Grammys, Murray has received a record 26
Juno Award
The Juno Awards (stylized as JUNOS), or simply known as the Junos, are awards presented by Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to recognize outstanding achievements in Canada's mu ...
s, three
American Music Award
The American Music Awards (AMAs) is an annual American music awards show produced by Dick Clark Productions since 1974. Nominees are selected on commercial performance such as sales and airplay. Winners are determined by a poll of the public and ...
s, three
Country Music Association Award
The Country Music Association Awards, also known as the CMA Awards or CMAs, are presented to country music artists and broadcasters to recognize outstanding achievement in the country music industry. The televised annual presentation ceremony f ...
s, and three
Canadian Country Music Association Awards. She has been inducted into the
Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame, the
Juno Hall of Fame, the
Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame
The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame () is a Canadian non-profit organization, founded in 1998 by Frank Davies, that inducts Canadians into their ''Hall of Fame'' within three different categories: songwriters, songs, and those others who have m ...
, and
Canadian Broadcast Hall of Fame. She is a member of the
Country Music Hall of Fame Walkway of Stars in
Nashville
Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
and has her own star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...
in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
and on
Canada's Walk of Fame in
Toronto
Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
.
In 2011, ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' ranked her 10th on their list of the 50 Biggest
Adult Contemporary
Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...
Artists Ever.
Early life
Morna Anne Murray was born in the
coal-mining town of
Springhill, Nova Scotia, to Dr. James Carson Murray (1908-1980), the town's physician, and Marion Margaret (née Burke) Murray (1914-2006), a nurse involved in community charity work. Anne has five brothers, her youngest brother Bruce died in 2020.
After expressing an early interest in music, she studied piano for six years. By age 15, Murray took a bus ride every Saturday morning from Springhill to
Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia, for singing lessons. One of her earliest performances was of the song "Ave Maria" at her high school graduation in 1962.
Following high school, Murray attended
Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax for one year. She later studied Physical Education at
University of New Brunswick in
Fredericton
Fredericton (; ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of New Brunswick. The city is situated in the west-central portion of the province along the Saint John River (Bay of Fundy), Saint John River, ...
. After receiving her degree in 1966,
Murray taught physical education at Athena Regional high school in
Summerside, Prince Edward Island, for one year.
Her brother Bruce Murray released several recordings of his own with several songs on the
RPM charts between 1976 and 1982.
Career
Early years
In 1965, Murray appeared on the
University of New Brunswick student project record "The Groove" (500 pressed). She sang two songs on the record – "
Unchained Melody" and "Little Bit of Soap". On the label, her name was misspelled "Anne Murry". While there, she was encouraged to audition for the 1960s
CBC musical variety television show ''
Singalong Jubilee'', but was not offered a singing position.
After a summer of singing in local venues across the Maritimes, Murray began teaching physical education at the high school in
Summerside, Prince Edward Island. After one year of teaching, she was cast for ''Singalong Jubilee''. As a regular member of the "Singalong Jubilee" cast, Murray appeared on the ''Singalong Jubilee Vol. III'' soundtrack and ''Our Family Album – The Singalong Jubilee Cast'' records released by Arc Records. The show's musical director,
Brian Ahern, advised Murray that she should move to Toronto and record a solo album. Her first album, ''
What About Me'', was produced by Ahern in Toronto and released in 1968 on the Arc label.
Chart success, 1970s–1980s
"
What About Me," the lead single and title cut on Murray's debut album, was written by
Scott McKenzie and was a sizable Canadian radio hit. The project covered songs by
Joni Mitchell
Roberta Joan Mitchell (née Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian and American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and painter. As one of the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitch ...
,
Ken Tobias, and
John Denver
Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. (December 31, 1943 – October 12, 1997), known professionally as John Denver, was an American Country music, country and Folk music, folk singer, songwriter, and actor. He was one of the most popular acoustic m ...
. After a year-long stint on Arc, Murray switched to Capitol Records in 1969 to record her second album, ''
This Way Is My Way'', which was released that fall. It featured the single that launched her career, "
Snowbird", which became a No. 1 hit in Canada. "Snowbird" became a surprise hit on the U.S. charts as well, reaching No. 8 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1970. It was also the first of her eight No. 1 Adult Contemporary hits. "Snowbird" was the first Gold record ever given to a Canadian artist in the United States (RIAA certified Gold on November 16, 1970).
As one of the most successful female artists at that time, she became in demand for several television appearances in Canada and the United States, eventually becoming a regular on the hit U.S. television series ''
The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour''.
After the success of "Snowbird", Murray had a number of subsequent singles that charted both pop and country simultaneously. During the 1970s and 1980s, her hits included
Kenny Loggins's "
Danny's Song" (1972) (peaked at No. 7 on the Hot 100), "
A Love Song" (1973), "
He Thinks I Still Care",
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
' "
You Won't See Me" (1974); her all-time biggest Hot 100 hit "
You Needed Me" (1978), "
I Just Fall in Love Again", "
Shadows in the Moonlight", "
Broken Hearted Me" (1979), "
I'm Happy Just to Dance With You" (1980), which hit No. 64 on the Hot 100 and #23 on the Country chart,
The Monkees
The Monkees were an American pop rock band formed in Los Angeles in the mid-1960s. The band consisted of Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones (musician), Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork. Spurred by the success of ''The Monkees (TV series), Th ...
' 1967 No. 1 hit "
Daydream Believer", "
Could I Have This Dance" from the ''
Urban Cowboy'' motion picture soundtrack (1980), "
Blessed Are the Believers" (1981), "
Another Sleepless Night" (1982), "
A Little Good News" (1983), "
Just Another Woman in Love", "
Nobody Loves Me Like You Do", and "Time, Don't Run Out on Me" (1985).
She performed "
O Canada" at the first
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is the younger of two sports leagues, leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western L ...
baseball game played in Canada on April 7, 1977, when the
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...
played the
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...
at
Exhibition Stadium. She reprised the Canadian national anthem prior to the first World Series game held in Canada, Game 3 of the
1992 World Series at the
SkyDome. Following the last game at
Maple Leaf Gardens
Maple Leaf Gardens is a historic building located at the northwest corner of Carlton Street and Church and Wellesley, Church Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The building was originally constructed in 1931 as an indoor arena to host ice hoc ...
, she concluded the arena's closing ceremony by singing "
The Maple Leaf Forever
"The Maple Leaf Forever" is a Canadian patriotic song written by Alexander Muir (1830–1906) in 1867, the year of Canada's Canadian Confederation, Confederation. He wrote the work after serving with the Queen's Own Rifles of Toronto in defence ...
" at centre ice wearing a
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...
jersey.
Murray was a celebrity corporate spokeswoman for
The Bay, and she also did commercials and sang the company jingle ("You Can Count on the Commerce") for the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (
CIBC).
Murray's last Hot 100 hit was "
Now and Forever (You and Me)" from 1986; it was also her last No. 1 on both the American and Canadian country charts.
1990s–2000s
Murray's last charting single in the U.S. was 1991's "Everyday", which appeared on ''Billboard''s Country Singles chart. In 1996, Murray signed on with a new manager,
Bruce Allen. She recorded her first
live album
An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track or cassette), or digital. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th centur ...
in 1997, and in 1999, she released ''
What a Wonderful World'', a platinum inspirational album,
which went to No. 1 Contemporary Christian, No. 4 Country and No. 38 pop. Murray's last charting single in Canada was the title track "
What a Wonderful World" in 2000.
Murray was briefly mentioned in the Oscar-nominated satirical song "
Blame Canada," which appeared in the 1999 film ''
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut''. Although the tune contained the line "With all their hockey hullabaloo/And that bitch Anne Murray, too", the singer indicated that she was not offended by the song (although she did turn down a chance to sing it at the
Oscars telecast that year, pleading a prior commitment).
She released ''
Country Croonin''' in 2002, the follow-up to her successful 1993 album, ''
Croonin'''. In 2004, she released ''
I'll Be Seeing You'' in Canada only, which features a collection of songs from the early 20th century to the mid-1940s. The 2005 American version, titled ''
All of Me'', features a bonus disc containing many of her hit singles. The album is dedicated to her friend Cynthia McReynolds who died of cancer.
On December 26, 2004, Murray joined other Canadian music stars in the Canada for Asia Telethon, a three-hour, tsunami relief concert broadcast on CBC Television (January 13, 2005) to support
CARE Canada's efforts.
Bryan Adams
Bryan Guy Adams (born November 5, 1959) is a British and Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, and photographer. He is estimated to have sold between 75 million and more than 100 million album, records and Single (music), si ...
and Murray closed the show with a duet, "What Would It Take".
On October 10, 2007, Murray announced that she would embark on her final major tour. She toured in February and March 2008 in the U.S. on the "Coast-to-Coast – One Last Time" tour followed by a run in April and May in Canada. Murray's final public concert was held at the
Sony Centre in Toronto on May 23, 2008.
The studio album ''
Anne Murray Duets: Friends & Legends'' was released in November 2007 in Canada and January 2008 in the U.S. The album comprised 17 tracks that included many of Murray's biggest hits over her four-decade career, re-recorded as duets with other established, rising, and – in one case – deceased female singers. These artists included
Céline Dion,
Shania Twain,
k.d. lang,
Nelly Furtado
Nelly Kim Furtado ( , ; born December 2, 1978) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She has sold over 45 million records, including 35 million in album sales worldwide, making her one of the most successful Canadian artists. Critics have noted ...
,
Jann Arden,
Québec's
Isabelle Boulay, Murray's daughter
Dawn Langstroth,
Olivia Newton-John
Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British and Australian singer and actress. With over 100 million records sold, Newton-John was one of the List of best-selling music artists#100 million to 119 million record ...
,
Emmylou Harris
Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, bandleader, and activist. She is considered one of the leading music artists behind the country rock genre in the 1970s and the Americana (music), Americana genre ...
,
Martina McBride,
Shelby Lynne,
Amy Grant,
Carole King
Carole King Klein (born Carol Joan Klein; February 9, 1942) is an American singer-songwriter and musician renowned for her extensive contributions to popular music. She wrote or co-wrote 118 songs that charted on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billbo ...
, the
Indigo Girls, Irish sextet
Celtic Woman,
Dusty Springfield, and
Sarah Brightman. The duet with soprano Brightman was of her 1970 hit song, "Snowbird".
''Anne Murray Duets: Friends and Legends'' was recorded in four cities – Toronto, Nashville, New York, and Los Angeles. According to ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' magazine, the album reached No. 2 on the Canadian pop album charts and was certified Double Platinum in Canada after merely two months, representing sales of over 200,000 units. The album was the second-highest debuting CD on the ''Billboard'' Top 200 albums chart for the week ending February 2, 2008. It entered the chart at No. 42, making it her highest-charting U.S. CD release since 1999's ''What a Wonderful World'', which peaked at No. 38 on the Top 200 and was certified Platinum by the
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA).
Also for the week ending February 2, 2008, the CD debuted at No. 8 on ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
''s Top Country Albums chart and at No. 3 on its Top Internet Albums chart. Murray was nominated for the 2008
Juno Award
The Juno Awards (stylized as JUNOS), or simply known as the Junos, are awards presented by Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to recognize outstanding achievements in Canada's mu ...
for
Album of the Year and
Pop Album of the Year.
Murray's album ''What a Wonderful World'' was re-released in July 2008 in North America as a 14-song package. A new Christmas album, titled ''
Anne Murray's Christmas Album'' with bonus DVD was released in October 2008. Sony BMG Music also released an
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...
Christmas album, titled ''
Christmas Duets'' on October 14, 2008, featuring a virtual duet of "Silver Bells" with Murray.
Murray retired from both recording and performing after the issue of her final Christmas album in 2008, later explaining, "I did it for 40 years and that's long enough to do anything...I wanted to go out still singing well, and not having to make excuses." Despite continuing offers to take part in live concert appearances, duets and other recording activities, Murray has remained firmly retired since then, and insists she hasn't second-guessed the decision for a moment: "I was one of those who couldn't. I have too much trouble settling for less."
Television
Murray has had five highly rated U.S. specials on CBS (over 40 million viewers each) and several Canadian specials on
CBC including ''Anne Murray in Nova Scotia'', ''Intimate Evening with Anne Murray'', ''Anne Murray RSVP'', ''A Special Anne Murray Christmas'', ''Legends & Friends'', ''Greatest Hits II'', ''What a Wonderful World'', ''Ladies Night Show'', ''Anne Murray in Walt Disney World'' and ''Anne Murray's Classic Christmas''. Her 2008 television special, ''Family Christmas'', garnered a 43 per cent share on CBC with 4.2 million viewers.
She has appeared on ''
The Johnny Cash Show'', ''
The Bobby Vinton Show'', ''
Solid Gold'', ''
Sesame Street
''Sesame Street'' is an American educational television, educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation, and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Worksh ...
'', ''
The Muppet Show
''The Muppet Show'' is a variety sketch comedy television series created by Jim Henson and starring the Muppets. It is presented as a variety show, featuring recurring sketches and musical numbers interspersed with ongoing plot-lines with ru ...
'', ''
Family Guy
''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series premiered on January 31, 1999, following Super Bowl XXXIII, with the rest of the first season airing from April 11, 1999. Th ...
'', ''
The Midnight Special'', ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...
'', ''
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' is an American television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show was the third installment of ''The Tonight Show''. Hosted by Johnny Carson, it aired from October 1, 1962 to May 22, 1992, replacing ''T ...
'', ''Dean Martin Summer Show'', ''Singalong Jubilee'', ''Dinah!'', ''The Today Show'', ''
Dolly!'', ''
The Mike Douglas Show
''The Mike Douglas Show'' is an American daytime television talk show that was hosted by Mike Douglas. It began as a local program in Cleveland in 1961 before being carried on other stations owned by Westinghouse Broadcasting. The show went i ...
'', ''Christmas in Washington'', ''Boston Pops'', ''The Helen Reddy Show'', ''
The Oprah Winfrey Show'', ''
20/20'',
CNN, ''Perry Como's Christmas in New Mexico'', ''
The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour'', ''Night of a 100 Stars'', ''
Live with Regis and Kathie Lee'', ''
The Pat Sajak Show'', ''Royal Canadian Air Farce'' and ''Good Morning America''.
Her 2005 CBC special ''Anne Murray: The Music of My Life'' broke ratings records for a Thursday night, with more than 7 million Canadian viewers tuned in. She also appeared on ABC-TV's ''
American Bandstand
''American Bandstand'' (AB) is an American Music television, music performance and dance television series that aired in various iterations from 1952 to 1989. It was hosted by Dick Clark who also served as the program's Television producer, pr ...
'', and on regional US dance/variety programs.
On August 25, 2008, Murray appeared on the TV program ''
Canadian Idol'' as a mentor.
''
Anne Murray: Full Circle'', a documentary film by Adrian Buitenhuis and Morgan Elliott, was broadcast by
CBC Television
CBC Television (also known as CBC TV, or simply CBC) is a Television in Canada, Canadian English-language terrestrial television, broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcasting, p ...
in 2021.
Personal life
In 2009, Murray released her autobiography, ''All of Me'', and embarked on a 15-city book signing tour, starting in Nashville on October 27, 2009, and ending in Ottawa on November 24, 2009. The tour also included a special ''In Conversation'' interview with
Michael Posner at the International Festival of Authors in Toronto on October 30, 2009.
She is
Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
.
Her nephew Paul Murray was lead singer of the 1990s Canadian alternative rock group
Sandbox
A sandbox is a sandpit, a wide, shallow playground construction to hold sand, often made of wood or plastic.
Sandbox or sand box may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Sandbox (band), a Canadian rock music group
* Sandbox (Gu ...
.
Marriage and children
In 1975, Murray married Bill Langstroth, music producer and longtime host of ''
Singalong Jubilee''.
[Country music producer Bill Langstroth dies at 81]
/ref> They had two children – William (born 1976) and Dawn
Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the diffuse sky radiation, appearance of indirect sunlight being Rayleigh scattering, scattered in Earth's atmosphere, when the centre of the Sun's disc ha ...
(born 1979). Dawn is a singer-songwriter and artist who has recorded with her mother a number of times, including the duet " Let There Be Love" in 1999 for Murray's ''What a Wonderful World'' album. Murray and Dawn were featured in a mother–daughter duet of "Nobody Loves Me Like You Do" on Murray's hit 2008 U.S. CD (released in late 2007 in Canada), ''Anne Murray Duets: Friends & Legends''. Murray and Langstroth separated in 1997 and divorced the following year.eating disorder
An eating disorder is a mental disorder defined by abnormal eating behaviors that adversely affect a person's health, physical or mental health, mental health. These behaviors may include eating too much food or too little food. Types of eatin ...
treatment centre in Toronto. Both have spoken publicly about Dawn's struggle with anorexia nervosa
Anorexia nervosa (AN), often referred to simply as anorexia, is an eating disorder characterized by Calorie restriction, food restriction, body image disturbance, fear of gaining weight, and an overpowering desire to be thin.
Individuals wit ...
, which developed when she was 10 years old. Dawn has since sought treatment and continues to pursue a career in music.[
Murray lived in Thornhill, Ontario, for over 40 years, from the late 1970s through 2019. In 2019, she returned to live in her home province of ]Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...
, settling in Halifax.
Philanthropy and support for causes
Murray kept close ties with her hometown, Springhill, Nova Scotia, located about an hour east of Moncton, New Brunswick
Moncton (; ) is the most populous city in the Canadian province of New Brunswick. Situated in the Petitcodiac River Valley, Moncton lies at the geographic centre of the Maritime Provinces. The city has earned the nickname "Hub City" because ...
, and two hours north of Halifax, Nova Scotia
Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...
. The Anne Murray Centre, located in Springhill, opened on July 28, 1989, and houses a collection of memorabilia from both her personal life and professional career in a series of displays. A registered Canadian charity, the centre aims to foster tourism in the area and promote awareness of the music of Nova Scotia and Canada. All the revenue generated from its operation is used to provide employment for local people and for its ongoing maintenance.
Murray was involved in the construction of the Dr. Carson and Marion Murray Community Centre in Springhill, Nova Scotia. She served as the honorary chair of the fundraising campaign to replace the town arena that collapsed after a peewee hockey game in 2002. Named for her parents, the Dr. Carson and Marion Murray Community Centre sports an NHL-size ice sheet with seating for 800 people, a walking track, multi-purpose room, community room with seating for up to 300, and a gym. The Dr. Carson and Marion Murray Community Centre has become an integral part of the Springhill community since opening on September 15, 2004.
Murray was involved in a variety of charitable organizations. In addition to being the Honorary National Chairperson of the Canadian Save The Children Fund, she served as a spokeswoman for many charities throughout her career – most recently Colon Cancer Canada. On May 20, 2009, Colon Cancer Canada launched the inaugural Anne Murray Charity Golf Classic. Over C$150,000 was raised through the event.
On February 12, 2010, Murray was one of the eight Canadians who carried the Olympic flag during the opening ceremony of the XXI Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver.
Murray was a public supporter of Canadian environmentalist and geneticist David Suzuki's Nature Challenge.
Golf
A longtime golf enthusiast, Murray made history in October 2003 at the Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, New York, by becoming the first woman to score a hole in one on the 108-yard, par 3, 17th hole at the Kaluhyat Golf Club. On May 11, 2007, ''Golf For Women'' magazine named Murray the world's best female celebrity golfer, noting her 11 handicap.
Discography
Since 1968, Murray has released 32 studio albums and 15 compilation albums.
:Studio albums
* '' What About Me'' (1968)
* '' This Way Is My Way'' (1969)
* '' Honey, Wheat and Laughter'' (1970)
* '' Straight, Clean and Simple'' (1971)
* '' Anne Murray / Glen Campbell'' (1971) (with Glen Campbell
Glen Travis Campbell (April 22, 1936 – August 8, 2017) was an American country musician and actor. He was best known for a series of hit songs in the 1960s and 1970s, and for hosting ''The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour'' on CBS television from ...
)
* '' Talk It Over in the Morning'' (1971)
* '' Annie'' (1972)
* '' Danny's Song'' (1973)
* '' Love Song'' (1974)
* '' Highly Prized Possession'' (1974)
* '' Together'' (1975)
* '' Keeping in Touch'' (1976)
* '' There's a Hippo in My Tub'' (1977)
* '' Let's Keep It That Way'' (1978)
* '' New Kind of Feeling'' (1979)
* '' I'll Always Love You'' (1979)
* '' Somebody's Waiting'' (1980)
* '' Where Do You Go When You Dream'' (1981)
* '' The Hottest Night of the Year'' (1982)
* '' A Little Good News'' (1983)
* '' Heart Over Mind'' (1984)
* '' Something to Talk About'' (1986)
* ''Harmony
In music, harmony is the concept of combining different sounds in order to create new, distinct musical ideas. Theories of harmony seek to describe or explain the effects created by distinct pitches or tones coinciding with one another; harm ...
'' (1987)
* '' As I Am'' (1988)
* '' You Will'' (1990)
* '' Yes I Do'' (1991)
* '' Croonin''' (1993)
* '' Anne Murray'' (1996)
* '' What a Wonderful World'' (1999)
* '' Country Croonin''' (2002)
* '' I'll Be Seeing You'' (2004)
* '' Duets: Friends & Legends'' (2007)
Bibliography
*
Awards and honours
Anne Murray won four Grammys (including one in the pop category), three American Music Awards, three CMA Awards, and a record 24 Juno Awards.
In 1995, Murray received a Governor General's Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement, Canada's highest honour in the performing arts.Leonard Cohen
Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian songwriter, singer, poet, and novelist. Themes commonly explored throughout his work include faith and mortality, isolation and depression, betrayal and redemption, soc ...
as recipients of the Legacy Award for their contributions to and support of the Canadian songwriting industry. Murray was recognized for her support of Canada's songwriters, through her performances and her recordings.
On June 29, 2007, Canada Post issued the limited edition Anne Murray stamp. She was recognized along with three other Canadian recording artists: Paul Anka, Gordon Lightfoot
Gordon Meredith Lightfoot Jr. (November 17, 1938 – May 1, 2023) was a Canadian singer-songwriter who achieved worldwide success and helped define the singer-songwriter era of the 1970s. Widely considered one of Canada's greatest songwriters, ...
, and Joni Mitchell
Roberta Joan Mitchell (née Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian and American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and painter. As one of the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitch ...
.
On May 20, 2016, Anne Murray was granted an honorary degree by Mount Saint Vincent University.
Notes
References
Further reading
* 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.
External links
*
Anne Murray Centre's official website
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Entry at thecanadianencyclopedia.ca
{{DEFAULTSORT:Murray, Anne
1945 births
20th-century Canadian guitarists
20th-century Canadian women singers
20th-century Canadian women guitarists
21st-century Canadian guitarists
21st-century Canadian women singers
21st-century Canadian women guitarists
Ballad musicians
Canadian Roman Catholics
Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductees
Canadian folk singers
Canadian gospel singers
21st-century Canadian memoirists
Canadian schoolteachers
Canadian soft rock musicians
Canadian women country singers
Canadian women folk singers
Canadian women memoirists
Canadian women pop singers
Capitol Records artists
Companions of the Order of Canada
Country pop musicians
EMI Records artists
Grammy Award winners
Juno Award for Album of the Year winners
Juno Award for Artist of the Year winners
Juno Award for Children's Album of the Year winners
Juno Award for Single of the Year winners
Liberty Records artists
Living people
Members of the Order of Nova Scotia
Singers from Nova Scotia
Singers from Toronto
People from Cumberland County, Nova Scotia
People from Thornhill, Ontario
SBK Records artists
University of New Brunswick alumni
Canadian contraltos
Governor General's Award winners
Musicians from the Regional Municipality of York