5 ways Anne Murray was a trailblazer
She broke down barriers as a female musician — and inspired a generation of singers
Anne Murray is one of Canada's most prolific and best-loved musicians. The Nova Scotia artist, who first topped the charts in 1969 with Snowbird, broke down barriers every step of the way and inspired a generation of singers that followed.
In the biographical documentary Anne Murray: Full Circle, we get a glimpse into her struggles, sacrifices and triumphs — and a peek at the twists and turns of Canadian music history. Here are some of the ways she changed the game.
She followed her heart, not the charts
Though she's got Junos and Grammys that label her a country artist, the reality is that Murray never held herself to any genre. Instead, she sang the songs that spoke to her — whether that was pop, country, soul or lullabies.
Along with the many love songs she's known for, you'll find melodies about a coal mine disaster, the joys of having children and an airline tragedy.
Her label discouraged her from having kids — but that didn't stop her
The birth of Murray's son, William, took her off the road for a while. Though it put her career at a standstill, she loved the experience of being a mom. "He was a lot more important to me than any music career," she said.
A few years later, when she expressed interest in taking a break to expand her family, a room full of men at her record label tried to persuade her to wait. It was too late though. "I knew very well I was pregnant," remembered Murray, chuckling. "My daughter Dawn was born [in] 1979, and that was a moment of empowerment."
Both children would wind up appearing on her Duets: Friends and Legends album decades later — Murray's "favourite moment ever" in the studio.
She was savvy about how she stacked her team
Murray learned early on that, even though she was a solo artist, she'd need a team she could trust — and who took her career as seriously as she did. On tour in Vancouver with her band in the '70s, she realized that they were partying far too hard and were at times difficult and unreliable. "I didn't mind people drinking a bit or whatever, but when it affects your performance, that's not acceptable," Murray said. "It made my life miserable because I never knew what to expect when I went onstage."
At the time, it was tough for a woman (even one who was paying the bills) to have her voice heard. So she cleverly teamed up with Leonard Rambeau, a trusted friend from back home, who moved to Toronto to become her manager. Together they assembled a talented and compatible band and kept Murray's career on track. After Rambeau's death, she teamed up with the legendary manager Bruce Allen, who helped refocus her career until she retired on a high note.
She stood up against gruelling Vegas standards
Landing a Vegas residency was a huge career milestone, and Murray was thrilled to be doing shows on the same strip as Frank Sinatra. But the two-show-a-night standard was exhausting: she was out until 2:30 a.m. or 3 a.m. and then up with the kids at 6 a.m.
So the second time around, Murray fought back, which was unheard of in the 1970s. She insisted on just one nightly performance, and soon other big acts — like Dolly Parton and Elvis — followed her lead, forever changing Vegas residencies.
Some of her best-loved albums were passion projects her label hated
According to Murray's musical director, Pat Riccio, when the singer turned in a children's album to Capitol Records in the late '70s, the label's president said, "This is Anne Murray — she's a superstar. You don't do novelty albums with superstars." But she didn't scrap the project; instead, she sold it to Sesame Street Records — and it went platinum in Canada.
It wasn't the only time following her instincts paid off. In 1993, she self-financed a 1950s-inspired album called Croonin' that ended up being one her most popular albums of all time.
