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Ann Murray music biography continued...

Murray expressed an early interest in music and took piano and voice lessons as a youngster. While studying to become a physical education teacher, Murray tried out for the 1960s CBC music television show "Singalong Jubilee." She was teaching physical education when she was hired to be on the show two years later. The show's musical director, Brian Ahern, advised Murray 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 independent Arc label. The album won praise from critics and was a commercial success leading Murray to a record deal with the Canadian division of Capitol records in 1969. The following year, her debut single for the label, "Snowbird," became an international hit, reaching the Top Ten on both the country and pop charts in America, while reaching the British Top 40. After releasing several more singles that were not as commercially successful, Murray opted out of show biz to raise a family. Her big comeback came in 1978, when she did a cover of "Walk Right Back", which climbed to #4 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, including "I Just Fall in Love Again" (1979), "A Little Good News" (1983) and "Now and Forever (You and Me)" (1986). During this period, Murray prospered as a crossover artist by appealing equally to fans of pop, easy listening and country.



Murray's sales began to slide in the latter half of the '80s, primarily due to the changing tastes of the country audience, but she still managed to pump out hits with regularity throughout the 80s and 90s. Murray recorded her first live album in 1997 and released What a Wonderful World, a platinum selling album, in 1999. [[kwd_9258]] years later, she released I'll Be Seeing You in Canada; the album arrived in the US as All of Me in 2005. Murray returned in 2007 with Duets: Friends and Legends. Today, she is credited with paving the way for Canadian superstars ranging from Celine Dion to Shania Twain, and being a true musical trailblazer.