Anne Murray

Born June 20, 1945 in the coal-mining town of Springhill, Nova Scotia, Anne Murray was the only daughter of six children born to Dr. Carson and Marion Murray. She took piano and voice lessons, and literally brought the audience to tears with her vocal rendition of "Ave Maria" at graduation.

After high school, Anne pursued a degree in physical education at the University of New Brunswick. In 1966, she was asked to join the cast of the popular "Singlong Jubilee" by the show's co-host and producer, Bill Langstroth. Anne then went on to teach for a year in Prince Edward Island and followed that with yet another summer singing for "Singalong Jubilee". After that summer, Anne made the decision to give the music business a try, saying that if it didn't work out she could go back to teaching.

Anne's first solo album effort was WHAT ABOUT ME followed by THIS WAY IS MY WAY which gave Anne her first hit single. The song was "Snowbird" and became the first gold record ever awarded by an American music company to a Canadian female artist. Shortly thereafter, Anne became a regular on "The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour", and guest starred on a number of the most popular shows of the era.

Anne married her "Singalong Jubilee" co-host Bill Langstroth in 1975 and had their first child, William, in 1976. Three years later, Anne gave birth to a daughter, Dawn, in 1979.

In a career spanning 36 years and 34 albums, Anne has recorded numerous television specials and received musical awards almost too numerous to count. Among these are four grammy awards for vocal performance on the songs "Love Song", "You Needed Me", "Could I Have This Dance" and "A Little Good News". She has also won three American Music Awards, three Country Music Awards, and 31 Juno awards - a number so unprecedented that it is often joked that the Juno's should be renamed the Annie awards.

Beyond being inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame and the Juno Hall of fame, Anne is the recipient of the highest honor that can be bestowed on a Canadian civilian - Companion of the Order of Canada. She has a star on both the Hollywood and Canadian Walk of Fame. Murray has also been named an Honorary Canadian Tourism Ambassador and received the Order of Nova Scotia.

Anne helped to open the Anne Murray Centre in her hometown of Springhill, Nova Scotia in 1989. The Centre attracts tourists from all over the world and has immensely helped the economy of the small town from which she hails.

Anne enjoys watching hockey and playing golf. She once said if she hadn't been a singer, she would have liked to have been a professional golfer. Though she has cut back on the massive tours she once undertook, she still tours regularly, often around Christmas. Thankfully, she has no plans of retiring anytime soon.