[Faith-talk] FW: [tbcf] Anne Murray. "Go Tell it on the Mountain"

Mon Aug 15 20:54:19 UTC 2011

Original Message: 
From: "Artie." <anolden at tampabay.rr.com>
To: "TBCF" <tbcfamilyroom at yahoogroups.com>
Subject: [tbcf] Anne Murray.    "Go Tell it on the Mountain"
Date: 
Sun, 14 Aug 2011 18:50:46 -0400

Go tell it on the mountain 
Over the hills and everywhere 
Go tell it on the mountain 
That Jesus Christ was born.

Down in the lowly manger 
The humble Christ was born 
And God sent out salvation 
That blessed Christmas morn.

Go tell it on the mountain 
Over the hills and everywhere 
Go tell it on the mountain 
That Jesus Christ was born.

While shepherds kept their watch 
O'er silent flocks by night 
Behold throughout the Heavens 
There shone a holy light.

Go tell it on the mountain 
Over the hills and everywhere 
Go tell it on the mountain 
That Jesus Christ was born.

That Jesus Christ was born.

  Canadian singer Anne Murray (born 1945) was the first Canadian female
singer to reach the top spot on the American music charts as well as being
the first to earn a gold record, for 1970's "Snowbird." During her long
career she has sold over 50 million albums. Her alto voice has garnered her
fans and accolades from many different genres, including pop, country, and
adult contemporary as well as winning her dozens of music awards. 

A Childhood of Song 
Born Morna Anne Murray on June 20, 1945, singer Anne Murray is the only
daughter of James Carson Murray, a doctor, and Marion (Burke) Murray, a
registered nurse and homemaker. The Murray family lived in Springhill, Nova
Scotia, a town of only a few thousand people centered around the coal
mining industry. One of six children, Murray grew up with five active
brothers. On her website Murray noted that "I often think that perhaps the
reason I became a successful singer was that, as a kid, I could never do
anything as well as my brothers. I wanted to do something better than they
did." With that inspiration coupled with her love of music, Murray first
studied piano and then, from the age of 15, voice. One of Murray's earliest
performances was of the religious song "Ave Maria" at her high school
graduation in 1962. 

Murray studied at Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax briefly, then
transferred to the University of New Brunswick at Fredericton to study
physical education. She completed her degree in 1966. However, she did not
forget her love of music during those studies. She unsuccessfully
auditioned for a Canadian network television series, Singalong Jubilee , in
1964; in 1966, she again auditioned for the same series, and this time was
cast. She worked on the show during the summer following her graduation
from the University of New Brunswick before turning to a more stable career
as a physical education instructor at a high school on Prince Edward
Island. 

Became a "Snowbird" 
Her career as a teacher never progressed beyond that first year. Murray
returned to Singalong Jubilee as a featured soloist during the summer of
1967 and also accepted a spot on another television show, Let's Go , aimed
at teenagers. After appearing on the cast recording for Singalong Jubilee ,
Murray received an offer from the show's musical director, Brian Ahern, to
record a solo album. In 1968 Murray released her first album, What About Me
. She made her major label debut the following fall with the Capitol
Records release This Way Is My Way . Not a songwriter herself, Murray
performed and interpreted the songs of others, including a track called
"Snowbird" penned by novice Canadian songwriter Gene MacLellan. 

Although not selected as a single from This Way Is My Way , "Snowbird"
appeared on the b-side of the album's second single, "Biding My Time."
Radio stations began playing the song and it quickly became a hit. The song
was one of the most played selections in North America in 1970 and garnered
Murray an American gold record (meaning that the single had sold over
500,000 copies), a first for a Canadian female solo artist. Murray's song
became both a pop and country standard. Speaking to an interviewer for
Canada's Globe and Mail in 2006, Murray recalled, "I definitely fought
against being labeled country at a very early stage in my career because I
wanted to do everything. I didn't want to be labeled. I love all the music
and was influenced by so many different kinds of music that I should be
able to do any of it if I chose to." Murray's fans included even John
Lennon, who told Murray at the 1974 Grammy Awards that her version of "You
Won't Tell Me" was his favorite Beatles' cover. At that same awards
ceremony, Murray received her first Grammy for Best Country Vocal
Performance, for her hit "Love Song." However, this was not Murray's first
major award-her first was the Juno award (the Canadian equivalent of the
Grammy) for Best Female Vocalist in 1971. 

With the success of "Snowbird" and other songs, Murray began appearing
regularly on The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour and other popular variety
shows of the time, including such major programs as American Bandstand, The
Muppet Show , and Saturday Night Live . Both Murray's professional and
personal lives blossomed during the 1970s. In 1975 Murray married Bill
Langstroth, and the following year the couple had their first child,
William. In 1979 Murray gave birth to a daughter, Dawn. For a few years
after her marriage, Murray essentially dropped out of the music world to
focus on her family. 

Murray returned to record more diverse material in the late 1970s,
including a children's album called There's a Hippo in My Tub in 1977. This
album won the Juno for Best Children's Album in 1979; that same year,
Murray again received the Juno for Best Female Vocalist. In 1978 she scored
a major country and pop hit with the song "You Needed Me." This track
earned Murray her second Grammy Award. 

A Prolific Artist 
Murray continued to record and perform extensively during the 1980s,
releasing at least one album every year except 1985. In 1980 Murray
received her third Grammy Award in the Best Country Vocal Performance
category for the song "Could I Have This Dance." That same year, she was
honored with a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. In 1983 Murray's song "A
Little Good News" garnered her a fourth Grammy, again for Best Country
Vocal Performance. 

In July of 1989 Murray opened the Anne Murray Centre in her hometown of
Springhill, Nova Scotia. The community's coal mining industry unexpectedly
shut down in the 1958 after a series of mining accidents, and Murray wanted
to promote a new industry for the struggling area. The Anne Murray Centre
displays artifacts from Murray's career and aims to promote music
appreciation in the Nova Scotia region. Shortly after the opening of the
center, Maclean's magazine noted that Murray "herself is coming to terms
with the idea that she is a Canadian institution." 

In 1984 Murray became a Companion of the Order of Canada, Canada's
highest civilian honor. From the mid-1980s on, Murray's commercial appeal
declined somewhat. In the late 1980s country music listeners' tastes
shifted considerably from softer, more adult contemporary-influenced sounds
to harder, more traditional rock-country bands. Despite this shift,
Murray's albums continued to be commercially and critically acclaimed. 

A Long and Celebrated Career 
In 1993 Murray was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. After
the death of her longtime friend and manager, she signed with a new manager
and her career took a different turn. During this transitional phase Murray
did not release any material; the period between 1993 and 1996 remains her
longest musical hiatus. In 1997 Murray released her first live album, and
two years later she again explored a new style with an album of
inspirational songs, What a Wonderful World . This album went platinum in
both the United States and Canada, showing Murray's continued commercial
appeal. The following year, Murray became one of the charter inductees on
the Canadian Walk of Fame. 

Murray entered another new genre in 2001 with the release of her album
What a Wonderful Christmas . Achieving gold status in Canada-an unusual
feat for a seasonal album- What a Wonderful Christmas became one of the
more successful Christmas albums of all time. In 2002 Murray released an
album of classic country songs entitled Country Croonin' . The album went
platinum in Canada and Murray embarked on a tour to support it. Three years
later Murray released her 33rd studio album, All of Me , to critical
praise. Writing in People magazine, Ralph Novak commented that "All in all,
this excellent album makes for an ideal companion piece to Murray's 2002
collection of country standards, Country Croonin' ." 

In a rare crossover between Murray's personal and professional life, she
and her daughter Dawn set out in the late 1990s to promote awareness of the
eating disorder anorexia nervosa. Dawn suffered from the disease for
several years before seeking treatment, and mother and daughter appeared on
television talk shows in the hopes of preventing other young women from
experiencing the same problem. 

During her career, Murray has sought to put her talents to use for many
good causes. After a tsunami devastated southeast Asia in late 2005, Murray
joined a contingent of Canadian performers to appear in the massive benefit
Canada for Asia, sponsored by the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation).
In 2006 Murray received a Legacy Award from the Canadian Songwriters' Hall
of Fame, acknowledging her long career as a premiere interpreter of songs.
During her career, Murray has performed more than 80 songs written by
Canadian songwriters, showing her dedication to the arts of her native
country. Unlike many successful Canadian performers, Murray has lived in
Canada her entire life, mostly in the Toronto area. 

To date, Murray has sold over 50 million albums. In addition to her four
Grammy awards, she has received nearly 25 Juno awards, three American Music
awards, three Country Music Association awards, and three Canadian Country
Music Association awards. In addition to these wins, she has been nominated
for many other awards. With a career spanning 40 years, Murray's storied
alto seems guaranteed to please fans for years to come. 