Anne Murray (1) (1945–)

I enjoyed the heck outa this frank account of Anne Murray's meteoric rise to fame at the end of the sixties and her forty-year career as one of pop music's brightest stars. And hell yes, I was a fan. Was a bit surprised at some of the revelations about her personal life - a years long secretive affair with a married man (fifteen years older than her) who was on the road with her as part of her retinue - and she raised by her devout momma to be a "good Catholic girl." But she did finally marry the guy when he divorced his wife. Anne was thirty. The marriage lasted about twenty years and yielded a son and a daughter. Winner of countless awards, Anne is recognized as one of Canada's most important national treasures. A Nova Scotia native, she toured all over the world for nearly forty years, but always called Canada home. Lots of show biz anecdotes here, in a story told with grace and always a wry, self-deprecating sense of humor. (She used a ghost writer, Michael Posner.) Murray retired fifteen years ago, but you'll still hear her on the radio. My favorite of her albums is CROONIN', a collection of pre-rock songs from the fifties. My mom loved that one too. And I just learned, from the book, of two other albums she recorded at the tail end of her career, COUNTRY CROONIN' and DUETS. I may have to order them. They sound too good to miss. ALL OF ME (2009) was an easy, most enjoyable read. Very highly recommended.

- Tim Bazzett, author of the memoir, BOOKLOVER… (meer)

1-1 Lord I Hope This Day Is Good 3:24
1-2 Amazing Grace 3:46
1-3 Lean On Me 3:34
1-4 Just A Closer Walk With Thee / Take My Hand Lord Jesus Featuring [Duet With] – Tommy West 4:19
1-5 Let It Be 3:29
1-6 Softly And Tenderly 4:06
1-7 Let There Be Love Featuring [Duet With] – Dawn Langstroth 3:38
1-8 I Believe In You 4:45
1-9 It Is No Secret 3:37
1-10 What A Wonderful World 2:22
1-11 Peace In The Valley 3:25
1-12 The Other Side 4:09
1-13 The Old Rugged Cross 4:10
2-1 I Can See Clearly Now 3:05
2-2 In The Garden 4:23
2-3 You've Got A Friend 4:37
2-4 Whispering Hope 4:30
2-5 Put A Little Love In Your Heart 2:51
2-6 How Great Thou Art 3:39
2-7 Song Of Bernadette 3:42
2-8 Elijah 3:45
2-9 Bridge Over Troubled Water 4:31
2-10 If You See My Savior 3:43
2-11 Jacob's Ladder 4:17
2-12 Nearer My God To Thee 3:35
2-13 The Lord's Prayer 2:14… (meer)

1 Old Cape Cod 3:02
2 The Wayward Wind 3:43
3 Secret Love 3:56
4 Fever 3:22
5 When I Fall In Love 3:34
6 Allegheny Moon 3:42
7 You Belong To Me 3:05
8 Born To Be With You 3:42
9 True Love 2:36
10 Teach Me Tonight 2:41
11 Cry Me A River 4:07
12 Make Love To Me 2:49
13 Hey There 3:05
14 It Only Hurts For A Little While 2:43
15 I'm Confessin' That I Love You / I'm A Fool To Care 4:19
16 Wanted 3:06
17 I Really Don't Want To Know 4:41
18 Moments To Remember 3:04… (meer)