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Anne Murray's career has always been characterized by songs that become imbedded in people's hearts. "You Needed Me" and "Could I Have This Dance" are wedding favorites. "Danny's Song" remains a timeless celebration of fatherhood. "A Love Song" and "I Just Fall In Love Again" are for courting couples and golden-anniversary couples alike. Murray's phenomenal success has also set the pace for a generation of Canadian divas-Celine Dion, Shania Twain, k.d. lang and Alanis Morissette all followed in her footsteps as worldwide record sellers. She broke down barriers between pop and country, helping to pave the way for country's explosive growth as a music genre in the '80s and 90s and selling more than 40 million albums along the way. In fact, Murray's Christmas albums rank among the biggest selling holiday collections of all time-combining Christmas carols and seasonal songs that capture the spirit of the season. That same aesthetic is behind What a Wonderful World, the first inspirational collection ever recorded by the four-time Grammy winner. This 26-song collection combines ageless hymns with melodies from the pop-music realm that have lifted the hearts of millions. Anne Murray breathes new meaning into such venerable songs as "Softly and Tenderly" (1875), "In the Garden" (1912), "Whispering Hope" (1868), "How Great Thou Art" (1948), "Amazing Grace" (1799) and "Nearer My God To Thee" (1859). "Jacob's Ladder" and "Bedside of a Neighbor" come from black gospel tradition. "I've been influenced by gospel music since early on in life," Murray says. "I grew up with a black family who came over to my house twice a week, and they taught me all these songs. As a kid, I had every album that Mahalia Jackson ever made. "But the hymns weren't a part of my life. I was raised Catholic, singing in Latin. At some time or another I'm sure I heard them. 'Just a Closer Walk With Thee' is sung at every sing-along that's ever taken place! But some of the other hymns were not familiar. So this was 'new' material for me. I approached it that way, so it became really exciting and I was really quite moved. When I sang 'The Old Rugged Cross,' I got quite choked up." The peerless stylist is renowned for her liquid phrasing, flawless control and exquisite taste as a vocalist. Anne Murray is also widely admired for her song choices. Equally at home with soulful uptempo material and soothing ballads, she has moved easily between the pop, country and adult contemporary fields during her career. Thus, What a Wonderful World incorporates R&B songs such as Johnny Nash's "I Can See Clearly Now" and Bill Withers' "Lean On Me" as well as material from the country field such as the Don Williams' hit, "Lord I Hope This Day Is Good," Stuart Hamblen's "It Is No Secret (What God Can Do)" and Red Foley's "Peace In the Valley." From mainstream pop come Jackie DeShannon's "Put a Little Love In Your Heart," Leonard Cohen's "Song of Bernadette," Bob Dylan's "I Believe In You," Paul Simon's "Bridge Over Troubled Waters" and Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World." Covering The Beatles' compositions is nothing new to Murray. In the 1970s she had a pop hit with "Day Tripper" and John Lennon once told her backstage at the Grammys that her hit "You Won't See Me" was his favorite cover version of a Beatles tune. What a Wonderful World finds her bringing extraordinary warmth and comfort to "Let It Be." She also has a long-standing relationship with Carole King's "You've Got a Friend." In 1971 Murray was one of the first artists to record this now familiar song. "Elijah" comes from the pen of Gene MacLellan, the man who wrote Anne Murray's career launching single of 1970, "Snowbird." She turned to her Nashville song publishing company for "The Other Side" and to classical tradition for "The Lord's Prayer." The making of What a Wonderful World came at a difficult time in Murray's life. In 1995 her dear friend and lifelong manager Leonard Rambeau died after a long battle with cancer. Soon after, her daughter Dawn, 20, was struggling with anorexia. "I've had a rough couple of years. It's misery living through this. My first reaction to Dawn's eating disorder was that somehow I was a 'failure' as a mother. But you have to go into therapy with them and you find out, of course, that it's not your fault. But being someone who's on the road so much, you can't help but blame yourself. Dawn and I have always been very close and we're even closer now because we have had to work very closely together to combat this thing. As a mother, you'll do anything to save your kids. "It was front-page news in Canada. We discussed it on national television. And that was a very courageous move for her because anorexia is a very secretive illness. It turned out to be a very positive thing for her recovery. I think it really turned her around, talking about it. "Last summer Dawn was out with some friends and went into one of these karaoke booths. She brought the tape home and was laughing about it. When I listened to it, I started hyperventilating. She did [Bonnie Raitt's] 'Something To Talk About' and it was astounding. I had no idea she could sing like that! "There is this drop-in counseling center for eating disorders in downtown Toronto called Sheena's Place. We had been talking about Dawn going down there and getting some help. Some people called me and asked if I would be interested in doing a benefit for Sheena's Place. So in January of this year I did the show and Dawn performed with me. EMI Records heard her and said, 'Do you have a duet? Because we would love for Dawn to be on this record.' I said, 'Well, I don't have one.' Then, that night I came home and there was a package with a tape in it of "Let There Be Love." Amy Sky, who is a Toronto singer-songwriter had seen Dawn and me on television when we did the publicity for Sheena's Place. Amy had seen us talking about our struggle and was inspired to write this song (with co-writer Steven MacKinnon). I was in the middle of recording this inspirational album and here was this amazing song." "Let There Be Love" is the debut single from What a Wonderful World. Murray's other duet partner on the collection is Tommy West. The producer of the late Jim Croce first worked with Canada's national treasure on her 1993 album of pop standards Croonin'. What a Wonderful World reunites the team and is also the first studio album that Anne Murray has recorded with her touring band. The star is too humble to tout herself as an inspirational performer. But throughout her career she has recorded songs that have warmed hearts, enriched spirits and brought comfort to millions. Murray was the first artist to record "Put Your Hand in the Hand." The song was included on four of her early albums. "You've Got a Friend," "Robbie's Song For Jesus," "Stars Are the Windows of Heaven," "Open Up Your Heart," "A Little Good News" and "You Needed Me" are among the other uplifting lyrics she has recorded over the years. Her career came about in the first place because of an inspirational performance. Murray began taking classical vocal lessons at age 15. She made her stage debut as a junior in high school. When she sang "Ave Maria" at the graduation ceremonies, she noticed that people in the audience were crying. That was her first inkling of the career that lay before her. She joined the cast of the Canadian TV series Singalong Jubilee in 1966, began recording in 1968 and shot to stardom with "Snowbird" in 1970. Murray credits her exposure on "The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour" in the early '70s for making her a U.S. celebrity. She and Campbell recorded a duet album in 1971 and she reunited with him in 1991 to sing the title track for his Christian album Show Me Your Way. She hit her stride as a pop hit maker in 1973-78, then became a consistent presence at the top of the country charts in 1979-90. Murray's Christmas Wishes (1981) is one of the five top-selling female holiday albums in history. Her Greatest Hits collection sold more than seven million copies worldwide. In her career to date, Anne Murray has sold more than 40 million records. In 1985 she was given the Companion of the Order of Canada, the highest honor that can be awarded to a citizen of her homeland. In 1989 her hometown of Springhill, Nova Scotia opened a museum devoted to her career. She was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1993. In 1994 she was honored with a boxed-set compiling 64 of her most loved performances. And now she is making history again. What a Wonderful World is the beautiful combination of one the greatest vocalists of today with songs that will live forever.
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