A Canadian Icon: The story behind the career of Anne Murray

As 2021 came to a close, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) dropped a poignant story of a Canadian music icon. A woman who broke ground for those perhaps better remembered – Joni Mitchell, Gordon Lightfoot, Shania Twain, k.d. lang and the hundreds of Canadians who found fame in recent decades.

As many have missed this remarkable story in their consumption of music history, I’m beyond grateful for CBC’s tale of the original Canadian ‘snowbird’ – Anne Murray.

A musician celebrated with the likes of Johnny Cash and Glen Campbell, Murray paved the way for not only female but all Canadian musicians as she made history in the 1960s and ‘70s.

In the CBC’s recent special Anne Murray: Full Circle, we’re given an insider’s look at the life and career of Canada’s legendary songstress. And we hear from many of Murray’s celebrity fans – legends like k.d. lang, Gordon Lightfoot and Shania Twain to name a few.

Murray, a Maritime native, was originally catapulted to stardom with her hit song “Snowbird.” What many fail to realize about the star’s decorated career, especially in the modern context, is just how many hardships she faced along the way. Anne Murray: Full Circle weaves through her illustrious career, including the good, the bad and the ugly.

The special opens with host, Tom Power, asking Murray what life has been like post-retirement. Murray sighs and her signature voice runs through us as she shares that it’s been separate and quite different from her past one. Her life since retirement has been about “getting to know my kids and my grandchildren” while playing a lot of golf, she quips.

Murray says in this “afterlife” she often forgets that she is the “Anne Murray.”

“That’s lovely though, I mean in some ways, that is what you’re looking for,” Power responds, saying there is something quite beautiful about the sentiment. Later in the program, we understand the focus on family foreshadows Murray’s challenges balancing family and career.

Once “Snowbird” was released, it quickly ascended the charts. k.d. lang shares that this song made Murray the epitome of Canadian culture and set a new high standard for Canadian music.

As Murray rose to royalty in Canada, her stardom across the border was also rising. She quickly became the first Canadian solo female artist to get a gold record in the United States.

Chaos ensued as the young female artist struggled to find solid footing in a world run by men who chose not to listen to her wants, despite the fact she was paying the bills.

Then her career stalled. Murray and her team released record after record, all of which failed to chart in the United States. She admits there was a period where she resigned herself to the fact that she would forever be a one-hit wonder.

American musician and “Footloose” singer Kenny Loggins shares in Anne Murray: Full Circle that he believes this lull happened because what Murray brought to the table was before its time. Loggins, a critically acclaimed artist himself, would, at age 18, become the writer of Murray’s next hit, “Danny’s Song.” This put her back on Billboard Hot 100.

“I think ‘Snowbird’ was really ahead of the curve, so it took those couple of years for the curve to catch up,” says Loggins.

Shortly after, other hits like “A Love Song” and “You Needed Me” did more than put her on the charts. In 1978, two years after the birth of her son, she won her first Grammy award.

Murray’s career was exploding. Her team and label wanted nothing more than to keep the momentum rolling. But she wanted nothing more than to spend time in the Maritimes with her family.

Like so many female artists today that struggle to stay current but also raise a family, Murray headed to Las Vegas to start a residency. Members of her band say this residency taught Murray she was not merely a singer, but an entertainer.

Through this captivating TV special, we learn of Murray’s loves, her struggles and her deep enduring friendships. The star-studded list of interviewees in this special marvel at Murray’s resilience through the hardships.

“She was always as strong as she was beautiful,” says Pat Riccio, one of Murray’s producers.

The story of Murray’s career is one to learn from and is brilliantly illustrated through this documentary. Hopefully it will invite new listeners and fans from a younger generation. Anne Murray: Full Circle is a must-watch as much as the star’s discography is a must-listen.