Anne Murray, a Physical Education Teacher-Turned Country Superstar

Who knew that before pursuing country music, Anne Murray was first a teacher? Yes, the first Canadian country artist to reach the top spot on the American music charts was first a Physical Education teacher before finding her voice in the music industry.

Anne Murray’s Early Years

Anne Murray‘s parents worked in the medical field, one being a Doctor and the other one being a Nurse. This has influenced the singer to be successful with what she does, especially that she has five all-male siblings. The singer shared:

“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.”

The singer studied at Mount Saint Vincent University then she transferred to the University of New Brunswick at Fredericton where she finished her degree in teaching Physical Education. During her studies, the singer did not forget her passion for singing but she is doubtful about her career path. At first, she chose to teach physical education at a high school on Prince Edward Island.

She chose to teach when she failed to join for a spot on CBC TV’s Singalong Jubilee in 1965. A year after teaching, she was called by the same company to audition again and she managed to become a summer performer featured on the show.

This started the career of Anne Murray and so, she pursued her passion for music. Her first hit was her rendition of “Snowbird” wherein she earned two Grammy nominations and a number 1 spot at Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart. She then managed to market herself to the American audience and started working with some of the country recording studios.

She made her US national television debut at Glen Campbell’s show followed by making an appearance at the Johnny Cash show. She became a big country-pop star in the ’70s and ’80s and has made countless awards in her lifetime.

Listen to her hit song here:

https://youtu.be/peWwHTTKmVw