Ruby Murray
Encyclopedia
Ruby Murray was one of the most popular singers
in the United Kingdom
and Ireland
in the 1950s. In 1955 alone, she secured seven Top 10 UK hit single
s.
in south Belfast
, Northern Ireland
. Her voice's
unique sound was partly the result of an operation on her throat in early childhood. She toured as a child singer and first appeared on television
at the age of 12, having been spotted by producer
Richard Afton. Owing to laws governing children performing, Murray had to delay her start in the entertainment industry. She returned to Belfast and full-time education until she was 14.
and her first single
, "Heartbeat", reached number 3 in the UK Singles Chart
in December 1954. Afton had offered her the position of resident singer on the BBC
's Quite Contrary television
show, to replace Joan Regan
. "Softly, Softly
", her second single, reached number one in early 1955. That same year Murray set a pop-chart record by having five hits in the Top Twenty in one week, a feat unmatched for many years.
The 1950s was a busy period for Murray, during which she had her own television show, starred at the London Palladium
with Norman Wisdom
, appeared in a Royal Command Performance
(1955), and toured the world. In a period of 52 weeks, starting in 1955, Murray constantly had at least one single in the UK
charts
- this at a time when only a Top 20 was listed.
She starred with Frankie Howerd
and Dennis Price
in her only film
role as Ruby, in the 1956 farce, A Touch of the Sun
. A couple of hits followed later in the decade; "Goodbye Jimmy, Goodbye", a #10 hit in 1959, was her final appearance in the charts.
EMI
put together a compilation album
of her hits on CD
in 1989, including song
s that regularly featured in her act; "Mr. Wonderful
", "Scarlet Ribbons
" and "It's the Irish in Me". They updated this with the release of EMI Presents The Magic Of Ruby Murray in 1997, and a triple album, Anthology - The Golden Anniversary Collection in 2005, the 50th anniversary of her peak successes on the charts.
Ruby Murray's name lives on in rhyming slang as the rhyme for curry
, usually with the usage 'ruby' rather than the name in full.
A play about Murray's life, Ruby, written by the Belfast playwright, Marie Jones
, opened at the Group Theatre in Belfast in April 2000.
, Murray met Bernie Burgess, eventually leaving Northern Ireland to live with him in England
. Burgess became her manager
and the couple became a double act during the 1960s. After her first marriage
failed, she married Ray Lamar and lived in Torquay
, Devon
.
Murray continued performing until close to the end of her life. She died of liver cancer
, aged 61, in December 1996 in Torquay, after a long struggle with alcoholism
.
† Ruby Murray with Anne Warren
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
in the 1950s. In 1955 alone, she secured seven Top 10 UK hit single
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
s.
Child star
Ruby Florence Murray was born on the Donegall RoadDonegall Road
The Donegall Road runs from Shaftesbury Square in Belfast city centre to the Falls Road in west Belfast. It is bisected by the Westlink, and the largest part of the road, prior to the Westlink junction, is predominantly unionist...
in south Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. Her voice's
Human voice
The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal folds for talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, etc. Its frequency ranges from about 60 to 7000 Hz. The human voice is specifically that part of human sound production in which the vocal folds are the primary...
unique sound was partly the result of an operation on her throat in early childhood. She toured as a child singer and first appeared on television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
at the age of 12, having been spotted by producer
Television producer
The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
Richard Afton. Owing to laws governing children performing, Murray had to delay her start in the entertainment industry. She returned to Belfast and full-time education until she was 14.
Chart success
Again spotted by Afton, she was signed to ColumbiaColumbia Graphophone Company
The Columbia Graphophone Company was one of the earliest gramophone companies in the United Kingdom. Under EMI, as Columbia Records, it became a very successful label in the 1950s and 1960s...
and her first single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, "Heartbeat", reached number 3 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
in December 1954. Afton had offered her the position of resident singer on the BBC
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
's Quite Contrary television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
show, to replace Joan Regan
Joan Regan
Joan Regan is a traditional pop music singer from the UK, popular during the 1950s and early 1960s.-Biography:...
. "Softly, Softly
Softly, Softly (song)
"Softly, Softly" is a popular song written in 1955 by Mark Paul and Pierre Dudan, with English lyrics by Paddy Roberts.The most popular version of the song was recorded by Ruby Murray in 1955. Produced by Norrie Paramor, it reached number one in the UK Singles Chart....
", her second single, reached number one in early 1955. That same year Murray set a pop-chart record by having five hits in the Top Twenty in one week, a feat unmatched for many years.
The 1950s was a busy period for Murray, during which she had her own television show, starred at the London Palladium
London Palladium
The London Palladium is a 2,286 seat West End theatre located off Oxford Street in the City of Westminster. From the roster of stars who have played there and many televised performances, it is arguably the most famous theatre in London and the United Kingdom, especially for musical variety...
with Norman Wisdom
Norman Wisdom
Sir Norman Joseph Wisdom, OBE was an English actor, comedian and singer-songwriter best known for a series of comedy films produced between 1953 and 1966 featuring his hapless onscreen character Norman Pitkin...
, appeared in a Royal Command Performance
Royal Command Performance
For the annual Royal Variety Performance performed in Britain for the benefit of the Entertainment Artistes' Benevolent Fund, see Royal Variety Performance...
(1955), and toured the world. In a period of 52 weeks, starting in 1955, Murray constantly had at least one single in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
charts
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
- this at a time when only a Top 20 was listed.
She starred with Frankie Howerd
Frankie Howerd
Francis Alick "Frankie" Howerd OBE was an English comedian and comic actor whose career, described by fellow comedian Barry Cryer as "a series of comebacks", spanned six decades.-Early career:...
and Dennis Price
Dennis Price
Dennis Price was an English actor, remembered for his suave screen roles, particularly Louis Mazzini in Kind Hearts and Coronets, and for his portrayal of the omniscient valet Jeeves in 1960s television adaptations of P. G...
in her only film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
role as Ruby, in the 1956 farce, A Touch of the Sun
A Touch of the Sun (1956 film)
A Touch of the Sun is a 1956 British comedy film directed by Gordon Parry and starring Frankie Howerd, Ruby Murray and Dennis Price. A hall porter is left a large inheritance by one of the residents...
. A couple of hits followed later in the decade; "Goodbye Jimmy, Goodbye", a #10 hit in 1959, was her final appearance in the charts.
EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
put together a compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
of her hits on CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
in 1989, including song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
s that regularly featured in her act; "Mr. Wonderful
Mr. Wonderful (song)
"Mr. Wonderful" is a popular song, written in 1955 written by Jerry Bock, George David Weiss, and Larry Holofcener, as the title song of a Broadway musical starring Sammy Davis Jr....
", "Scarlet Ribbons
Scarlet Ribbons (For Her Hair)
"Scarlet Ribbons " is a popular song. The music was written by Evelyn Danzig and the lyrics by Jack Segal."Scarlet Ribbons" was written in only 15 minutes in 1949 at Danzig's home in Port Washington New York after she invited lyricist Segal to hear her music...
" and "It's the Irish in Me". They updated this with the release of EMI Presents The Magic Of Ruby Murray in 1997, and a triple album, Anthology - The Golden Anniversary Collection in 2005, the 50th anniversary of her peak successes on the charts.
Ruby Murray's name lives on in rhyming slang as the rhyme for curry
Curry
Curry is a generic description used throughout Western culture to describe a variety of dishes from Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Thai or other Southeast Asian cuisines...
, usually with the usage 'ruby' rather than the name in full.
A play about Murray's life, Ruby, written by the Belfast playwright, Marie Jones
Marie Jones
Sarah Marie Jones is a Belfast-based actress and playwright. Born into a working class family, Jones was an actress for several years before turning her hand to writing.-Charabanc/DubbelJoint:...
, opened at the Group Theatre in Belfast in April 2000.
Personal life
During the summer of 1957, while working in BlackpoolBlackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
, Murray met Bernie Burgess, eventually leaving Northern Ireland to live with him in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Burgess became her manager
Management
Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
and the couple became a double act during the 1960s. After her first marriage
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
failed, she married Ray Lamar and lived in Torquay
Torquay
Torquay is a town in the unitary authority area of Torbay and ceremonial county of Devon, England. It lies south of Exeter along the A380 on the north of Torbay, north-east of Plymouth and adjoins the neighbouring town of Paignton on the west of the bay. Torquay’s population of 63,998 during the...
, Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
.
Murray continued performing until close to the end of her life. She died of liver cancer
Hepatocellular carcinoma
Hepatocellular carcinoma is the most common type of liver cancer. Most cases of HCC are secondary to either a viral hepatitide infection or cirrhosis .Compared to other cancers, HCC is quite a rare tumor in the United States...
, aged 61, in December 1996 in Torquay, after a long struggle with alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
.
Singles discography
- "Heartbeat" (1954) - UKUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
number 3 - "Softly, SoftlySoftly, Softly (song)"Softly, Softly" is a popular song written in 1955 by Mark Paul and Pierre Dudan, with English lyrics by Paddy Roberts.The most popular version of the song was recorded by Ruby Murray in 1955. Produced by Norrie Paramor, it reached number one in the UK Singles Chart....
" (1955) - UK number 1 - "Happy Days and Lonely Nights" (1955) - UK number 6
- "Let Me Go LoverLet Me Go, Lover!"Let Me Go, Lover!", a popular song, was written by Jenny Lou Carson and Al Hill, a pseudonym used by Fred Wise, Kathleen Twomey, and Ben Weisman. It is based on an earlier song called "Let Me Go, Devil," about alcoholism. It was featured on the television program Studio One on November 15, 1954,...
" (1955) - UK number 5 - "If Anyone Finds This, I Love You" (1955) - UK number 4 †
- "Evermore" (1955) - UK number 3
- "I'll Come When You Call" (1955) - UK number 6
- "The Very First Christmas Of All (1955) - UK number 9 (Record Mirror)
- "You are My First Love" (1956) - UK number 16
- "Real Love" (1958) - UK number 18
- "Goodbye Jimmy, Goodbye" (1959) - UK number 10
† Ruby Murray with Anne Warren
See also
- List of artists who reached number one on the UK Singles Chart
- List of Irish people
- Culture of Northern IrelandCulture of Northern IrelandThe culture of Northern Ireland relates to the traditions of Northern Ireland and its resident communities.Elements of the culture of Ireland, the culture of Ulster and the culture of the United Kingdom are to be found.-Heritage:...
- List of Belfast people