The soft rock genre has led to a long list of classics that generations of fans can’t forget, from heartfelt ballads to radio hits. A song is sometimes only as good as its singer, with Anne Murray named the best voice in the genre.
Grunge released a list of some of the most notable and unforgettable soft rock vocals, from obvious entries like Karen Carpenter to Eagles bassist Timothy B. Schmidt. Actor and singer Barbara Streisand also made the list, alongside powerhouse vocalist Celine Dion. Canadian singer Anne Murray took the top spot.
Murray dabbled in an array of genres throughout her 40-year career, including country, pop, soft rock, and adult contemporary. She sold millions of copies and became the first Canadian solo singer to ever reach No.1 on the US charts.
“What distinguished Murray from the other soft rock singers of the day was her warm alto; she could soothe without becoming saccharine. She could appeal as much to country fans as to soft rock lovers, finding common ground with a sound that didn’t feel affected or contrived,” wrote Grunge.
She began her career in the 1960’s when she was cast in Singalong Jubilee after teaching physical education in high school. By 1968, she released her first album, What About Me, with its leading track of the same title becoming a sizable radio hit.
It was only a year later that Murray got her big break when she released her lead single, “Snowbird,” from her album This Way Is My Way. The track hit No. 1 in Canada and No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1970. The track launched her career and was her first No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart, which earned a Gold record.
The singer soon entered the charts with notable covers and her own work, with “You Needed Me” in 1978 becoming the biggest hit of her career. It landed at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, with the soft rock track having revitalized her career after years of declining popularity.
Randy Goodrum had written the ballad, with reports claiming that Murray immediately began crying the first time she tried to record it. She knew “You Needed Me” would become a hit.
“Four years is quite a long time between hit songs,” says Murray. “At least it was in those days. As an artist, you do start to get a bit uneasy, but I had also just become a mother for the first time, so I had other things on my mind. Sometimes that works well because you’re not as nervous or scared and scrambling. ‘You Needed Me’ just seemed to come into my life at the right moment, and everything else aligned,” she explained.
Related: 1962 Hit, a No.1 Cover for George Harrison, Is Still a Powerful Rock Classic 64 Years Later
It won Song of the Year at the Academy of Country Music Awards and earned her the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 21st Grammy Awards. The honor was the first to ever be given to a Canadian artist. Murray’s song even became a soap opera favorite on Guiding Light.
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