Anne Murray's New All-Star Collaborative Album, 'Anne Murray Duets: Friends & Legends,' Enjoys Strong Debut Across Several Billboard Charts: #8 Country; #3 Internet; #42 Top 200

Anne Murray's New All-Star Collaborative Album, 'Anne Murray Duets: Friends & Legends,' Enjoys Strong Debut Across Several Billboard Charts: #8 Country; #3 Internet; #42 Top 200

New Duets Album Pairs Music Legend Anne Murray with a Who's-Who of Top Female Recording Artists, Including Martina McBride, Amy Grant, Nelly Furtado, Carole King, k.d. lang, Shelby Lynne, Olivia Newton-John, Shania Twain and More

Anne Murray to Tour to Several U.S. Cities in February and March

NEW YORK, Jan. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Anne Murray's new all-star collaborative album, Anne Murray Duets: Friends & Legends, debuts this week at #8 on Billboard's Country chart and at #42 on Billboard's Top 200 Albums chart with first week CD and digital album sales totaling 13,091. Released by Manhattan/EMI America Records on January 15, Duets: Friends & Legends, a 17-track collection of Murray's top hits and favorites newly recorded as duets with some of the world's top female recording artists, also bows at #3 on Billboard's Internet chart, with online CD sales totaling 2,534 for the week.

Anne Murray Duets: Friends & Legends showcases a wide variety of Anne's favorite female vocalists. Among the album's tracks and collaborating artists are "Snowbird" with Sarah Brightman, "You Needed Me" with Shania Twain, "Nobody Loves Me Like You Do" with Anne's daughter Dawn Langstroth, "Danny's Song" with Martina McBride, "Another Pot O' Tea" with Emmylou Harris, "A Little Good News" with Indigo Girls, "Cotton Jenny" with Olivia Newton-John, "Could I Have This Dance" with Amy Grant, "Daydream Believer" with Nelly Furtado, "A Love Song" with k.d. lang, "Time Don't Run Out On Me" with the song's writer, Carole King, and more.

In 1979, Anne and Dusty Springfield each recorded the song "I Just Fall In Love Again." Anne's version became a hit single that garnered her Canada's Juno Award for "Single of the Year" in 1980. Anne and Dusty remained friends until Dusty's passing in 1999, and for Anne, releasing an album with this type of sisterly theme wouldn't seem complete without Dusty's inclusion. With the blessing of the Springfield family and estate, a new version pairing Dusty's original with Anne's newly recorded vocals is featured on the album.

Anne Murray Duets: Friends & Legends was produced by one of the most respected music producers in the world, Phil Ramone (Tony Bennett, Bob Dylan, Elton John, Barbra Streisand, Billy Joel), who counts 14 Grammy Awards and 32 Grammy nominations among his many honors. Together, Anne and Phil decided they would treat the songs on their own terms and not adhere rigidly to the arrangements of Anne's classic versions. While Anne had designs on how she imagined the arrangements, she gave Phil free rein to rework the songs.

"We approached the sessions as if we were just handed these songs and told to make this record," explains Ramone. "While arrangements were changed, there are also licks on some songs that I didn't mess with. We stayed true to the song."

Working with Anne for the first time, Ramone adds, was an easy task. "What I love about Anne is there are no words minced about whatever she feels," he says. "This is not a person you have to think, 'Will she tell me the truth?' When we met for a few hours in Michigan before we started, we agreed we wanted to bring some daring ideas and some freshness to this album."

"I said to Phil," joked Anne, "The only reason I asked you was that I'm the only singer left that you haven't worked with!"

"I've done duets throughout my career," Anne says. "I did duets when I started out on (CBC Television's) 'Singalong Jubilee.' I did a duets album in 1971 with Glen Campbell. Growing up I did lot of group singing at school and sang with my brothers. I've always loved singing harmony."

Music icon Anne Murray has sold more than 50 million albums in a distinguished career that spans four decades. Since releasing her debut album in 1967, Murray has been honored with a spectacular number of awards. She is the proud recipient of four Grammy Awards, three American Music Awards, three Country Music Association Awards, three Canadian Country Music Association Awards and twenty-four Juno Awards. Anne has also been honored with the Legacy Award from the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame (2006), the East Coast Music Association Directors' Special Achievement Award (2001), induction into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame (2002), and induction into the Juno Hall of Fame (1993).

Anne Murray will tour to several U.S. cities in February and March. For updates and additional information, visit Anne Murray's official Website: www.annemurray.com.

Anne Murray: Confirmed U.S. Tour Dates

FEBRUARY

09 Providence, RI Providence Performing Arts Center
10 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun
12 Lancaster, PA American Music Theatre
13 Lancaster, PA American Music Theatre
14 Shippensburg, PA H. Ric Luhrs Performing Arts Center at
Shippensburg University
16 New York, NY Avery Fisher Hall
17 Morristown, NJ Community Theatre at the Mayo Center for the
Performing Arts
18 Red Bank, NJ Count Basie Theatre
20 Greenville, SC Peace Concert Hall - The Peace Center
22 Sarasota, FL Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall
23 Clearwater, FL Ruth Eckerd Hall
24 Clearwater, FL Ruth Eckerd Hall
26 Melbourne, FL Maxwell C. King Center for Performing Arts
27 West Palm Beach, FL Kravis Center
28 Coral Springs, FL Coral Springs Center for the Arts

MARCH

03 Lakeland, FL The Lakeland Center - Youkey Theatre
04 Lakeland, FL The Lakeland Center - Youkey Theatre
06 Fort Myers, FL Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall
08 Silver Springs, FL Silver Springs Park - Twin Mansion Theatre
09 Jacksonville, FL Times Union Center - Moran Theatre
11 Columbus, GA River Center for the Performing Arts
12 Knoxville, TN Tennessee Theatre
13 Charleston, SC North Charleston Performing Arts Center
15 Myrtle Beach, SC Alabama Theatre
16 Charlotte, NC Belk Theatre
18 Bethesda, MD The Music Center at Strathmore
19 Easton, PA State Theatre
20 Lowell, MA Memorial Auditorium

Photo: NewsCom:

http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080123/NYW138
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Manhattan/EMI America Records

CONTACT: Melani Rogers, Manhattan Records-Blue Note Label Group,
+1-212-786-8637, melani.rogers@emimusic.com; or Jennifer Ballantyne, EMI Music
Marketing, +1-323-872-5494, jennifer.ballantyne@emicap.com

Web site:

http://www.manhattanrecords.com/
http://www.annemurray.com/

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