Nova Scotia-born Anne Murray built her musical influences from the pop sounds that her parents listened to (Rosemary Clooney, Perry Como) and the Top 40 sounds that AM New York radio stations piped into Canada (Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley, Brenda Lee).

Originally, Anne intended to work as a physical-education instructor, but she continued to pursue an interest in music. After she was turned down for a spot on a national TV show called “Sing-a-long Jubilee,” she received a call from the show’s producer two years later. He offered her a chance to make records, and when she agreed to record, Anne found herself with a million-selling “crossover single” in 1970,“Snowbird.”

Murray was frequently at odds with the trappings of success - she even performed barefoot in Las Vegas - and when she got married, in 1975, she seemingly dropped out of the business.

With her family established, Anne started working in 1978 with a new producer, Jim Ed Norman, who returned her to prominence with “Walk Right Back” and the million-selling follow-up, “You Needed Me.” Throughout the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, Murray successfully walked the line between country and pop with a rich alto voice and a knack for romantic material.

Murray entered her period of greatest commercial success in 1978, as a “cover” of “Walk Right Back” climbed to number four on the country charts, followed shortly afterward by “You Needed Me,” her biggest hit since “Snowbird.” The single reached number four on the country charts and topped the pop charts, going gold by the end of the year.

For the next eight years, Anne had a virtually uninterrupted string of Top Ten country hits. Over the years, Anne’s recordings have seldom been off the charts. Her 31 albums have sold more than 30 million worldwide. She is the proud recipient of four Grammy Awards, 31 Juno Awards, and a star at Hollywood. Anne also has the distinction of being the first Canadian solo female artist to receive a gold record in the U.S. (“Snowbird” in 1970).

Q. First of all, Anne, let’s establish your musical identity. Some people categorize you as a country singer, while still others insist you are a pop vocalist. You have enjoyed the success that comes in this business by establishing yourself as a “cross over singer.” Does that bug you?

A. No, not really. I don’t really care what people call me. It used to bother me, but not any more.

Q. Was it the popularity of the song “Snow Bird” that put you in the “country niche?”

A. When “Snow Bird” first came out, people began automatically classified it as a country song, and I guess it was only natural for them to call me a country singer. But, one day I said, “You know, that’s not really true, because I don’t do country music. And then I started to learn something about country music and now I sing a lot of country music.

Q. Were you offended that you were being called a country singer?

A, Oh no, not at all. Country music is wonderful music as far as I’m concerned, it’s just that I never saw myself as a country singer, then, and I thought it was being kinda phony to say I was a country singer, just so I could get a lot of air play of my song on country radio stations.

Q. Your roots were in rock music, were they not?

A. Actually, I was trained to sing opera, but all I really cared about was rock and roll.

Q. In your musical shows, you perform other selections besides country tunes don’t you?

A. Oh, yeah, it just happens that most of my hit records have all had steel guitars on them. Actually, I sing what ever songs I want, and most of them aren’t country tunes. But, every now and then a good country song comes along and I do it.

Q. What single personality has had the most influence on your singing style?

A. Probably Dusty Springfield. I’ve idolized her forever. And, of course I went through that rock and roll era of Bobby Darin , Elvis and Buddy Holly. I was crazy about those guys.

Q. When you heard musical hits on the radio by your favorite artists, did you sing along with them like typical music fans do?

A. Always. I enjoyed it because it was a lot of fun. I never thought too much at the time about becoming a recording artist and making my living as a singer. I never was exposed to much show biz stuff when I was growing up. Nova Scotia wasn’t exactly the show business capital of the world, if you know what I mean.

Q. Were you surprised when you suddenly became a star?

A. Was I! When “Snow Bird” came out, I was still living in Nova Scotia. Talk about weird. The record was a million-seller and here I was still living in this little town far away from all the bright lights and hullabaloo.

Q. What was it like, growing up in Nova Scotia?

A. Well, when I think back on it, it’s pretty amazing. It was like a big cloud was hovering over my head. Springfield was a disaster-ridden town. A coal mining town has that kind of a tradition.

Q. Was it depressing for you, growing up in that kind of an atmosphere?

A. It was difficult. I remember standing there and waiting for my friends’ fathers being brought up from the mines. It was just awful. There were two major mine disasters when I was a kid. One when I was 11 and one when I was 13. There were 150 men who lost their lives. It left an awful big hole in a town the size of Springfield, which had a population then of about 5,000 people. Fortunately, for me, my dad wasn’t a coal miner. He was a doctor, whose clinic was in town.

Q. Before you became a singer, you were a physical education teacher. Were you a good athlete?

A. Not especially, but I did have a lot of fun. In Novia Scotia, there wasn’t much to do for entertainment, so we played a lot of competitive games for recreation. Since most of the men and the older guys worked in the mines, there was a shortage of baseball players. It was hard to find enough guys to play on a team. Believe it or not, I played center field on the boys baseball team. Playing baseball probably helped give me a competitive edge.

Q. Reflecting back on your youth, would you say it was detrimental to you, growing up in a coal mining community?

A. No, in many ways, it was good for me. People who live and work in a coal mining town come from very strong stock. They’re very resilient. They bounce back. There may be a disaster , for instance, in the mines, but, the mines are eventually opened up again, and they go right back down in there and start all over again. They never give up. I think I benefited from being around that kind atmosphere. It set a good example for me that I remembered in later years. Another thing about coal mining towns is that they have a big tradition for singing. Everybody in my home town sang. That’s what we did mostly for recreation.

Q. Were you always so gifted as a singer? Or, did the skill come to you naturally?

A. Not at all. I certainly wasn’t considered “unusual,” being a singer. Everybody else sang, too. And, I wasn’t any better than anybody else, either, at that time.

Q. You never really thought about becoming a professional singer, then?

A. No, never. In fact, I was teaching physical e education when I was approached about performing, and I immediately said, “Oh, I can’t do that for a living. It’s too unstable and I’m much too insecure. But, I finally relented, against my better judgment at the time, and decided to give it a try.

Q. How long have you been performing?
A. Since 1968.

Q. What particular phase in your show business career do you remember as the most rewarding? Would it be recording “Snowbird” or performing for thousands in a concert hall?

A. The thing that I remember most was when I went to the North West Territory. People thought I was crazy. My manager and agent almost disowned me. But, I just wanted to go entertain people who were not accustomed to all the stuff everybody else takes for granted. I just wanted to have some fun and do something for no money for a change. Originally, I was singing just because I liked to do it. What happens is, all these stars get all this notoriety and become millionaires, and they lose track of what life is really all about. I didn’t want that to happen to me. So, every now and then I have to take a break and get my feet back down on the ground again. The two weeks I performed was the most therapeutic thing I’ve ever done. I didn’t make a cent, but it was really a shot in the arm, It kept me going for the next two years.

Q. Were the concerts free?

A. Oh, no, we charged the people 50 cents and a dollar.

Q. Where did you perform?

A. Everywhere, in school houses, at outdoor ice skating rinks, whatever. The only auditoriums they had were in the schools. I remember, one place we played, they nearly had a riot because the little auditorium wouldn’t hold everybody. They ran out of tickets in one day, so we had to do the show at the ice rink. It was freezing cold. I remember that there were kids sitting down front all along the ice, because they didn’t have any chairs. So they sat on their coats. Some of them had to actually be dug out of the ice after the concert. What a treat. Another place we went was Churchill on the Hudson Bay. That was like the end of the world. I don’t know how people lived there. I just know they drank a lot. It was an amazing experience. I’ll never forget it, as long as I live.