This day in music - November 16, 1970: Anne Murray's "Snowbird" is certified a Gold record

By Richard K. Barry

I remember very well when Anne Murray's "Snowbird" was released. My clearest recollection is of being in a junior high school art class in which we had to pick a favourite song to render as a drawing.

I have some talents, but none of the visual arts are among them. I recall creating a hideous blue and white thing coloured in with pieces of what I think we called pastels. It was terrible, but I've never held it against Anne Murray or "Snowbird."

It's a good song, written by Canadian songwriter Gene MacLellan. Gene was from Prince Edward Island, one of the prettier places in Canada. Anne Murray hailed from Nova Scotia, so they were both native to what we call the Atlantic Provinces in Canada.

MacLellan also wrote a song with which many might be familiar called "Put Your Hand in the Hand," and although it was first recorded by Murray, the Canadian group Ocean had a hit with it in 1971.

But back to Anne. She has received four Grammy Awards, 24 Junos (the Canadian Grammys), three American Music Awards, and three Country Music Association Awards.

She was also the first Canadian female solo singer to reach #1 on the U.S. charts, and also the first to earn a Gold record for a signature song, "Snowbird."

I'll bet you didn't know that "Snowbird" was recorded by both Bing Crosby and Elvis Presley. I didn't.

Here's a performance of the song by Ms. Murray from 1973:

(Cross-posted at Lippmann's Ghost.)