All of Me Book

We really read very few non-fiction books, and cannot even remember the last time we read a biography. But being a life-long fan of Anne Murray, who turns out to be just one year older than us, somehow this opportunity to learn about one of my favorite singers just seemed right. And a lovely excursion into an incredibly long show business career (50+ years, she just retired in 2008...) this turned out to be. Delivered in a low-profile, conversational tone so typical of her life as a celebrity that was always more interested in her roots and her family than in her own notoriety, reading her story was almost like being invited into her living room for a Saturday afternoon chat -- just pleasant story-telling, equally of the highs and the lows of her lengthy career, by which we learn immensely of a lovely woman and one of the most "solid" performers of our lifetime.

Along the way, we discover much about the music "biz", much of it somewhat disheartening, almost all of it highly informative. We were particularly distressed to find out how much she was forced to tour to promote her own "albums", and how much trouble she had keeping band members sober enough to perform! Fortunately, she herself rarely consumed alcohol; and despite the drug culture rampant in the field, stayed away from the bad stuff.

Along the way, we learn much of her family stories, her own favorite singers, what led to selecting the songs that became hits, how she moved from label to label, from producer to producer, and so on. All in all, a very charming book, highly reflective of the charm of Murray's own persona - no doubt, just as she intended !