Murray, Ruby (1935–1996)

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Murray, Ruby (1935–1996)

Irish pop singer. Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in March 1935; died of liver cancer in Torquay, England, December 17, 1996.

Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in 1935, Ruby Murray moved to England in 1953, at age 19; within months, her first pop recording, "Heartbeat," had sold 200,000 copies. With her sweet and slightly sultry voice, she followed that with another huge seller, "Softly, Softly." By 1955, these two recordings, along with "Happy Days and Lonely Nights," "Let Me Go Lover," and "If Anyone Finds This I Love You," were all on Britain's Top 20 in the same week, a record still unbroken. Her early success carried a downside: Murray endured a long battle with alcoholism before her death in 1996.

suggested reading:

Moules, Joan. Ruby Murray. Cheltenham, England: Evergreen, 1995.

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