Ruby Murray facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ruby Murray |
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Murray in 1969
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Ruby Florence Murray |
| Born | 29 March 1935 Donegall Road, Belfast, Northern Ireland |
| Died | 17 December 1996 (aged 61) Torquay, Devon, England |
| Genres | Traditional popular music |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Years active | 1953–1996 |
| Labels | Columbia (EMI) |
Ruby Florence Murray was a famous singer from Northern Ireland. Born on March 29, 1935, she became super popular in the 1950s, especially in the United Kingdom. She had ten songs make it onto the top music charts between 1954 and 1959.
In March 1955, Ruby even made pop chart history! She had five of her songs in the Top Twenty at the same time. This was a huge achievement that wasn't matched by anyone else for many years.
Contents
Becoming a Star: Ruby's Early Life
Ruby Florence Murray was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. She was the youngest child in her family. When she was just a baby, she had an operation that gave her a special, husky voice.
Ruby started showing her talent early. At age 12, she won a special prize in a public speaking contest. Soon after, she performed at the Ballymena Variety Theatre and got a fantastic reaction from the audience. This led to her touring around Northern Ireland as a child singer.
She even appeared on television when she was 12 years old! A TV producer named Richard Afton noticed her. However, because of rules about kids performing, Ruby had to wait a bit before starting her full-time music career. She went back to school in Belfast until she was 14.
Hitting the Top: Ruby's Big Music Success
In the early 1950s, Ruby stayed busy performing on stage in Northern Ireland. In 1954, she joined a show called "Yankee Doodle Blarney." This show helped her get noticed on stages in England.
Richard Afton, the TV producer, then offered her a job as a singer on the BBC show Quite Contrary. She was replacing another singer, Joan Regan. On her first show, another music expert, Ray Martin, saw her perform.
Soon, Ruby signed a record deal with Columbia. Her first song, "Heartbeat," became a big hit, reaching number 3 on the UK charts in December 1954. Her next song, "Softly, Softly," went all the way to number one in early 1955!
That same year, Ruby set her amazing record. She had five songs in the Top Twenty at the same time. The Guinness Book of World Records confirmed in 2014 that this record was still unbroken by a female singer as of February 2019.
The 1950s were a very busy time for Ruby. She even had her own television show. She performed at the famous London Palladium with comedian Norman Wisdom. She also appeared in a special show for the Royal Family in 1955. Ruby even toured around the world!
For a whole year, from December 1954 to November 1955, Ruby always had at least one song on the UK charts. Back then, only the Top 20 songs were listed.
Ruby also acted in one movie, a comedy called A Touch of the Sun (1956). She had a couple more hits later in the 1950s. "Goodbye Jimmy, Goodbye" reached number 10 in 1959. This was her last song to appear on the main charts.
Later, her record company, EMI, released collections of her songs. These included her hits and other popular songs she sang. EMI Presents The Magic of Ruby Murray came out in 1997. In 2005, a four-CD album called Anthology – The Golden Anniversary Collection was released. This celebrated 50 years since her biggest chart successes.
Ruby's Lasting Impact
Ruby Murray's popularity was so great that her name became part of a special kind of slang in London called rhyming slang. "Ruby Murray" became a rhyming way to say "curry" (the food). You might even hear the phrase "have a ruby" in the BBC TV show Only Fools and Horses.
Her life story has also been told in plays. A play called Ruby, written by Marie Jones, opened in Belfast in 2000. Another play about her, by Michael Cameron, opened in Belfast in 2019 and was very popular.
Ruby's Personal Life
In 1957, Ruby met Bernie Burgess in Blackpool. He was a singer in a group called the Four Jones Boys. Ruby later moved to Northampton to marry him. Bernie was a supportive husband. They even performed together in Ruby's shows during the 1960s.
Their marriage ended in 1976. Ruby then moved to Torquay to live with an old friend, Ray Lamar. Ray was a former dancer and theatre manager. They got married in 1991.
Ruby had two children with Bernie: Julie (born in 1960) and Tim (born in 1965). Sadly, Tim passed away unexpectedly in 2020 at age 55.
Even though she was no longer a huge star, Ruby kept performing almost until the end of her life. In her last years, she lived in a nursing home. She often sang for her caregivers and was visited by her friend, the famous entertainer Max Bygraves. Ruby passed away on December 17, 1996, at the age of 61, due to illness.
Ray Lamar, her second husband, passed away in 2005 at age 87.
Ruby Murray's Hit Songs
Here are some of Ruby Murray's songs that made it onto the UK charts:
- "Heartbeat" (1954) – UK number 3
- "Softly, Softly" (1955) – UK number 1
- "Happy Days and Lonely Nights" (1955) – UK number 6
- "Let Me Go Lover" (1955) – UK number 5
- "If Anyone Finds This, I Love You" (1955) – UK number 4 (with Anne Warren)
- "Evermore" (1955) – UK number 3
- "I'll Come When You Call" (1955) – UK number 6
- "The Very First Christmas of All" (1955) – UK number 9
- "You are My First Love" (1956) – UK number 16
- "Real Love" (1958) – UK number 18
- "Goodbye Jimmy, Goodbye" (1959) – UK number 10
You can find more of her songs on the official Ruby Murray website: this page.
See also
- List of artists who reached number one on the UK Singles Chart
- List of Northern Irish people
- Culture of Northern Ireland
- List of Belfast people
