Anne Murray has been celebrated around the world for decades and this year, to mark her 80th birthday, her fans wanted to give something back to the iconic Nova Scotia singer. The result is a new book filled with personal stories about the lives Murray has touched. “People just have these incredible stories. And I thought, why don’t we try to gather them all in a book that we can present to Anne for her 80th birthday,” Charlie Rhindress told CTV Atlantic’s Katie Kelly. Rhindress, the outreach co-ordinator at the Anne Murray Centre in Springhill, N.S., led the project. His idea became “Thank You, Anne!” featuring stories from around the world. “I’ve heard so many fan stories about how much Anne’s music means to them or it’s the song they danced to at their wedding, or like there was one guy who saw her in concert 116 times,” he said. Rhindress added it wasn’t difficult to get submissions for the book. “We literally put one call out at the Anne Murray Centre. We posted it on Facebook and we got over 100 almost immediately,” he said. The result is a collection that captures all sides of Murray’s legacy. “Some of them are incredibly moving. And some of them are funny,” said Rhindress. He presented the book to Murray this summer at the anniversary of the Anne Murray Centre and read her a few stories. “And she actually said, ‘Stop, Charlie, you’re going to make me cry,’ because there were a couple really touching ones,” he said. The book also includes memories from some of Murray’s peers, like Canadian country singer Carroll Baker. “Carol appeared on one of Anne’s television specials a number of years ago, and she sent in a really sweet story about how helpful and supportive Anne was. And I read that to her and she seemed to be really touched by that,” Rhindress said. For Murray’s supporters, the book is more than just a keepsake. “It will probably help them realize they’re not alone,” said Rhindress. “Thank You, Anne!” is a limited-edition book and is only available through the Anne Murray Centre. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
