Carry Me was the first BIG single from The Stampeders; the band was breaking at the same time as... Anne Murray! [center][/center] [center][img width=450px]//7ca49eb9f67ba1319ef136f9d52cd8b8.cdn.bubble.io/f1729992562675x864330369780260700/richtext_content.png[/img][/center] [center][/center] [b][size=4]Murray and Stampeders wow Toronto audience[/size][/b] Friday April 16th. is a day which will go down as being the turning point in Canadian (Torontonian anyway) apathy towards Canadian performers. In fact, the reception afforded Capitol recording artist, Anne Murray, and the Stampeders who record for Music World Creations, put them in the class of true artists rather than performers. So great was the response for tickets it was necessary to schedule two extra shows for the following day, Saturday. Both shows drew capacity houses. Perhaps the big surprise of the Friday evening concert was the Stampeders, who opened. They were tight, highly talented and moved through their routine which included good, clean humour, with the ease of true professionals. A&A's manager, Bob Martin, showed a stroke of genius when he pressured for the inclusion of this smooth-as-clockwork trio of talent. They opened with their next release, "Sweet City Woman", penned by group member, Rich Dodson, and carried through with some of the songs which have made them one of the top groups in Ontario, including their big one, "Carry Me". One Toronto critic revealed his lack of knowledge of the Canadian scene in his haste to put down the group by coming up with the strange finding that the Stampeders were a group from the west and this was where they had been performing for the past seven years. The group has, in fact, been an important part of the Upper Canada scene for several years. A recent article in the Tely's After Four supplement, laid down a pretty good piece of information on the Stampeders. It was not unusual for a Toronto critic to tear apart one of the acts on the show, particularly a Canadian one. But this critic must have been filing his story by telephone while the predominantly middle-of-the-road audience was giving the Stampeders a standing ovation. They wouldn't let go until they were promised an encore a rarity for Toronto audiences. During intermission, one observer noted; "The Stampeders will be a tough act to follow." Miss Murray's musicians almost let her down. While the pretty young Maritimer was waiting for her cue-there wasn't one- she just bounced on the stage in hot pants and bare feet and pulled one of the longest ovations ever heard in old Massey Hall. She could have been. on stage alone, or with a full symphony orchestra, it didn't matter-the audience had come to see Anne Murray. She opened with "Snowbird" and went through a faultless and highly professional set that couldn't have bored even the most retarded critic. Her rapport with the audience was something one might expect from a much more seasoned performer. She asked how many Maritimers were in the audience and half the house broke into applause. Quipped Miss Murray: "You can't take them anywhere and you can't get away from them." If the saga of "Just Annie" fits our Anne Murray, this beautiful package of Canadian talent power was sure not letting on. She was a trouper right through to her encore. Welcome to Toronto Anne Murray.
