Anne Murray's Friends Stage an "Intervention"

1/15/2008 Stephen L. Betts Anne Murray thought she had recorded her last album, but now admits she’s happy her label and management talked her into doing one more. Anne Murray Duets: Friends & Legends hits stores today and includes the Canadian singer’s collaborations with Shania Twain, Martina McBride and Emmylou Harris, among others. Although she says the initial meetings were like “an intervention” with her manager and label executives trying to convince her to do another recording, Anne says she wasn't interested until they began talking about her doing some of her classic hits as duets with a few of her music-industry friends and peers. And once legendary producer Phil Ramone (Billy Joel, Barbra Streisand) signed on for the project, Anne says everything began to fall into place. In addition to Martina (“Danny's Song”), Shania (“You Needed Me”) and Emmylou (“Cotton Jenny”), the album features Anne’s duets with Amy Grant (“Could I Have This Dance”), the Indigo Girls (“A Little Good News”), and Anne's daughter Dawn Langstroth (“Nobody Loves Me Like You Do”). ANNE MURRAY BY THE NUMBERS: 50+ hits on the country chart 25 Top 10 country hits 10 No. 1 country songs 3 weeks at No. 1 in 1979 with “I Just Fall in Love Again” 4 Top 10 pop hits, including the No. 1 “You Needed Me” 1983 CMA Single of the Year (“A Little Good News”) 1985 CMA Vocal Duo of the Year award (“Nobody Loves Me Like You Do,” w/Dave Loggins)