Legend of song took pop charts by storm but had troubled life

The latest in a series on significant people who lived in Torbay in the 20th century

RUBY MURRAY

Florence Campbell Murray (Ruby Murray) was born in Belfast in Northern Ireland in 1935 and developed a very special voice.
Spotted by the age of 12 by TV producer Richard Afton he realised she would be unable to perform until she was 14. She remained at school until then before then her first single Heartbeat reached No 1 in 1955.

By 1957 she was in Blackpool's Summer Show where she met Bernie Burgess - member of the Jones Boys Group - and 10 days later they married. He became her touring manager and part of a double act.

Ruby's deep voice is believed to have been created after a doctor operated on her swollen throat glands when she was six. Later Ruby jokingly remarked 'it was actually my mother's fault as she was forever leaving me outside in the rain and I got rusty'.

When Afton finally reappeared when witnessing a performance of her Irish version of Heartbeat (already her theme tune) it confirmed his earlier thoughts and immediately he arranged a contract with Columbia Records for her next song Softly Softly. It was also an instant hit and now her chosen theme that lasted for life. Ruby became the first female to get five singles in the top twenty pop charts simultaneously, until eventually Madonna dominated pop during the 1980s.

Having fronted her own television show, she joined Norman Wisdom in Painting the Town (a rival show) before topping the bill at the London Palladium for seven successive months during 1955. Now she employed a great friend the impresario Ray Lamar who became her recording manager and musical director and soon Softly, Softly was joined by Happy Days and Lonely Nights, Let Me Go Lover and If Anyone Finds this I Love You', titles that all became eeringly prophetic later in her life.

Having made her debut at London Palladium she then performed at an Annual Royal Command Performance before making her first film - A Touch of the Sea.

When her career eventually peaked, Ruby wanted to return to Northern Ireland but Bernie wished to remain in England and over the next 16 years they produced two children, Julie and Tim, until Ruby admitted to having had many affairs which in 1974 resulted in their divorce. Having lost a legal petition to retain her children, Bernie was finally awarded custody of both. Meanwhile, her unmistakable husky voice made Ruby quite unique and she would never be mimicked. She admitted later - losing the children was the most difficult time of her life although success did return fleetingly when making a new single Change Your Mind and an album - which included songs like Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head highly successful in America. Frank Sinatra stated: “You’re a hell of a great singer and I am your greatest fan”. While in Britain Frankie Vaughan remarked: “She was a smashing lady – I rate her voice among the best - unique, beautiful and instantly recognisable.”

It was in Torquay that Ruby celebrated her 44th birthday, a time when she admitted preferring seasonal shows on television as she hated flying. However, this did not stop her fulfil a weekly commitment to commute to a Summer Show at Scarborough while then returning South for a commitment in cabaret. Her final songs You Are My First Love, Real Love and Goodbye Jimmy were all by 1958/9 while Ruby using her ability to adapt even sang country and western which she always maintained was similar to Irish ballad.

Later though, suffering from serious alcoholism, her old friend and business partner of the past, Ray Lamar, returned and they were married in 1993. Living at Victoria Parade in Torquay, she sang locally in Paignton and Torquay while she and her husband were said to be virtually inseparable. Ruby Murray finally died at the early age of 61 in Torbay Hospital on December 17, 1996.