Ruby Murray

Ruby Murray was a huge star in the 1950s, becoming a household name with her prolific output of hit singles. The young girl from Belfast started out as a child performer but due to laws governing children being employed in the entertainment industry had to postpone her professional singing career until she reached the appropriate age. She was signed to Columbia Records in 1954 and her first single 'Heartbeat' went to number three later that year. Her follow-up 'Softly, Softly' reached number one early in 1955 and in the same year enjoyed six more top ten hits. Incredibly, at one time she had five singles in the top 20 all in the same week - a feat unheard of at the time, and during 1955 she had at least one song in the top 20 for the entire 52 week run of the charts. Murray, whose distinctive, slightly husky voice was the result of a childhood throat operation, went on to host her own TV show. Her single 'Goodbye Jimmy, Goodbye' released in 1959 was to be her final chart hit reaching number ten. She remained in the music business almost up until her death from liver cancer in 1996 at the age of 61.