RUBY MURRAY – "Softly, Softly"

This is another one I first heard in a version by Kathy Kirby, I think. I haven’t anything else to say. It’s pleasant but unexciting and it’s hard to imagine it with extra chilli.

Light Entertainment Watch: Again, so many television apperances, all missing;

COMEDY BANDBOX: with Terry Scott and Hugh Lloyd, Ruby Murray and Bernard Burgess, Charlie Cairoli, Joe Church, Ray Fell, Lynton Boys (1963)

THE GOLDEN SHOT: with Bob Monkhouse, Ronnie Carroll, Ruby Murray (1968)

SATURDAY BANDBOX: with Norman Evans, Richard Hearne, Ken Platt, Ruby Murray, Bernard Burgess, Johnny More (1962)

SATURDAY SHOWTIME: Ruby Murray (1956)

SIX-FIVE SPECIAL: with The Six-Five Dates, Ruby Murray, Ronnie Carroll, Russ Conway, Audrey Jeans, Vince Eager, Craig Douglas, Frank Cook, Billy Raymond, The Tracy Sisters (1958)

SUNDAY NIGHT AT THE LONDON PALLADIUM (VAL PARNELL’S …..): with The London Palladium Girls, Bruce Forsyth, The London Palladium Orchestra, Ruby Murray, Jewel & Warriss, Terry Thomas, Alma Cogan, Leslie Mitchell, Howard Jones and Reg Arnold (1955)

SUNDAY NIGHT AT THE LONDON PALLADIUM (VAL PARNELL’S …..): with The London Palladium Girls, The London Palladium Orchestra, Bruce Forsyth, The Daily Mirror Disc Festival, Max Bygraves, Eddie Calvert, Alma Cogan, Ted Heath and his Music, Ruby Murray, Joan Regan (1955)

SUNDAY NIGHT AT THE LONDON PALLADIUM (VAL PARNELL’S …..): with Bruce Forsyth, The Daily Mirror Disc Festival, Winifred Atwell, Eddie Calvert, Alma Cogan, Lonnie Donegan With His Skiffle Group, Ted Heath, Ronnie Hilton, Ruby Murray, Anne Shelton (1956)

Two later programmes survive, though;

RUSSELL HARTY PLUS: with Ruby Murray, Frankie Howerd, Sheila Graham (1973)

WOGAN: with Derek Bell, Dream Academy, Roley McIntyre, Clare Maxwell Hudson, Ruby Murray (1985)

Второйнах XD

An interesting interpretation there, Paulito – next time I listen, I’ll try to think of that!

“The shy young girl from Belfast” tagline springs to mind; her voice here has that quality to it. I think she was the youngest female singer to top the UK charts in the 50s – she was only 19 when this was #1. As a certain Mr Cowell might say, she had the ‘likeability factor’. Not her best record by any means, but it symbolises the 50s (or how we think of it?) remarkably well.

Funnily enough, Ruby herself cut a beat version ten years later (the first #1 we can say that for)! It’s a bit more of a Tikka Masala than the original Korma…

I aggree with Paulo. She won my heart with Softly Softly. I was 5 years younger (14). She sounded young, sweet and vulnerable.

I’d go 4/10 for this, too. Nothing terrible, but nothing to really grab your attention either. Ask people to imagine pop music before Elvis, and I bet they’d think of something that sounded like this.