Ruby Murray Official Site

I am really sorry to read this Bernie. Sorry on two counts - one for not being able to complete my collection of Ruby Murray CDs with the outstanding Fontana and Decca tracks, and two for all the hassle that you have been through in spite of all the goodwill you have shown in providing personal memorabilia towards the release. In this day and age of electronic communications, it takes no time at all to show some courtesy to you for all the help you have given, by responding to a telephone call or email or posting that you have made.

I hope you get an apology for being kept in the dark, and more than that, I hope you get all your personal items back in your possession.

Gerald and all Friends/Fans,

I have all but given up on trying to get Chris Adams to show some courtesy to all of us but since Barry Bee (from Whirligig) unearthed more details regarding Chris Adams I have found an email address which might conceivably be one he uses in connection with his Ukip activities. I will give that a try, but of course he could still recognise my name from my emaill address and do what he has done to date - block it! (????)

Friends,

I have recently found another email address for Chris Adams and have sent the following request to him.

Hello Chris,

My reason for contacting you is to request the return of the data that I dispatched to you for use in your proposed project of releasing all of Ruby's Fontana ( and some Decca) recordings. I feel confident that you will respect my request because there are items amongst the data that I dispatched to you that are of a personal nature and I wouldn't want them used elsewhere.

Gerald Lawrence, (the technical 'whiz' from Ruby's website), and I searched endlessly trying to discover who eventually owned the Fontana Master Tapes. If it's your intention not to proceed I appeal to your kindness in letting us know who the owners are so that we can approach them with a view to perhaps persuading them to transfer the tapes to C.D.s

Regards. Bernie (Burgess) email : - bernieburgess2@gmail.com

Take it you never heard anything on this Bernie?

You are right Martin, I've heard nothing at all,

It takes all sorts to make a world.

Hi Gerard
If Timmer cant solve the problem with loading the Fontana tracks in the library how about putting them on youtube .
All the best for 2015
Will

Well it seems that we are not likely to get any kind of response about these missing Philips/Fontana records any day soon.

The good news as you may have read in another thread is that I am now able to upload photographs to the library, so I should be able to do the same for music mp3s. Therefore, over the next few weeks I will turn my attention to making available the missing tracks so that people can download them and listen to them. They will be in quite good quality as they are taken from records which I purchased from Ebay that were in very good or excellent condition. I have also passed them through some music cleaning software and I am sure you will enjoy listening to them as the next best thing to a CD from the tape masters.

As soon as - or should I say "If ever" - a CD becomes available to buy with them on, then I will advertise it here and be happy to remove the mp3 files if requested by whoever owns the copyright. But until that day comes, we should be allowed to share these rare items in as good a quality as I can get. So - watch and listen to this space.

I have successfully uploaded a new copy of Ballyshannon and this works for me, so hopefully it will for those who wish to download a good copy of it. It is in the Library under Songs and I will place next to it the rest of the 8 songs not released on CD.

What a beautiful song this is - it has been a real pleasure listening to it again while getting it ready for uploading.

Thanks Gerald
The upload of Ballyshannon workes fine
Will

Friends,

I have just this minute returned to my apartment from house and dog sitting for my nephew and his wife and have tried to catch up with emails and post. I listened to the latest 'upload' that Gerald has placed in the 'Song' section of the Library. I was captivated by everything about the recording, the song, the arrangement and Ruby's vocal. I can't begin to describe the fear that Ruby had whenever she went into a studio, both television and recording. I was with her on every recording session that Ruby made (after we were married) and tried to do what I could to help her get over her fears. Ruby always considered that she had a small vocal range yet in this particular track she handles the top register very well, despite the fact that it remained in the high register for most of the track. There is one small wish from me, that is in the opening of the track Ruby's voice could have been 'pushed forward' a little more as the arrangement is inclined to dominate. That is in my humble opinion, other than that top marks.

I agree with you, Bernie, on the balance - it seems to get better as the song goes on so I wonder if the recording engineer realised it but did not want to get everybody to do that take again?

Song number two from this rare collection is now available - The Six Mile Song. This has a better a balance but a little top frequency sibilance in places. But we should remember where it has come from, and that is unfortunately not the master tapes. I like the fun in this song and Ruby brings out the humour very well. The last time I was over in Northern Ireland I was staying with some of my wife's relatives in Bangor, so we drove from there to Donaghadee and sure enough it is six miles!

Thanks Gerald for second track 6 mile song.The sound on it is fine.
Ruby's is the only version I think I have ever heard of the song,do I think the tune has been used for other songs.
Thanks Will

Thanks for the two tracks Gerald. I've never heard these before. They sound good to me too!! I look forward to the other six being uploaded.
Henry

Good to know that you are enjoying these tracks. The next one is now available in the Songs section of the Library - "The Boys From County Armagh".

This is just a joyous song, written by an Irish expatriot one would guess from the words. Ruby as usual gives a very fine performance.

Thanks Gerald
Unlike the previous two songs The Boys from the County Armagh was very well known,at least in Ireland.It was a bit hit here for Bridie Gallagher in the late 1950s.It appears to have been written by Thomas Peter Keenan (1866–1927), from Castletownroche, County Cork, who's also credited with writing,A Mother's Love's A Blessing and The old Rustic Bridge by the Mill amongst other songs.In the late 1950s when you turned on the radio on any given day you were likely to hear The Boys from the County Armagh and Doonaree.Looking forward to the next 5 tracks.
Will