In the mid-90's a new Country recording artist named Denise Murray emerged from New Brunswick. Denise had been fronting the house band at Moncton's biggest Country bar, McSweeny's, for several years. Her fans at the club were encouraging her to enter a Maritime-wide song competition called Startracks.

Denise not only won the contest as Best Artist but was also named Best Songwriter (along with co-composer, and drummer Claude Melanson.) This victory would lead directly to the making of her first CD, "What You Mean to Me". Originally the idea was to work the album independently but the first single released after the CD was completed, "What's It Gonna Take", became a Top 30 hit on Canadian Country radio and the video received airplay on CMT-Canada.

This opened doors. For one thing, the CD was re-packaged and released on Loggerhead Records (Polygram/Universal). The followup single, "Has Anybody Seen My Angel" became a Top 10 hit on RPM's Country Chart. Denise was nominated for awards by the Canadian Country Music Association, The Big Country Awards and the East Coast Music Awards. Early in 1999 Denise was named ECMA Country Music Artist of the Year. In all, "What You Mean to Me" generated 3 videos, 5 singles and established Denise Murray as a new artist on the rise.

The next CD was entitled "Under the Moon". Two videos were made for songs from this second CD and 4 singles made their way onto radio. Denise and her band no longer worked 4 sets a night, 4 nights a week at McSweeny's. They were touring, and since they were still based in Moncton, this could mean a 3-day drive just to get to the first gig in Western Canada. The tours were long and rigorous and Denise was never so happy.

It was on her third extensive tour of Western Canada when Denise encountered the greatest challenge of her liffe.. More about this episode in her life is found on the webpage, "Surviving".

It has take Denise Murray 3 years to get her career moving forward again. Besides performing in and around Moncton, Denise serves on various committees to support and pormote the New Brunswick music industry and she also works to raise funds for cancer treatment and research.

The "Murray chick" is back.