Newton-John and Murray tour
This summer after a highly successful Charlottetown appearance Bruce flew to western Canada. Balmur had succeeded in having Bruce signed on as the opening act for the Olivia Newton-John series of concerts that would take them from Calgary to Winnipeg.
Now a whole new lesson in experience was available. Olivia draws an audience ranging from 14 to 60 in age and in playing large halls sells them out with great regularity. Ten thousand people at two shows in Calgary, fifteen thousand in Edmonton and nine thousand in Winnipeg.
To please that many people for thirty minutes as the opening act and yet not leave the crowd anxious or feeling that a contrasty filler has been booked to make Olivia look and sound better is a tough number to fill John Davidson and Billy “Crash” Craddock were also after these shows but Bruce got the job.
He got the job and did it well.
Olivia does her homework and listened to the album, liked it and gave the final O.K. and that’s important because when it comes right down to it she signs the checks.
Tours for opening acts are not big money, if they make money at all. What they are invaluable for are reaching people, and getting them to like you and your music and that’s all connected to the record business in that if they loved ‘ya at the arena in Winnipeg they’ll love ‘ya on that Quality Record album waiting at their favorite disc shop.
For a young guy from ‘Beaver-land’ Bruce has started to make his mark. Compliments sometimes come in indirect ways and in Winnipeg on the last night of the Olivia tour several of the members were asking Bruce if he was to open for them at the Greek Theatre in L.A. They thought the package was that complimentary. Olivia’s road management also asked if Bruce was going to open for any part of the American tour.
If Olivia Newton-John can get certain people in Nashville so upset about country music that they start calling it ‘American music’ it will be easy for Bruce Murray to be Bruce Murray, and not a bopper from Beaverland.
Photo caption: Olivia Newton John cuts MCA cake with the label's Richard Bibby, (r), Scott Richards (1) and Jack Skelly (Wpg. Sales).