I was no longer the newcomer watching from the outside Anne Murray later reflected on that December night in 1970.
But on the stage of The Johnny Cash Show she was exactly where she belonged. The young singer from Nova Scotia had arrived with one of the biggest songs of her early career Snowbird and she stepped into a room filled with the legends she had grown up listening to.
At just 25 Anne Murray walked onto the Ryman Auditorium stage and performed Snowbird and Sing High, Sing Low. Her calm presence impressed the audience but the real magic came later.
After Merle Haggard, Carl Perkins, Bonnie Owens, the Statler Brothers and Homer and Jethro had performed their sets the entire cast gathered for a group rendition of Put Your Hand in the Hand. Anne stood among Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash singing beside them as if she had always been part of that circle.
That quiet moment of belonging marked a turning point. Anne Murray was still at the beginning of her American career but the stage told a different story. She was no longer a guest passing through she was a voice worth hearing alongside the greats.
Sometimes a career changing moment is loud. Other times it is quiet, measured and shared with a chorus of legends. For Anne Murray December 2 1970 was one of those quiet turning points the night she stood exactly where she belonged.