Ruby Murray (1935–96) was a Northern Irish singer and actress. One of the most popular singers in the British Isles in the 1950s, she had ten hits in the UK Singles Chart between 1954 and 1959. As a child all she ever wanted to do was sing and her father supported her to find concert work in the Belfast area. She went on to have world-wide success and on one occasion was voted the second most popular female singer in the world after Doris Day. In 1955 her song Softly, Softly stayed at number 1 for 22 weeks and became her signature tune. She also made pop chart history in March 1955 by having five hits in the Top Twenty in a single week. In 2014 the Guinness Book of Records issued certificates proving that in 1955 Ruby Murray set three world records including having the most records in the Top Twenty in the same week.