Anne Murray had posterity in mind. After all, this might be the final project of her career.

While recording her current CD Duets: Friends & Legends, Murray readily agreed to simultaneous videotaping. The result is the Friends & Legends TV special, which airs Monday on CBC and features the likes of Nelly Furtado, Celine Dion, Olivia Newton-John, k.d. lang, Jann Arden, Emmylou Harris and Martina McBride, each of whom sings with Murray.

"We talked right from the start about shooting the whole thing in high-def, because chances are it will be my last CD," Murray said. "I don't know that, but we're gettin' real close to the end here. So we figured we should have it for posterity.

"I'm really glad we have it chronicled."

Actually, the 62-year-old Canadian music icon thought her previous CD, which came out in 2005, likely would be her last.

"Yes, I thought the last one was it," she said. "So I'll see where this takes me. I didn't think I'd be doing this for 40 years. This is the busiest year I've had in a long, long time.

"And that's all about (manager) Bruce Allen getting behind me and pushing me. I'm glad he does, because I have a tendency to go, 'No one wants to hear an album from me.' That's what I said to the record company when we had the first meeting about this. I said, 'Who's out there waiting for another album from me, for God's sake?' And they said, 'You'd be surprised.' Well, guess what?"

Guess what, indeed.

The Friends & Legends CD has been a top-seller in both Canada and the United States. Murray is finishing up an extensive U.S. tour tonight, and in mid-April she will embark upon a cross-country tour of Canada.

"What I'm doing here is riding a wave," Murray said. "Who would have thought, at this stage, I would have an album that's had such an impact, and even be out here touring in support of it? So I'm laughin'.

"I was just happy that everyone agreed to do it. It was a lot of work -- as you know, we did it in four different cities and it took up a whole year co-ordinating people's schedules. But you know what? It was a lot of fun."

Is there anyone not included on the TV special or the CD that Murray wanted to include?

"Bonnie Raitt," Murray answered. "She just wasn't able to do it and wrote me a lovely letter to say why. It was completely understandable. It was just one of those times in her life when times were tough and she was busy.

"Every single song on this album was a different experience, and getting to know some of these ladies was great. Some of them were intimidated a bit, but they all were prepared to work.

"There wasn't a diva in the lot."

Anne heeds her handlers

Anne Murray obeys the hand-washing police.

Murray said that while she's touring, basically the only threat to her voice is if she gets a cold. Thus, there's a whole lotta hand-washin' goin' on.

"With a cold, I just can't sing any more," said the 62-year-old Murray, whose Friends & Legends television special airs Monday on CBC.

"I used to be able to when I was young, I could sing above it, or get around it somehow, but now I can't.

"And if I get a cold, everything on tour stops. The trucks don't go, the buses don't go, nothing goes and we're stopped until such time as I get better."

Enter the anti-germ warriors.

"I get on the tour bus at night and one of them says, 'Don't forget to wash your hands,' " Murray said. "Then I go to the back of the bus and someone else says, 'Did you wash your hands?' Then I'm in the middle of the bus and I hear, 'Did you forget to wash your hands?'

"I have the hand-washing police with me all the time. But it's for my own good."