Emmylou Harris

Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947)<ref name="Hall of Fame">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> is an American singer, songwriter, musician, bandleader, and activist. She is considered one of the leading music artists behind the country rock genre in the 1970s and the Americana genre in the 1990s. Her music united both country and rock audiences in live performance settings. Her characteristic voice, musical style and songwriting have been acclaimed by critics and fellow recording artists.

Harris developed an interest in folk music in her early years, which led to her performing professionally. After moving to New York City in the 1960s, she recorded a folk album and performed regionally. She was discovered by Gram Parsons, who influenced her country rock direction. Following his 1973 death, Harris obtained her own recording contract from Reprise–Warner Bros. Her second album, Pieces of the Sky (1975), found both critical acclaim and commercial success. Follow-up 1970s albums further elevated Harris's career, such as Elite Hotel (1976), Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town (1978) and Blue Kentucky Girl (1979). By 1980, she had acquired four number-one songs on the US and Canadian country charts: "Together Again", "Sweet Dreams", "Two More Bottles of Wine" and "Beneath Still Waters".

Harris had a continued string of commercially and critically successful albums like Roses in the Snow (1980), Evangeline (1981) and Last Date (1982). Her backing group, the Hot Band helped establish a musical foundation for her concerts and albums. Her 1980s albums spawned the top ten singles "Wayfaring Stranger", "Born to Run" and "Last Date". The 1985 album The Ballad of Sally Rose was among Harris's first self-written projects. The album (along with its follow-ups) failed to sustain the commercial momentum of previous albums. Harris then collaborated with Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt on Trio (1987). The platinum-selling album was also a critical success that spawned four top ten singles.

In 1992, Warner Bros. released the live album At the Ryman. It garnered critical praise and renewed interest in its live venue, the Ryman Auditorium. Harris was inspired to move in a new musical direction with 1995's Wrecking Ball. She then reunited with Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt for Trio II (1999). By the 2000s, Harris had signed with Nonesuch Records and recorded several albums of self-composed material like Red Dirt Girl (2000), All I Intended to Be (2008) and Hard Bargain (2011). She also found collaborative partnerships, such as with Mark Knopfler on the internationally successful All the Roadrunning (2006). She then collaborated with Rodney Crowell on the critically acclaimed Old Yellow Moon (2013) and The Traveling Kind (2015). She also became involved in activism during this time, including starting her own dog rescue called Bonaparte's Retreat.

Harris has been estimated to have sold over 15 million records worldwide.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She has also earned 13 Grammy Awards,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> placed 27 singles into the top ten of the US country chart,<ref name="Country Songs">Template:Cite magazine</ref> and several of her albums have received gold certifications in the US.<ref name="RIAA">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> She was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2008 and was ranked among Rolling Stone's list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time in 2022.

Early life

Harris was born in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1947.Template:Sfn She was one of two children born to Walter Rutland Harris and Eugenia Harris.<ref name="eugenia">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="bucky">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Her older brother, Walter Harris Jr.,<ref name="Alabama Encyclopedia">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> enjoyed country music in his youth.<ref name="Musician Guide">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Her father was a Marine Corps officer<ref name="Alabama Encyclopedia"/> who served in both World War II and the Korean War. In the latter, he was taken as a prisoner of war and was reported as missing in action. He was later released. "I never talked to him about his experiences. He wouldn't ever talk about it," she later reflected.<ref name="Guardian">Template:Cite news</ref> The Harris family lived in Birmingham through their daughter's first grade school year. Her father was then transferred to Cherry Point, North Carolina, and later to Quantico, Virginia.<ref name="Alabama Encyclopedia"/>

Harris took piano lessons as a child but she did not enjoy them.<ref name="MHF">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> During her high school years, the family eventually settled in nearby Woodbridge, Virginia. Harris was a straight-A high school student at Gar-Field Senior High School, a cheerleader and a saxophonist in the marching band. She also won the "Miss Woodbridge" beauty pageant during her teen years.Template:Sfn Classmates considered Harris unusual because she was devoted to her studies.<ref name="Country Music Encyclopedia">Template:Cite book</ref> Harris was among many adolescents interested in the American folk music revival of the 1960s.Template:Sfn She became fascinated with folk artists of the era such as Joan Baez, Bob Dylan and Buffy Sainte-Marie. Her grandfather gave Harris her first guitar, which she learned to play.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 1965, Harris graduated from Gar-Field (which was desegregated shortly before she left) as the class valedictorian.Template:Sfn<ref name="Alabama Encyclopedia"/> She planned to become an actress<ref name="Q&A">Template:Cite news</ref> and accepted a drama scholarship from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Harris began taking classes in the fall of 1965. She participated in the school's productions of The Tempest and The Dancing Donkey. Harris then formed a folk music duo with Mike Williams called the Emerald City. The duo worked a series of gigs in the local area, most of which were coffeehouses.<ref name="UNC">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Harris also played coffeehouses as a solo performer, primarily in one known as "The Corner".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 1967, Harris dropped out of the University of North Carolina and enrolled at Boston University, but would soon drop out there as well.<ref name="Alabama Encyclopedia"/> She ultimately chose to pursue a career as a folk singer full-time. Harris briefly moved to Virginia Beach, where she worked as a waitress and as a folk singer.<ref name="UNC"/> She then left for New York City's Greenwich Village neighborhood where there was a popular folk music scene.<ref name="Alabama Encyclopedia"/> In 1969, Harris married her first husband Tom Slocum and soon gave birth to her first child.Template:Sfn

Career

1969–1974: Folk music and collaborations with Gram Parsons

Harris regularly worked the Greenwich Village music scene and developed friendships with fellow artists Jerry Jeff Walker, Dave Bromberg and Paul Siebel.<ref name="Allmusic">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> She worked at several notable Greenwich Village clubs, including The Bitter End.Template:Sfn She also supported herself by working as a waitress and bookstore cashier. Along with her husband and daughter, Harris lived at a nearby YWCA.<ref name="Alabama Encyclopedia"/> Harris got her first manager and signed with Jubilee Records in 1969.<ref name="Musician Guide"/> The label released her debut studio album, Gliding Bird, in 1970.<ref name="Allmusic"/> The disc featured several recordings penned by Harris herself, along with one penned by her first husband, Tom Slocum. Unlike her later recordings, Gliding Bird was released under the name "Emmy Lou Harris".<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Jubilee Records declared bankruptcy shortly after Gliding Bird was released. Harris and her husband then decided to attempt a music career in Nashville, Tennessee. The couple divorced while in Nashville.<ref name="Biography">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Harris attempted to support herself and her daughter by working as a waitress. However, she was surviving on food stamps and Medicaid. Ultimately, she went back to live with her parents in the Maryland suburb of Clarksville, near Washington, D.C.Template:Sfn<ref name="bucky"/><ref name = "People-Arrington-1982-11-15"/> Harris then obtained a hostessing job in Columbia, Maryland.Template:Sfn

At the same time, Harris developed a following performing at clubs in Washington, D.C. and its surrounding suburbs.<ref name="Country Music Encyclopedia"/> Yet, she was unconvinced she could make it as a music artist. "At that point, I'd retired forever from the music business," she recalled.Template:Sfn Among the clubs Harris worked during this period was Clyde's and The Cellar Door.<ref name="Country Music Encyclopedia"/> In 1971, she performed the country song "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" one evening at The Cellar Door, "almost as a joke", as she knew little about country music at that time. The Flying Burrito Brothers noticed her performing while they were drinking after a show and thought she had potential.<ref name="MHF"/> Though singer-songwriter Gram Parsons had left the Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers at this time, he was establishing a solo career and mentioned to the Burritos and friends that he was looking for a harmony singer. A conversation about her at a DC nightclub was overheard by the babysitter of Harris's daughter, who passed on her details, and Parsons got in contact the next day.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="MHF"/> Parsons went to hear Harris and was drawn to her singing ability. One year later, he sent her a plane ticket to Los Angeles, California where she recorded harmony vocals for his debut album GP in September–October, 1972. After its release, the album failed to become successful and find a mainstream audience.Template:Sfn

Harris also toured as a member of Parsons's band (the Grievous Angels) in 1973, and performed vocal harmonies and duets with him.<ref name="Alabama Encyclopedia"/> Through recording and touring, the pair found an instant musical connection.<ref name="Allmusic"/> Parsons had become known for his fusion of country rock and had a fascination with classic country music. His passion for the genre was influential on Harris and she soon learned about the country genre. Harris would later credit Parsons for helping her find her artistic direction as well as her passion for authentic country music.<ref name="Allmusic"/>Template:Sfn In 1973, Harris returned to the recording studio to make Parsons' next album, titled Grievous Angel. Weeks following the album's sessions, Parsons died from a drug and alcohol overdose in a hotel room near Joshua Tree National Park.<ref name="Allmusic"/> Parsons's Grievous Angel was released posthumously in 1974, and three more tracks from his sessions with Harris were included on another posthumous Parsons album, Sleepless Nights, in 1976. One more album of recorded material from that period was packaged as Live 1973 but was not released until 1982.<ref name="Southern Culture">Wilson, Charles Reagan; Ferris, William R. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Southern Culture Template:ISBN p. 1075</ref>

1975–1980: Solo breakthrough

Although affected by Gram Parsons' death,Template:Sfn Harris continued on as a solo artist. She decided to carry on the country rock legacy left by Parsons for her own career. "Once I started singing country music with Gram there was no turning back for me," she recounted. Harris formed her own band and got a weekly job performing at the Red Fox Inn in Bethesda, Maryland. Meanwhile, Parsons’ former A&R representative at Warner Bros. Records (Mary Martin) attempted to launch Harris's own career. She contacted Canadian-based producer Brian Ahern, who had recent success working alongside Anne Murray. Impressed by her, Ahern agreed to produce Harris.<ref name="Washington Post">Template:Cite news</ref> The pair would later marry in 1977<ref name = "People-Arrington-1982-11-15">Template:Cite magazine</ref> and Harris then signed with Warner Bros.–Reprise.<ref name="Biography"/>

File:Emmylou Harris at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (cropped).jpg

Harris in 1976

Ahern produced Harris's next several albums<ref name="Biography"/> beginning with 1975's Pieces of the Sky.<ref name="Washington Post"/> It featured covers of songs by The Beatles and Merle Haggard,<ref name="Allmusic"/> along with originals like Harris' "Boulder to Birmingham", which reflected her emotions surrounding Parsons's death.Template:Sfn The disc was a commercial success,Template:Sfn<ref name="No Depression Elite Hotel">Template:Cite journal</ref> reaching number seven on the American Billboard country LP's chart<ref name="Country Albums">Template:Cite book</ref> and number 45 on the Billboard 200 all-genre chart.<ref name="Billboard 200">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Its second single, "If I Could Only Win Your Love" reached number four on the Billboard country songs chart<ref name="Country Songs"/> and topped the Canadian RPM country chart.<ref name="Canada Country Songs">Template:Cite magazine</ref> It was followed by 1975's Elite Hotel.<ref name="Washington Post"/> It was her first to top the Billboard country chart<ref name="Country Albums"/> while also climbing into Billboard 200 top 25.<ref name="Billboard 200"/> The disc's covers of Buck Owens's "Together Again" and Don Gibson's "Sweet Dreams" topped the Billboard country chart.<ref name="Country Songs"/><ref name="Allmusic"/> Harris formed a new backing group for the project called The Hot Band. The group featured James Burton, Glen D. Hardin (both members of Elvis Presley's TCB Band) and Rodney Crowell.<ref name="Allmusic"/>

Harris' albums received critical and commercial success.<ref name="Cullman Times">Template:Cite news</ref> Adam Sweeting of The Guardian found Pieces of the Sky to have "many brilliant songs".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Grant Alden of No Depression concluded that when both LPs are played 'front to back' it makes for "an astonishing, almost blemish-free collection".<ref name="No Depression Elite Hotel"/> Elite Hotel also brought Harris the Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance.<ref name="Biography"/> Additionally, both LPs were certified gold in the United States for selling over half a million copies each.<ref name="RIAA"/>

In 1975, Harris contributed backing vocals to several tracks on Bob Dylan's album Desire.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Harris's next several studio collections included both traditional country cover tunes and new material.Template:Sfn In 1976, Warner Bros. issued her fourth album, Luxury Liner,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> which was her second number-one US country album.<ref name="Country Albums"/> It also was her second to make the top 20 in the United Kingdom<ref name="UK Albums">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and third to certify gold in the US.<ref name="RIAA"/> Jason Ankeny named it "one of her most engaging efforts".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Warner Bros. followed it with 1978's Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> which was considered to have "over-careful production", according to Grant Alden.<ref name="No Depression Elite Hotel"/> It made the top five of the US country chart,<ref name="Country Albums"/> the top 25 of the US all-genre chart,<ref name="Billboard 200"/> the top ten of the Canadian country chart<ref name="RPM Country Albums">Template:Cite magazine</ref> and later certified gold in sales.<ref name="RIAA"/> The albums spawned the number one US and Canadian country singles "Making Believe", "To Daddy" and "Two More Bottles of Wine". They also spawned a top ten cover of "You Never Can Tell (C'est La Vie)" and the US top 20 original tune "Easy From Now On".<ref name="Country Songs"/><ref name="Canada Country Songs"/>

Harris' record label proposed shifting her career towards country pop crossover stardom.Template:Sfn Instead, Harris recorded two traditionally-oriented albums, beginning with 1979's Blue Kentucky Girl.Template:Sfn<ref name="Allmusic"/> It was a top-ten disc on the North American country charts and received a gold certification.<ref name="Country Albums"/><ref name="RPM Country Albums"/><ref name="RIAA"/> It also won a Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance.Template:Sfn The follow-up was 1980's Roses in the Snow, which was considered to embed bluegrass sounds.<ref name="Allmusic"/>Template:Sfn Like its predecessor, Roses in the Snow went gold<ref name="RIAA"/> and reached the number two on the country charts in the US and Canada.<ref name="Country Albums"/><ref name="RPM Country Albums"/> Harris' new bluegrass sound was credited to the new Hot Band member Ricky Skaggs, who replaced Rodney Crowell.<ref name="Allmusic"/> Both albums spawned top ten US and Canadian country singles: "Save the Last Dance for Me", "Blue Kentucky Girl", "Wayfaring Stranger". Additionally, "Beneath Still Waters" went to the number one spot in both countries.<ref name="Country Songs"/><ref name="Canada Country Songs"/> Billboard named Blue Kentucky Girl among its April 1979 "Top Album Picks", calling Harris' voice "crystal clear",<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> while Cashbox magazine highlighted Harris's "beautiful, sensitive voice" on Roses in the Snow.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Harris gave birth to a second daughter during this period and briefly stopped touring. Shortly beforehand, the Christmas-themed Light of the Stable (1979) was released and was followed by Evangeline (1981). The latter was a studio collection compiled from songs that were "left off" previous albums.<ref name="Allmusic"/> Evangeline certified gold in sales<ref name="RIAA"/> and reached number five on the US country chart.<ref name="Country Albums"/> It spawned a cover of "Mister Sandman", which topped the Canadian country chart,<ref name="Canada Country Songs"/> reached the US country top ten<ref name="Country Songs"/> and made the US pop top 40.<ref name="Hot 100">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Although the song's album version featured harmony vocals from Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt, Harris harmonized with herself for the single version.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Harris also collaborated with Roy Orbison during this time for the 1980 single "That Lovin' You Feeling Again". It would later win the Grammy for Best Country Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group.<ref name="fixed">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Harris also won the Female Vocalist of the Year award from the Country Music Association.Template:Sfn

1981–1990: Commercial decline, comeback with Trio and further Warner Bros. releases

Around 1981, Ricky Skaggs left the Hot Band and was replaced by Barry Tashian.<ref name="Allmusic"/> Drummer John Ware also left Harris' backing group, which prompted her to reform the Hot Band with new members. Her next studio album, Cimarron (1981) was cut with the new Hot Band.Template:Sfn It made the US country albums top ten and the US all-genre top 50.<ref name="Country Albums"/><ref name="Billboard 200"/> It spawned the US and Canadian top ten country songs "Born to Run" and "Tennessee Rose". A duet with Don Williams called "If I Needed You" topped the Canadian country chart.<ref name="Country Songs"/><ref name="RPM Country Songs">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 1982, Harris and the Hot Band recorded her first live album, titled Last Date.Template:Sfn Its lead single was a vocal version of Floyd Cramer's instrumental original song "Last Date". The single topped the US country chart and was followed by the top-five single "I'm Movin' On".<ref name="Allmusic"/>Template:Sfn Both albums received mixed reviews, with Grant Alden of No Depression finding that Cimarron and Last Date are no "monumental artistic statement" but occasionally "have their moments".<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> William Ruhlmann of AllMusic gave Last Date 2.5 stars, explaining that Harris failed to create original styles and arrangements that previously set her apart.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Harris' final album under Brian Ahern's production (the pair would then divorce) was released in 1983, called White Shoes.Template:Sfn The disc featured a collection of cover songs.<ref name="Allmusic"/> Among its tracks were the singles "Pledging My Love" and "In My Dreams", both of which reached the US and Canadian country top ten.<ref name="Country Songs"/><ref name="Canada Country Songs"/> White Shoes was among her lowest-peaking albums to date on the US country chart, stalling at number 22.<ref name="Country Albums"/> Harris then relocated to Nashville, where she collaborated with new producer Paul Kennerly (whom she later married). The pair composed The Ballad of Sally Rose, which was released by Warner Bros. in 1985.Template:Sfn Featuring compositions written by Harris herself, The Ballad of Sally Rose. The record was loosely based on her time with Gram Parsons.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Despite reaching the US country top ten<ref name="Country Albums"/> the album ultimately resulted in poor record sales and was considered a commercial failure.<ref name="Allmusic"/><ref name="Biography"/> Yet its embedding of various musical styles was praised by critics.<ref name="Biography"/>Template:Sfn

Template:Multiple image In 1986, Warner Bros. released her next studio album, Thirteen.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> The disc was described by Rolling Stone as a "roots record" with comparisons drawn to 1980's Roses in the Snow. However, the album proved to be less successful.<ref name="Rolling Stone Book">Template:Cite book</ref> Both of its singles reached positions outside the top 40 on the North American country charts.<ref name="Country Songs"/><ref name="Canada Country Songs"/> Although recorded prior to Thirteen, Angel Band followed on Warner Bros. in 1987 and was an album of gospel material.Template:Sfn Rolling Stone described it as a "solid but [low-key]" gospel project".<ref name="Rolling Stone Book"/> It was Harris' third album to only reach the Billboard country top 25.<ref name="Country Albums"/>

In 1987, Harris collaborated with Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt to record the studio album, Trio.<ref name="Biography"/><ref name="Allmusic"/> The women had been friends for over a decade and had intentions to record an album together for years. Several tracks that had originally been laid down were scrapped and replaced by a new studio collection of country–folk songs. Trio featured Harris, Parton and Ronstadt singing together in harmony and often featured one of the women singing lead vocals.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Trio became a commercial success and is the best-selling disc of Harris' career.<ref name="Biography"/><ref name="Allmusic"/> Following its March 1987 release, Trio reached number one on the US country chart,<ref name="Country Albums"/> number six on the US all-genre list,<ref name="Billboard 200"/> number 12 in Australia<ref name="Australia Albums">Australian chart peaks:

• Top 100 (Kent Music Report) peaks to June 12, 1988: Template:Cite book N.B. The Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIA between mid-1983 and June 12, 1988.
• Top 100 (ARIA) peaks from January 1990 to December 2010: Template:Cite book</ref> and number four in Canada.<ref name="RPM Top Albums">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="Billboard Canadian Albums"/> Spawned from the disc were the North American top ten country songs "To Know Him Is to Love Him", "Telling Me Lies", "Those Memories of You" and "Wildflowers".<ref name="Country Songs"/><ref name="Canada Country Songs"/>

In 1989, Warner Bros. released the solo album Bluebird. It included material penned by songwriters Kate McGarrigle and Anna McGarrigle, and two songs penned by Harris herself.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Considered a country rock effort by Rolling Stone<ref name="Rolling Stone Book"/> the album peaked in the top 20 of both the US and Canadian country charts.<ref name="Country Albums"/><ref name="RPM Country Albums"/> Its lead single, "Heartbreak Hill", returned Harris to the top ten as a solo artist and was followed by the top 20 single, "Heaven Only Knows".<ref name="Country Songs"/><ref name="Canada Country Songs"/> Her final studio album with Warner Bros. was released in 1990, titled Brand New Dance. It was categorized as an "uninspired misfire" by Rolling Stone<ref name="Rolling Stone Book"/> while AllMusic drew similar comparisons to Harris seeming disengaged with the material.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

1991–1999: New artistic directions and further collaborations

Around 1991, Harris dissolved the Hot Band and formed a new backing group called the Nash Ramblers. The group included Sam Bush playing fiddle, Al Perkins playing banjo and guitar, and Jon Randall performing various instruments.Template:Sfn Harris then intended to record a live album of material she had never performed before. Music executive Bonnie Garner suggested recording the set at the Ryman Auditorium (the former site of the Grand Ole Opry, which was becoming increasingly dilapidated). In spring 1991, Harris and the Nash Ramblers recorded the live project over three nights with only 200 guests in attendance.<ref name="At the Ryman">Template:Cite news</ref> The live disc was released in 1992 and was titled At the Ryman<ref name="Allmusic"/> and was met with critical acclaim.<ref name="Country Music Encyclopedia"/><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Writers have since speculated the project brought renewed interest to the Ryman Auditorium and several months following the album, the venue was refurbished.<ref name="Country Music Encyclopedia"/>

Harris was also president of the Country Music Foundation in the early 1990sTemplate:Sfn and became an official member of the Grand Ole Opry in 1992.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Harris also departed from Warner–Reprise during this period and signed a new contract with Asylum Records. In 1993, the label released the studio project Cowgirl's Prayer. It was Harris' last project produced by Paul Kennerley and the pair divorced shortly afterward.Template:Sfn The album made the top 40 of the US country albums chart<ref name="Country Albums"/> and the top 20 of the Canadian country albums chart.<ref name="RPM Country Albums"/> Despite critical acclaim its singles received limited radio airplay. Two of its singles made the US and Canada country charts, but failed to make positions inside the top 40.<ref name="Cromelin1996">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Country Songs"/><ref name="Canada Country Songs"/>

By the middle 1990s, Harris was feeling excluded by country music radio. Asylum Records gave her the musical freedom to record her next album. In 1995, Asylum issued the studio album Wrecking Ball.<ref name="LA Times">Template:Cite news</ref> The disc was produced by Daniel Lanois (known for producing U2 and Peter Gabriel), who embedded an alternative rock style into its sound and style.Template:Sfn According to the Los Angeles Times, its production has been considered influential in establishing the Americana music genre.<ref name="LA Times"/> Although ignored by country radio, Wrecking Ball reached number 94 on the US albums chart,<ref name="Billboard 200"/> number 58 in Canada<ref name="RPM Top Albums"/> number 46 in the UK<ref name="UK Albums"/> and received the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album.<ref name="Biography"/> Jason Ankeny of AllMusic called it "a hypnotic, staggeringly beautiful work",<ref name="Allmusic"/> while Allison Hussey of Pitchfork called it "a staggering work that defied expectations for what a middle-aged woman should be doing with her time."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 1998, Harris's third live album, Spyboy, was released.<ref name="Allmusic"/> It featured live cuts of songs that Harris had recorded throughout her career. It was recorded with Harris's new backing band, which were also called Spyboy.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Also in 1998, Harris appeared on Willie Nelson's Teatro album, featuring production from Harris then-producer Lanois.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 1999, Asylum issued the second collaborative album by Harris, Parton and Ronstadt titled Trio II. Although the project was completed in 1994, it took five years to be released.<ref name="Trio II">Template:Cite news</ref> Trio II rose to the number four position on the North American country album charts<ref name="Country Albums"/><ref name="RPM Country Albums"/> certified gold in the United States.<ref name="RIAA"/> Time called the disc "an angelic encounter",<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> while The Washington Post found it was "not worth the wait" due to the disc's "sense of familiarity".<ref name="Trio II"/> Its single "After the Gold Rush" brought the three artists the Best Country Collaboration with Vocals accolade from the Grammys.Template:Sfn Meanwhile, Harris and Ronstadt had been wanting to make their own collaborative album together. After years of discussion and planning, the pair released Western Wall: The Tucson Sessions. The album was also released on Asylum in 1999.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Within a month, the collaborative project reached number six on the US country chart and number 73 on the US Billboard 200.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

2000–2011: From song interpreter to singer-songwriter

Harris parted ways with her record label and management during this period.<ref name="NY Times Magazine">Template:Cite magazine</ref> In 2000, she signed with Nonesuch Records and that year the label released her first solo studio album in five years, called Red Dirt Girl. It was Harris' first disc since The Ballad of Sally Rose that featured mostly self-written recordings.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> It also featured Bruce Springsteen and Patty Griffin singing background vocals.Template:Sfn Time called it "a surprisingly raw and confessional collection"<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> while The Guardian called it "superb".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Red Dirt Girl rose to number five on the US country albums chart,<ref name="Country Albums"/> number 54 on the US all-genre chart,<ref name="Billboard 200"/> number three on the Canadian country albums chart<ref name="RPM Country Albums"/> and number 29 on the Canadian all-genre chart.<ref name="RPM Top Albums"/> Its single "I Don't Wanna Talk About It Now" was Harris' first to make the US Adult Alternative Airplay chart.<ref name="AAA">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Red Dirt Girl won Harris another Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk album.Template:Sfn Harris also contributed to the soundtrack of O Brother, Where Art Thou?, which won a Grammy for Album of the Year.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

File:Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris.jpg

In 2006, Harris joined Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits fame to record All the Roadrunning. Pictured is the pair performing live in The Netherlands.

In 2003, Harris followed up with her next studio release Stumble into Grace.<ref name="Allmusic"/> Like its predecessor, the album contained self-penned songs. It also featured harmony vocals from Linda Ronstadt.<ref name="Stumble into Grace">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Allmusic's Mark Deming commented that "Stumble into Grace shows she's still playing at the top of her game"<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and Billboard called it "a very affecting record".<ref name="Stumble into Grace"/> The album reached the US country top ten<ref name="Country Albums"/> and made the top 20 in both Norway and Sweden.<ref name="Norweigan charts">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Swedish Albums">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> During this period, Harris also toured frequently alongside Elvis Costello and recorded the song "The Scarlet Tide" (the original version of the song was featured in the soundtrack of Cold Mountain).Template:Sfn In 2005, Harris recorded the song "A Love That Will Never Grow Old", which appeared in the LGBT film Brokeback Mountain.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Harris and Mark Knopfler (formerly of the band Dire Straits) spent seven years writing and recording songs, which would make up their collaborative studio effort, All the Roadrunning.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Some of the songs on the collection were originally for a different Knopfler project but were instead used for All the Roadrunning.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In 2006, it became a top 20 disc on the US album chart<ref name="Billboard 200"/> but reached the top ten in the UK<ref name="UK Albums"/> and Sweden.<ref name="Swedish Albums"/> In Norway, the album topped the all-genre chart.<ref name="Norweigan charts"/> Spawned from the disc was the single "This Is Us", which reached number five on the US Adult Alternative Airplay chart<ref name="AAA"/> and number 17 in Norway.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Washington Post called the album "a smart marriage of strengths and weaknesses"<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and AllMusic found it to be a "lush and earthy collaboration".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 2008, a solo album titled All I Intended to Be was released. It featured Brian Ahern producing the project.<ref name="Allmusic"/> Contributors included Vince Gill and Dolly Parton. Harris then toured in support of the album with an ensemble she dubbed the Red Dirt Boys.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It reached the top five of the US country albums chart,<ref name="Country Albums"/> the top 25 of the Billboard 200<ref name="Billboard 200"/> and the top ten on the Swedish all-genre chart.<ref name="Swedish Albums"/> In 2010, Harris re-recorded her song "Boulder to Birmingham" with the rock group the Fray and was issued as a single by Epic Records that year.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

In 2011, Nonesuch Records released Harris' fourth self-composed album Hard Bargain. The project was produced by Nashville's Jay Joyce. Similar to her previous albums, its songs reflected themes about southern culture. Among its tracks was a song about the life of Emmett Till, a teenage boy murdered in the American south during the 1950s.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Hard Bargain reached the US country albums top five,<ref name="Country Albums"/> the US all-genre top 20,<ref name="Billboard 200"/> the Canadian top 20,<ref name="Billboard Canadian Albums">Template:Cite magazine</ref> the UK top 30<ref name="UK Albums"/> and the Norwegian top 15.<ref name="Norweigan charts"/> Ken Tucker of NPR called Hard Bargain both "invigorating" and "inviting".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Steven Rosen of American Songwriter found Harris' songwriting on the album to occasionally "stumble" but also do well in "addressing personal sadness".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

2012–present: Rodney Crowell collaborations and recent endeavors

File:Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell.jpg

Harris teamed up with Rodney Crowell to record two albums in the 2010s. Pictured above, Crowell and Harris are seen performing in 2012.

Harris agreed to contribute to the soundtrack of Nick Cave's 2012 film Lawless.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> She recorded three songs that appeared on the soundtrack.<ref name="Allmusic"/> The Montreal Gazette described Harris' vocal performance on Lawless as "serene".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Harris released an album of duets with Rodney Crowell in 2013 called Old Yellow Moon. Although a duet album was discussed for years, the timing never worked out due to their different schedules.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The pair re-recorded songs that had previously appeared on their individual albums.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Slant Magazine found Old Yellow Moon to balance "retro-country and retro-rock with a sure and satisfying sense of balance"<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> and USA Today named the project one of its "Albums of the Week" in February 2013.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Old Yellow Moon reached number four on the US country chart,<ref name="Country Albums"/> number 29 on the US all-genre chart,<ref name="Billboard 200"/> number six in Norway<ref name="Norweigan charts"/> and number 42 in the UK.<ref name="UK Albums"/> It later won a Grammy award.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> It was followed in 2015 by the pair's second album, The Traveling Kind and was a tribute to songwriters like Kris Kristofferson and Roger Miller.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Rolling Stone awarded it three stars out of five<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> and four out of five stars from American Songwriter.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The Traveling Kind reached the top ten of the US country chart.<ref name="Country Albums"/>

In 2014, Harris announced a book deal with Blue Rider, a Penguin Books publishing imprint.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2017, she told The Capital Times that the piece would be a memoir of her life.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2021, Harris told Clash magazine that she was still writing her memoir.<ref name="Clash">Template:Cite magazine</ref> In 2021, Nonesuch Records released the live disc Ramble in Music City: The Lost Concert, which was recorded with The Nash Ramblers in 1990 but was first shelved.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2021, Harris told Clash magazine that she was no longer writing songs because she didn't "feel the need" and have the sense of "urgency".<ref name="Clash"/> However, she continues to perform and play shows.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Artistry

Influences

Template:Multiple image Harris found her first appreciation for music through the folk genreTemplate:Sfn during the American folk revival.<ref name="Independent Influences">Template:Cite news</ref> During her adolescence, she listened to American University's WAMU radio station, which played folk music nightly. Harris taught herself to play the guitar, sing and follow along with the radio.<ref name="Influences AS">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Harris' early folk influences included Ian & Sylvia,<ref name="News Post">Template:Cite news</ref> Peter, Paul and Mary,<ref name="Blue Ridge">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Buffy Sainte-Marie,<ref name="Influences AS"/> Judy Collins,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and Bob Dylan.Template:Sfn Harris was also influenced by Pete Seeger. At age 16, she wrote him a letter wondering if her life was too privileged to be singing about the story lines in folk songs.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Another significant influence was Joan Baez,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> whom she recalled having a "spiritual" connection to.<ref name="Independent Influences"/> "I worshiped her. Still do in a way, because she just changed my whole focus on music," she told Rolling Stone.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Harris received further exposure to country music and developed an appreciation for it through her collaborations with Gram Parsons.<ref name="Independent Influences"/> She told The Columbus Dispatch that she had not taken the genre seriously up to that point because she did not see the artistry of it.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Parsons exposed Harris to the music of the Louvin Brothers, Bill Monroe and George Jones. Their songs became a significant influence on her. "These were deep, emotionally troubling songs, but he opened my ears to the beauty of it, the simplicity of the poetry," she explained.<ref name="Looked Down">Template:Cite news</ref> Harris hired Rodney Crowell to join her band when she became a solo act. His traditional Texan country background<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> was said by Harris to influence her country music artistry. "I think that his presence in the early part of my career, first as a songwriter and then as a member of the band and then as kind of my soul brother, musically, was really important to getting my footing as a performing artist," Harris commented.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Musical styles, musicianship and collaborations

Writers, editors and historians have largely identified Harris with the country rock musical style.Template:Sfn<ref name="Hall of Fame"/><ref name="Allmusic"/> Harris took the sound of California folk rock and embedded it with traditional country.Template:Sfn Author Frank Hoffman wrote, "Emmylou Harris has maintained a successful recording career over four decades by maintaining a steadfast allegiance to roots styles in the face of rampant technological change and media image manipulation."<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> David DiMartio found that her 1970s albums merged rock with classic country in a way that helped Harris receive fans young and old.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Buzz McClain of The Washington Post said that Harris' albums helped "define" the country rock music style.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Authors Mary A. Bufwack and Robert K. Oermann concluded that Harris was the "beacon" of the country rock movement during the 1970s and 1980s.Template:Sfn

File:EmmylouHarris PhilMadiera 2008.jpg

Harris performing onstage in Seattle, Washington with Phil Madeira and Ricky Simpkins, 2008.

As Harris' career progressed, she took more inspiration from the alternative music community.<ref name="Allmusic"/> Critics have pointed to 1995's Wrecking Ball as a turning point in her musical style.<ref name="Style Shift">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Country Music Encyclopedia"/> The album's production was said to embed new aspects of rock that had not been in her music previously.<ref name="Allmusic"/><ref name="Style Shift"/> From then on, critics credited Harris with helping to define the alternative country sub genre.<ref name="Rolling Stone Book"/><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Writers have also categorized her music as progressive country<ref name=Ellis>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and outlaw country.<ref name=Brodsky>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Her association with other genres authors to consider her a forerunner for the Americana style, a genre centered on roots music.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=Ellis/> Rolling Stone has since given the moniker of the "Godmother of Americana".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Harris's musicianship has also been discussed and spoken about.<ref name="Biography"/> She often sought out other musicians to enhance and develop her musical style.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn This started with Harris' first backing group the Hot Band, which was formed when her first record label needed studio musicians for her recordings. "We gotta put the chick singer together with a hot band," Harris recalled someone at her record company saying.<ref name="Looked Down"/> From then on, Harris collaborated with her backing musicians to help enhance her style and performances onstage.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum explained how her backing bands influenced the way her musical style shifted as years went by.<ref name="Hall of Fame"/> Harris herself explained that her style of country music embedded more rock influences compared to previous interpretations of the genre.Template:Sfn

Harris' artistry has also been remembered for her collaborations with various artists. She has made appearances on songs recorded by Ryan Adams, Neil Young, Johnny Cash, Sheryl Crow, and numerous others.Template:Sfn "It's likely that on her school report it was said of the young Emmylou Harris that 'she plays well with others'," wrote Bernard Zuel of The Sydney Morning Herald.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Noah Berlatsky of The Atlantic wrote that Harris' own career "was never precisely solo" because of her emphasis on collaborating with other artists. "Her enthusiasm for finding new artists to work with has been a huge boon for her music," he commented.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Harris herself stated, "I think it's just a willingness to be a part of the landscape, in a way. I've been very lucky in that all (my) collaborations have been real musical and very satisfying and inspiring."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Vocals

Writers have characterized Harris's singing voice as that of a soprano,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> and she is described as being both "delicate" and "crystalline".<ref name="Allmusic"/><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Stephen Holden of The New York Times wrote, "Emmylou Harris's voice is an alloy of crystal and steel, and this mixture of delicacy and resilience lends her the aura of an idealized frontier woman."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Jason Ankeny of AllMusic wrote, "Blessed with a crystalline voice, a remarkable gift for phrasing, and a restless creative spirit, few artists had as profound an impact on contemporary music as Emmylou Harris."<ref name="Allmusic"/> Harris herself explained that her voice sounds unique because it is rooted in folk styles: "I didn't have a style or a voice of my own. And in singing country, I was singing in a folk voice. I didn't have what you would consider a true country voice like Loretta Lynn, Kitty [Wells] or Tammy [Wynette], or some of the younger singers; Tanya Tucker – great voice. But my voice was always more on the side of folk."<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Legacy, influence and awards

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}}

Emmylou Harris has striven to follow a consistent music direction in her career that has helped influence modern contemporary music.<ref name="Allmusic"/>Template:Sfn Through her fusion of the country and rock genres, Harris helped to unite rural country audiences and metropolitan rock audiences together in one setting.Template:Sfn<ref name="Malone">Template:Cite book</ref> Jason Ankeny of AllMusic wrote, "She traveled a singular artistic path, proudly carrying the torch of "cosmic American music" passed down by her mentor, Gram Parsons, which made a profound mark on both country and rock."<ref name="Allmusic"/> Mary A. Bufwack and Robert K. Oermann wrote, "She showed Nashville that country music could succeed uncompromised, with dignity intact. She made country music hip."Template:Sfn Harris is also credited with influencing the neotraditional country sub-genre that was established in the 1980s and 1990s.Template:Sfn<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World wrote, "Harris would carry the torch into the following decades as a revered country music traditionalist who respected and drew inspiration from the west coast pioneers."<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

File:Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt Honorary Doctorate From Berklee Presentation.jpg

Accompanied by Linda Ronstadt, Harris receives an honorary doctorate from the Berklee College of Music, 2009.

Writer David DiCaire called Harris one of American music's most well-remembered voices.Template:Sfn Marissa R. Moss of The Guardian called her "one of music's most revered voices" and "one of America's finest interpreters of song".<ref name="Guardian Influence">Template:Cite news</ref> Chuck Dauphin of Billboard wrote, "Nobody can deliver a song aching with sadness and loneliness quite like Emmylou Harris. When she pours her heart and soul into a lyric, you are instantly grabbed emotionally in a way that few artists can."<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked Harris at number 79 on its list of the "200 Greatest Singers of All Time", further commenting that she is "arguably the greatest American harmony vocalist of the past half-century".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Bufwack and Oermann explained how Harris's music changed the direction of country music decades later.Template:Sfn In the years following her rise to success, Harris was considered a major influence on several country artists during the 1980s and 1990s.<ref name="Hall of Fame"/><ref name="Tribute">Template:Cite news</ref> Miranda Lambert credited Harris as an artist determined to make her own choices and choose her own direction.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Reflecting on her artistic decisions, Trisha Yearwood commented, "I've had to say to myself, well, if I passed Emmylou Harris on the street, would I be able to hold my head up?"<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Harris has also been a credited influence on Ryan Adams,<ref name="Guardian Influence"/> Mary Chapin Carpenter,<ref name="Tribute"/> Sheryl Crow,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Vince Gill,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Patty Loveless,<ref name="Hall of Fame"/> Martina McBride,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Reba McEntire,Template:Sfn Kacey Musgraves,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Margo Price,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> LeAnn Rimes,Template:Sfn Pam Tillis,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Carrie Underwood<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and Wilco.<ref name="Guardian Influence"/>

In 1999, Harris received the Billboard Century Award, which is given to "the uncommon excellence of one artist's still-unfolding body of work."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2003, she was inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Along with the Statler Brothers and Tom T. Hall, Harris was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in 2008.<ref name="Hall of Fame"/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2009, Linda Ronstadt and Earl Scruggs were present when Harris received an honorary doctorate from the Berklee College of Music.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> At the 2012 Academy of Country Music "Honors" ceremony, Harris was presented with the Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In 2015, Harris and Evelyn Glennie received Sweden's Polar Music Prize.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Along with Tina Turner, she was then presented the 2018 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Swedish folk duo First Aid Kit released the song "Emmylou" in 2012 as a tribute to Harris. They performed the song when she received the Polar Music Prize in 2015.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In 2016, Harris was honored with a tribute concert entitled The Life & Songs of Emmylou Harris, which was later released as both a DVD and a live CD. The concert featured several of Harris's closest friends and collaborators, including Rodney Crowell, Alison Krauss, and Lucinda Williams. Harris also performed at the concert which included her singing "Boulder to Birmingham" with other artists that were part of the program.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Activism and dog rescue

In 1997 and 1998, Harris performed in Sarah McLachlan's Lilith Fair concert series, which promoted female music artists.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Since 1999, Harris has organized an annual benefit tour called Concerts for a Landmine-Free World.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> All proceeds from the tours support the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation's (VVAF) efforts to assist innocent victims of conflicts around the world. The tour also benefits the VVAF's work to raise US awareness of the global land mine problem. Artists that have joined Harris on the road for these dates include Joan Baez, Mary Chapin Carpenter and Willie Nelson.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> She became a member of the newly formed Commission in the Humanities and Social Sciences of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2011, which started as a way to promote research with the humanities and social sciences.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Since childhood, Harris has enjoyed caring for dogs and fantasized about establishing a dog rescue.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2004, Harris' pet dog named Bonaparte died. To remember him, Harris decided to establish Bonaparte's Retreat, a dog rescue whose purpose was to save stray dogs from animal shelters and house them until they found their "forever home". The rescue resides in the Nashville area and often rescues dogs that are taken from the Metro Nashville Animal Care and Control facility.<ref name="Wide Open Country">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="About">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It also supports elderly or sickly dogs that are in need of a home. Harris helps raise funds for the program by creating concerts that sponsor the rescue.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Bonaparte's Retreat also works with a program that pairs troubled youth with foster animals. "I think this is something that will affect their lives in a good way on into their adult lives," she commented.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Personal life

Harris has been married and divorced three times and has called herself a "really good ex-wife".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 1969, Harris met fellow folk artist Tom Slocum while living in New York City's Greenwich Village. They married the same year.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In 1970, she gave birth to her first daughter, Hallie.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 1971, the couple divorced.<ref name="Southern Culture"/> In the early years of her career, Harris often took her daughter on the road with her. However, Hallie spent most of her time living with her grandparents in Maryland. "I don't think the road is good for kids. Once in a while it's fun, like a trip to Disneyland. But not as a way of life," she commented.<ref name="NY Times Marriage">Template:Cite news</ref> In 1977, Harris married her then-producer, Brian Ahern.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The couple married at Ahern's home in Halifax, Nova Scotia.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The couple then lived in the Studio City neighborhood of Los Angeles, California.<ref name="NY Times Marriage"/> Harris then welcomed her second child, Meghann, in 1979.<ref name="People">Template:Cite magazine</ref> In 1984, the couple divorced<ref name="Country Music Encyclopedia"/> and Harris relocated to Nashville, Tennessee.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 1985, Harris married songwriter and record producer Paul Kennerley. For several years, Harris and her family lived in an older home located near the Music Row neighborhood in Nashville.<ref name="People"/> In 1993, Kennerley and Harris divorced.<ref name="Country Music Encyclopedia"/>

Harris has a granddaughter who was born in 2009 and a grandson born in 2012.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> She is a vegetarian.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Her father died in 1993 after having an aortic rupture.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Harris's mother then lived with her for 21 years until her death in 2014.<ref name="Q&A"/> "She's just about my best friend. She has an extraordinary gift of making a home a home without being intrusive", Harris told CBS News in 2002.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Discography

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Template:Col-begin Template:Col-2 Studio albums as a solo artist

• Gliding Bird (1969)
• Pieces of the Sky (1975)
• Elite Hotel (1975)
• Luxury Liner (1976)
• Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town (1978)
• Blue Kentucky Girl (1979)
• Light of the Stable (1979)
• Roses in the Snow (1980)
• Evangeline (1981)
• Cimarron (1981)
• White Shoes (1983)
• The Ballad of Sally Rose (1985)
• Thirteen (1986)
• Angel Band (1987)
• Bluebird (1989)
• Brand New Dance (1990)
• Cowgirl's Prayer (1993)
• Wrecking Ball (1995)
• Red Dirt Girl (2000)
• Stumble into Grace (2003)
• All I Intended to Be (2008)
• Hard Bargain (2011)

Template:Col-2 Studio albums as a collaboration

• Trio Template:Small (1987)
• Trio II Template:Small (1999)
• Western Wall: The Tucson Sessions Template:Small (1999)
• All the Roadrunning Template:Small (2006)
• Old Yellow Moon Template:Small (2013)
• The Traveling Kind Template:Small (2015)

Collaborations and other appearances {{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}}

• Collaborations A–F
• Collaborations G–K
• Collaborations L–Q
• Collaborations R–Z

Sources

• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite book

Further reading

• In the Country of Country: A Journey to the Roots of American Music, Nicholas Dawidoff, Vintage Books, 1998. Template:ISBN
• Emmylou Harris: Angel in Disguise, Jim Brown, Fox Music Books, 2004. Template:ISBN
• Fong-Torres, Ben. (1998). "Emmylou Harris". In The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 230.

External links

• Template:Official website
• [https://www.imdb.com/{{#if: 0004994

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• Emmylou Harris Interview at NAMM Oral History Collection (2016)
• Pitchfork article