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Plaintive soprano
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Emmylou Harris wowed her fans with rock and folk music
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PROLIFIC PERFORMER and plaintive soprano, Emmylou Harris became a massive hit in the 70s, appealing to both rock and folk fans.
Born in Birmingham, Alabama, she grew up in Washington, where she was a beauty pageant queen in high school. She enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro for a course in acting but moved to Greenwich Village, New York. After an unsuccessful album for the Small Jubilee Label, she began performing in clubs in Washington.
Spotted by a member of the Flying Burrito Brothers, she was introduced to Gram Parsons, who was then looking for a female vocalist. Their chemistry was instant, more so on the duets they sang. Parsons exerted immense influence on Harris shaping her view of music. They collaborated on his Fallen Angels tour until Parsons' drug-driven demise in 1973 that shattered her.
Fan following
Teaming up with Elvis Presley's former sidemen James Burton, Glen D. Hardin and Ron Tutt, she sought to continue the tradition of Parsons in the 1975 album, Pieces of the sky. Playing material by others, she began to scale the charts, evidenced by her growing fan following after Elite Hotel and Luxury Liner. She then appeared in studio footage of the Band's 1976 documentary, The last waltz. Her duet with Roy Orbison featured in the soundtrack of the film Roadie.
Eight gold album
After marriage to Canadian producer Bruce Ahern, credited for the success of Anne Murray in the 70s, Harris had eight gold albums by 1982. The pair split and she moved to Nashville. The Ballad of Sally Rose in 1985 was partly autobiographical and won critical acclaim. Two years later, she combined with Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt for Trio.
Grammy award
Wrecking Ball in 1995 was a marked departure that featured U2 drummer Larry Mullen Jr and contained renditions of songs written by Jimi Hendrix and Bob Dylan and fetched her a Grammy for best contemporary folk album. Four years after, she again teamed up with Parton and Ronstadt for Trio II.
Harris produced and sang on Return of the Grievous Angel, a tribute to Parsons. In 1999, she won the Billboard Century Award and a year later, a Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Recording.
A. GEORGE ANTONY
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