Emmylou Harris facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Emmylou Harris
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Harris performing in 2016
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| Born | April 2, 1947 Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.
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| Education | Gar-Field Senior High School |
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| Years active | 1969–present |
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| Children | 2 |
| Awards | Awards and nominations |
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| Origin | Washington, D.C. |
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Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. She is known for her work in country rock music in the 1970s and Americana music in the 1990s. Her unique voice and musical style have been praised by many. She helped bring together fans of both country and rock music.
Emmylou became interested in folk music when she was young. This led her to start performing. After moving to New York City in the 1960s, she recorded a folk album. Later, she met Gram Parsons, who helped her explore country rock music. After Parsons passed away in 1973, Emmylou got her own record deal. Her second album, Pieces of the Sky (1975), was very successful. Other popular albums from the 1970s include Elite Hotel (1976) and Blue Kentucky Girl (1979). By 1980, she had four number-one country songs.
Emmylou continued to release successful albums in the 1980s, like Roses in the Snow (1980). Her band, the Hot Band, was a big part of her sound. In 1985, she released The Ballad of Sally Rose, which was one of her first albums with songs she wrote herself. She also teamed up with Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt for the album Trio (1987). This album sold millions of copies and had four top ten songs.
In 1992, Emmylou released a live album called At the Ryman. This album helped bring attention back to the historic Ryman Auditorium. She then explored new musical styles with her 1995 album Wrecking Ball. She also reunited with Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt for Trio II (1999). In the 2000s, Emmylou started writing more of her own songs for albums like Red Dirt Girl (2000). She also worked with Mark Knopfler on All the Roadrunning (2006) and with Rodney Crowell on Old Yellow Moon (2013). Emmylou is also an activist and started a dog rescue called Bonaparte's Retreat.
Emmylou Harris has sold over 15 million records worldwide. She has won 13 Grammy Awards and had many top ten songs. She was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2008. In 2022, Rolling Stone magazine named her one of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.
Contents
Emmylou's Early Life and Music Journey
Emmylou Harris was born in Birmingham, Alabama in 1947. She had an older brother who liked country music. Her father was a Marine Corps officer who served in World War II and the Korean War. He was even a Prisoner of War for a time.
Her family moved several times. They finally settled in Woodbridge, Virginia, when Emmylou was in high school. She was a very good student at Gar-Field Senior High School. She was also a cheerleader and played the saxophone in the marching band. Emmylou was interested in the American folk music revival of the 1960s. She loved artists like Joan Baez and Bob Dylan. Her grandfather gave her her first guitar, and she taught herself to play.
In 1965, Emmylou graduated as the best student in her class. She first wanted to be an actress and went to the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She also formed a folk music group called The Emerald City. They played at local coffeehouses. In 1967, she decided to focus on becoming a folk singer full-time. She moved to New York City's Greenwich Village, which was a popular spot for folk music. In 1969, she got married and had her first child.
Emmylou's Music Career
Starting with Folk Music and Gram Parsons
Emmylou performed regularly in Greenwich Village. She worked at famous clubs like The Bitter End. To support herself, she also worked as a waitress and bookstore cashier. In 1969, she signed with Jubilee Records. Her first album, Gliding Bird, came out in 1970. It included songs she wrote herself.
After her first record label went out of business, Emmylou moved to Nashville. She later divorced and struggled to make ends meet. She moved back in with her parents in Clarksville, Maryland. While performing in clubs around Washington, D.C., she was discovered by singer-songwriter Gram Parsons. Parsons was looking for a harmony singer for his band. He heard Emmylou sing and was very impressed.
In 1973, Emmylou joined Parsons in Los Angeles, California. She recorded harmony vocals for his album G.P.. She also toured with his band, the Fallen Angels. Parsons was known for mixing country and rock music. He taught Emmylou a lot about classic country music. She later said he helped her find her true musical path. They recorded another album, Grievous Angel, which was released after Parsons' death in 1974.
Becoming a Solo Star in the 1970s
Even though she was sad about Gram Parsons' death, Emmylou decided to continue his country rock style. She formed her own band and started performing regularly. A record company representative helped her get a contract with Warner Bros. Records. Brian Ahern became her producer, and they later married in 1977.
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Ahern produced Emmylou's next album, Pieces of the Sky (1975). This album included her song "Boulder to Birmingham", which was about her feelings after Parsons' death. The album was a big hit, reaching number seven on the country charts. Her song "If I Could Only Win Your Love" became a top five hit. Her next album, Elite Hotel (1975), was her first to reach number one on the country charts. It featured hit songs like "Together Again" and "Sweet Dreams". Emmylou formed a new band called The Hot Band, which included talented musicians like James Burton and Rodney Crowell.
Her albums were not only popular but also received great reviews. Elite Hotel won Emmylou a Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance. Both albums sold over half a million copies.
Emmylou continued to release successful albums. Luxury Liner (1976) was another number one country album. Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town (1978) also sold well. These albums had hit songs like "Two More Bottles of Wine".
Her record label wanted her to make more pop-sounding music. But Emmylou chose to record two albums with a more traditional country sound. These were Blue Kentucky Girl (1979) and Roses in the Snow (1980). Both albums were very popular and won Grammy Awards. They featured hit songs like "Beneath Still Waters", which went to number one.
Emmylou had her second daughter during this time and took a short break from touring. She released Evangeline (1981), which included the popular song "Mister Sandman". She also won the Female Vocalist of the Year award.
Changes in the 1980s and the Trio Success
In the early 1980s, Emmylou's band members changed. Her album Cimarron (1981) had top ten country songs like "Born to Run". In 1982, she released her first live album, Last Date. The title track became a number one hit.
Her album White Shoes (1983) was her last with producer Brian Ahern. They also divorced. Emmylou then moved to Nashville and worked with new producer Paul Kennerly, whom she later married. They created The Ballad of Sally Rose (1985), an album based loosely on her own life. While critics liked it, it didn't sell as well as her previous albums.
In 1987, Emmylou teamed up with Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt for the album Trio. They had been friends for years and wanted to record together. The album featured their beautiful harmony singing. Trio became Emmylou's best-selling album ever. It reached number one on the country charts and had four top ten hit songs.
Her solo album Bluebird (1989) brought her back to the top ten with the song "Heartbreak Hill". Her last album with Warner Bros. was Brand New Dance (1990).
New Sounds and More Collaborations in the 1990s
Around 1991, Emmylou formed a new band called the Nash Ramblers. She decided to record a live album at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. This historic venue used to be the home of the Grand Ole Opry. In 1992, she released At the Ryman, which was highly praised. The album helped bring new interest to the Ryman Auditorium, leading to its renovation.
Emmylou also became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 1992. She signed a new record deal with Asylum Records. In 1993, she released Cowgirl's Prayer, her last album produced by Paul Kennerly. They divorced shortly after.
In the mid-1990s, Emmylou felt that country radio wasn't playing her music much. Asylum Records gave her freedom to try new things. In 1995, she released Wrecking Ball. This album had a different, more alternative rock sound. It helped define the Americana music genre. Even though country radio didn't play it, Wrecking Ball won a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album. Critics loved it, calling it "hypnotic" and "beautiful".
In 1999, Emmylou, Dolly Parton, and Linda Ronstadt released their second album together, Trio II. It was also very popular and won a Grammy Award. Emmylou also released an album with Linda Ronstadt called Western Wall: The Tucson Sessions in 1999.
Becoming a Singer-Songwriter in the 2000s
In 2000, Emmylou signed with Nonesuch Records. That year, she released Red Dirt Girl, her first album in a long time that mostly featured songs she wrote herself. It was a big success, reaching the top five on the country charts and winning another Grammy. Emmylou also contributed to the soundtrack for the movie O Brother, Where Art Thou?, which won a Grammy for Album of the Year.
In 2003, she released Stumble into Grace, another album of her own songs. It also featured Linda Ronstadt. Emmylou also toured with Elvis Costello. In 2006, she released All the Roadrunning with Mark Knopfler (from the band Dire Straits). This album was very successful around the world.
Her solo album All I Intended to Be came out in 2008. It featured Vince Gill and Dolly Parton. In 2011, Emmylou released Hard Bargain, her fourth album of self-written songs. It included a song about Emmett Till, a teenage boy who was murdered in the 1950s.
Working with Rodney Crowell and Recent Projects
In 2013, Emmylou released Old Yellow Moon, an album of duets with Rodney Crowell. They had wanted to make an album together for years. The album was very well-received and won a Grammy award. They released a second album together, The Traveling Kind, in 2015.
Emmylou has been working on a memoir about her life. In 2021, a live album called Ramble in Music City: The Lost Concert was released. It was recorded in 1990 but had not been released until then. Emmylou continues to perform live shows.
Emmylou's Musical Style and Voice
Musical Influences and Style
Emmylou first loved music through folk artists like Joan Baez and Pete Seeger. She taught herself guitar by playing along with folk songs on the radio. She even wrote to Pete Seeger when she was 16, asking if her life was too easy to sing folk songs about hardship. He wrote back and told her that life experience would come.
When she met Gram Parsons, he introduced her to classic country music. She learned to appreciate artists like The Louvin Brothers and George Jones. She later hired Rodney Crowell for her band, who also helped her learn more about traditional country music.
Emmylou Harris is known for her country rock style. She mixed the sound of California folk rock with traditional country music. This helped her appeal to both country and pop fans. As her career grew, she also took inspiration from alternative music. Her album Wrecking Ball (1995) was a turning point, adding new rock sounds to her music. She is now seen as a pioneer of the Americana genre and is sometimes called the "Godmother of Americana."
Emmylou always worked closely with her musicians. She formed bands like The Hot Band, the Nash Ramblers, and Spyboy. She believed that working with talented musicians helped her music grow. She said they played "hard-core country music with a rock and roll attitude."
She is also known for her many collaborations with other artists. She has appeared on songs with Ryan Adams, Neil Young, Johnny Cash, and Sheryl Crow. She believes that working with others has made her music better and more inspiring.
Emmylou's Unique Voice
Emmylou Harris's singing voice is often described as a soprano. People say it is both "delicate" and "crystalline," like a mix of crystal and steel. Critics say she has a "remarkable gift for phrasing."
Emmylou herself explained that her voice sounds unique because it comes from her folk music background. She felt she didn't have a typical country voice like Loretta Lynn or Tammy Wynette. Instead, her voice was more like a folk singer's.
Emmylou's Impact and Awards
Emmylou Harris has had a big impact on modern music. By mixing country and rock, she helped bring different types of audiences together. She showed that country music could be successful while still being true to its roots. She is also credited with influencing the Neotraditional country style that became popular later.
Many people consider Emmylou Harris to have one of the most memorable voices in American music. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her among the "200 Greatest Singers of All Time."
She has influenced many country artists, including Miranda Lambert and Trisha Yearwood. Miranda Lambert said she wanted a career like Emmylou's because it's "never-ending" and allows for artistic freedom. Other artists like Ryan Adams, Sheryl Crow, and Kacey Musgraves have also named her as an influence.
Emmylou has received many awards:
- In 1999, she received the Billboard Century Award for her amazing work in music.
- She was inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in 2003.
- In 2008, she joined the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
- She received an honorary doctorate from the Berklee College of Music in 2009.
- In 2015, she received Sweden's Polar Music Prize.
- She was given the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018.
The Swedish folk duo First Aid Kit released a song called "Emmylou" in 2012 as a tribute to her. In 2016, a special concert called The Life & Songs of Emmylou Harris was held to honor her. Many of her friends and collaborators performed.
Emmylou's Activism and Dog Rescue
Emmylou Harris is also known for her activism. In the late 1990s, she performed in the Lilith Fair concert series, which celebrated female music artists.
Since 1999, she has organized an annual tour called Concerts for a Landmine-Free World. These concerts raise money to help victims of landmines around the world. They also help raise awareness about the global landmine problem. Famous artists like Joan Baez and Willie Nelson have joined her on these tours.
Emmylou has always loved dogs. In 2004, after her dog Bonaparte passed away, she decided to start Bonaparte's Retreat. This dog rescue saves stray dogs from shelters and finds them loving "forever homes." The rescue is in Nashville and often helps dogs from the Metro Nashville Animal Care and Control facility. It also cares for older or sick dogs. Emmylou raises money for the rescue by holding concerts. Bonaparte's Retreat also has a program that connects troubled young people with foster animals, which Emmylou believes helps both the youth and the animals.
Emmylou's Personal Life
Emmylou Harris has been married and divorced three times. In 1969, she married Tom Slocum and had her first daughter, Hallie, in 1970. They divorced in 1971. Emmylou often took Hallie on tour with her when she was young, but Hallie mostly lived with her grandparents.
In 1977, Emmylou married her producer, Brian Ahern. They had their second daughter, Meghann, in 1979. They divorced in 1984, and Emmylou moved to Nashville. In 1985, she married songwriter Paul Kennerley. They divorced in 1993.
Emmylou has two grandchildren, a granddaughter born in 2009 and a grandson born in 2012. She is a vegetarian. Her mother lived with her for 21 years until her death in 2014. Emmylou said her mother was "just about my best friend."
Emmylou's Music Albums
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Solo Studio Albums
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Collaborative Studio Albums
Other Appearances
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See also
In Spanish: Emmylou Harris para niños
