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Three of the tracks are cover songs:
Many Crowell-penned songs have since been covered by other artists. "Leaving Louisiana in the Broad Daylight" was covered by Emmylou Harris in 1978 and, a year later, by The Oak Ridge Boys from The Oak Ridge Boys Have Arrived . They released it as a single that reached Number One.
"Voila, An American Dream" was covered (as "An American Dream") by The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and was the title track to their 1979 album. Released as a single, the record hit #13 on the U.S. pop charts and #3 in Canada.
"I Ain't Living Long Like This" was recorded in 1977 by Gary Stewart for his album, Your Place or Mine., then recorded in 1978 by Emmylou Harris for her album, Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town , and in 1979 by Waylon Jennings for his album, What Goes Around Comes Around , and Jerry Jeff Walker for his album, Too Old to Change. Brooks & Dunn recorded a version in 2003 as a tribute to Waylon. Andy Griggs recorded a version for his 1999 first album, You Won't Ever Be Lonely .
"Baby, Better Start Turnin' 'Em Down" was covered by Emmylou Harris on her 1983 album White Shoes and by Rosanne Cash on her 1979 album Right or Wrong . "Song for the Life" was first covered in 1980 by John Denver and in 1982 by Waylon Jennings. Alan Jackson released his version as a single from his album Who I Am in 1994 where it became a top ten hit.
Willie Nelson, Ricky Skaggs, Emmylou Harris and Nicolette Larson sang background vocals on several of the tracks.
Bluebird is the fifteenth studio album by American country artist Emmylou Harris, released on January 10, 1989, by Warner Records. Featuring mostly interpretations of work by artists such as the McGarrigle Sisters, Tom Rush, and Rodney Crowell, it included her most recent top-ten country-charting single, "Heartbreak Hill". The album enjoyed renewed interest in 2004 when "Heaven Only Knows" was used in the first episode of the fifth season of The Sopranos.
Right or Wrong is the second studio album by American country music singer Rosanne Cash. It was released in September 1979 by Columbia Records.
Blue Kentucky Girl is the sixth studio album by American country music artist Emmylou Harris, released in 1979. The album features Harris delving into more traditional country than the country-rock sound of her previous releases. Songs include work by Willie Nelson and Gram Parsons. Rodney Crowell's "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues" featured harmonies by Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt, and came out of the women's ill-fated 1978 recording sessions, where they first attempted to record a "trio" album.
Evangeline is a 1981 album by Emmylou Harris that was composed mostly of leftover material from past recording sessions and which did not fit into any of her other albums. Songs included a remake of "Mister Sandman", "Evangeline", which she had previously performed with The Band, Rodney Crowell's "Ashes By Now", and a cover of John Fogerty's "Bad Moon Rising". Though it received mixed reviews upon its release, the album was yet another commercial success for Harris. It was certified Gold in less than a year after its release. A single release of "Mister Sandman" did well on the charts, though neither Ronstadt's nor Parton's record companies would allow their artists' vocals to be used on the single, so Harris rerecorded the song, singing all three parts for the single release. Rodney Crowell's "I Don't Have to Crawl" was released as the album's second single.
The Ballad of Sally Rose is a studio album by American singer Emmylou Harris released in February 1985. It marked a significant departure for Harris for two reasons. First, all the songs were written by her and her then-husband Paul Kennerley, while her previous albums had consisted mostly of others' material. Secondly, it is a concept album, loosely based on Harris' relationship with Gram Parsons. The album tells the story of a character named Sally Rose, a singer whose lover and mentor, a hard-living, hard-drinking musician, is killed while on the road. Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt and Gail Davies sing harmony on several of the songs. Many of the songs flow into one another to create a continuous momentum.
Cimarron is a 1981 Emmylou Harris album that, like its predecessor, Evangeline, was composed mostly of outtakes from other recording sessions that had not fit into any of Harris' other albums. As a result, critics at the time complained that the album was "choppy" and lacked a unifying sound. Nonetheless, the album did well on the U.S. country charts, and featured three top-ten country singles: "Born to Run", "If I Needed You", and "Tennessee Rose." It was nominated for a Grammy in 1982 for Best Country Vocal Performance, Female. In 2000, Eminent Records issued Cimarron for the first time on CD, with new liner notes and a bonus track, "Colors of Your Heart."
Luxury Liner is the fourth studio album by American country music artist Emmylou Harris, released in 1976. The album was Harris' second successive number one country album on the Billboard charts, although, unlike the preceding Elite Hotel, there were no number one hits from this album. The highest-charting singles were the number six Chuck Berry cover "(You Never Can Tell) C'est la Vie" and the number eight "Making Believe". However, the album may be better known for including the first cover version of Townes Van Zandt's 1972 song "Pancho and Lefty", which subsequently became Van Zandt's best-known composition.
Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town is the fifth studio album by American country music artist Emmylou Harris, released in 1978. The album reached number 3 on the Billboard charts, with three charting singles: "To Daddy" at #3, "Two More Bottles of Wine" at #1, and "Easy From Now On" at #12. Also featured are "One Paper Kid", a duet with Willie Nelson, "Leaving Louisiana in the Broad Daylight", which the Oak Ridge Boys would reach #1 with in 1980 and "I Ain't Living Long Like This", which Waylon Jennings would reach #1 with in 1980 as well. The painting used for the album cover is by Susanna Clark.
Johnny 99 is the 69th album by American country singer Johnny Cash, released on Columbia Records in 1983. It is notable for including two covers of Bruce Springsteen songs, "Highway Patrolman" and "Johnny 99". "I'm Ragged but I'm Right," a George Jones song, was a minor hit, reaching No. 75. Johnny 99 is generally regarded as a strong release at a point in Cash's career which is considered to be the least successful; it was also the second-to-last solo album released by Cash on Columbia, prior to his move to Mercury Records. Hoyt Axton sings background on "Highway Patrolman" and "Joshua Gone Barbados". "New Cut Road" had been a relatively successful single for Bobby Bare in 1981; Paul Kennerley's "Brand New Dance" would go on to be covered, among others, by Emmylou Harris on her 1990 album of the same name.
Sailboat is the fifth studio album released by the singer-songwriter Jonathan Edwards.
The Legend of Jesse James is a 1980 country music concept album written by English songwriter Paul Kennerley, based on the story of American Old West outlaw Jesse James.
The Notorious Cherry Bombs is the only studio album by the American country music group The Notorious Cherry Bombs, a band that formerly served as country singer Rodney Crowell's backing band in the 1980s. This is the band's only studio album, with Crowell and Vince Gill alternating as lead vocalists. Released in 2004 on Universal South Records, the album produced one chart single in "It's Hard to Kiss the Lips at Night That Chew Your Ass Out All Day Long". "Making Memories of Us" was previously recorded by Tracy Byrd on his 2003 album The Truth About Men, and later in 2004 by Keith Urban on his album Be Here; Urban's rendition was released as a single, reaching Number One on the country charts in 2005.
Guy Clark is the third studio album by the Texas singer-songwriter Guy Clark, released in 1978. It was his first on the Warner Bros. label.
The South Coast of Texas is the fourth studio album by Texas singer-songwriter Guy Clark, released in 1981.
But What Will the Neighbors Think is a studio album by American country music artist Rodney Crowell. It was released in 1980 by Warner Bros. Records. It reached #64 on the Top Country Albums chart and #155 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. The songs, "Ashes by Now", "Ain't No Money" and "Here Come the 80's" were released as singles. "Ashes by Now" only reached #78 on the country charts and #37 on the Billboard Hot 100 while the other two singles failed to chart. This album has more of a rock & roll influence than Crowell's debut, Ain't Living Long Like This. The album was rereleased on compact disc in 2005.
Rodney Crowell is the third studio album by American country music artist Rodney Crowell. It was released in 1981 by Warner Bros. Records and was his last album on that label before switching to Columbia. It was the first album Crowell produced by himself. It reached #47 on the Top Country Albums chart and #105 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. The songs, "Stars on the Water" and "Victim or a Fool" were released as singles. "Stars on the Water" reached #30 on the Hot Country Songs chart, his highest-charting song up to that point. It peaked at #21 on the Canadian country charts. "Victim or a Fool" reached #34 in the U.S. The album was rereleased on compact disc in 2005 paired with his previous album But What Will the Neighbors Think.
The Rodney Crowell Collection is the title of the first compilation album by American country music artist Rodney Crowell. It was released in 1989 by Crowell's former label, Warner Bros. Records, following the huge success of his album Diamonds & Dirt. It features selections from his first three albums that were released under the Warner Bros. label between 1978 and 1981. It charted #65 on the Top Country Albums chart.
"I Ain't Living Long Like This" is a song written by Rodney Crowell that was first recorded by Gary Stewart on his 1977 album Your Place or Mine. Emmylou Harris then recorded the song for her 1978 album, Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town. Crowell released his version as well in 1978 on his debut album Ain't Living Long Like This.
The Outsider is the twelfth studio album by American country music singer Rodney Crowell. It was released on August 16, 2005 via Columbia Records. The album includes the singles "The Obscenity Prayer" and "Say You Love Me".
Old Yellow Moon is a collaborative album by American country music singer-songerwriters Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell, released on February 26, 2013 in the United States by Nonesuch Records. It is the twenty-seventh and fourteenth studio albums for both Harris and Crowell, respectively, as well as Harris's fifth album for Nonesuch Records. The duo followed up this collaboration with The Traveling Kind two years later.
