Emmylou Harris is an American singer, songwriter, musician, bandleader, and activist. A highly regarded figure in contemporary music, she is known for having a consistent artistic direction. Harris 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.
Wrecking Ball is the eighteenth studio album by American country artist Emmylou Harris, released on September 26, 1995, through Elektra Records. Moving away from her traditional acoustic sound, Harris collaborated with producer Daniel Lanois and engineer Mark Howard. The album has been noted for its atmospheric feel, and featured guest performances by Steve Earle, Larry Mullen Jr., Kate & Anna McGarrigle, Lucinda Williams and Neil Young, who wrote the title song.
At the Ryman is a 1992 live album by Emmylou Harris and her then-newly formed acoustic backing band, The Nash Ramblers, recorded at the one-time home of the Grand Ole Opry, Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee.
Old No. 1 is the highly influential 1975 debut album by Texas singer-songwriter Guy Clark.
Roses in the Snow is the seventh studio album by country music artist Emmylou Harris, released in 1980. While Harris' previous release, 1979's Blue Kentucky Girl, featured traditional, straight-ahead country, Roses in the Snow found Harris performing bluegrass-inspired music, with material by Flatt and Scruggs, Paul Simon, The Carter Family, and Johnny Cash. Cash, Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, The Whites, Ricky Skaggs, Willie Nelson and Tony Rice made guest appearances. "Wayfaring Stranger" was released as the first single in 1980 and went to #7 on the Billboard Country charts. The second single, a remake of a Simon & Garfunkel song, "The Boxer", reached #13. Backing musicians included Albert Lee and Jerry Douglas.
White Shoes is the tenth studio album by Emmylou Harris, released in 1983. The album includes a rockish version of "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend", a country remake of the Donna Summer hit "On the Radio", and a version of Sandy Denny's "Like an Old Fashioned Waltz". Both "In My Dreams" and "Pledging My Love" hit the #9 position on the Billboard country music singles chart in 1984.
Last Date is a live Emmylou Harris album, released in October 1982. Recorded at a series of honky tonks and other small venues on the west coast, Harris conceived the album as a showcase for her Hot Band. It was composed mostly of country standards. Harris reached No. 1 on the U.S. country charts with the title single, written by Floyd Cramer, who originally took it to the top ten on the U.S. pop and country charts, as an instrumental in 1960. In 2000, Eminent Records reissued Last Date for the first time on CD, complete with new liner notes and two bonus tracks.
Pieces of the Sky is the second studio album and major-label debut by American country music artist Emmylou Harris, released on February 7, 1975, through Reprise Records.
Elite Hotel is the third studio album by American country music artist Emmylou Harris, released in 1975. Elite Hotel was Harris' second album to be released in 1975, preceded by the widely acclaimed Pieces of the Sky. Elite Hotel surpassed it on the Billboard charts, becoming Harris' first number one country album. The album yielded two number one country singles: "Together Again" and Harris' version of the Patsy Cline hit "Sweet Dreams". The song "One of These Days" made it to the number three spot. A performance of the Beatles' "Here, There and Everywhere" entered the pop charts at number 65. Harris' eclectic musical tastes were reflected in her choice of material by Hank Williams, The Beatles, Gram Parsons and Buck Owens. Harris' vocals on the album earned her the Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Performance, Female.
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.
All I Can Do is the seventeenth solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. It was released on August 16, 1976, by RCA Victor. The album was co-produced by Parton and Porter Wagoner and would be the last of Parton's solo albums to have any involvement from Wagoner. It was nominated for Best Country Vocal Performance, Female at the 19th Annual Grammy Awards. The album spawned three singles: "Hey, Lucky Lady", "All I Can Do", and "Shattered Image".
Spyboy is a 1998 live album by Emmylou Harris and her backing band, Spyboy which she formed for a tour to perform songs from her 1995 career-redefining album, Wrecking Ball. Taking a stripped-down approach, Harris is backed by a trio comprising country singer-songwriter Buddy Miller on guitar and New Orleans musicians Daryl Johnson on bass and Brady Blade on drums. Along with songs from Wrecking Ball, such as "Where Will I Be" and "Deeper Well", Harris performs other songs from earlier in her career, such as "Born to Run" from Cimarron, "Love Hurts", which she first performed with Gram Parsons, "I Ain't Living Long Like This" from Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town and her ode to Parsons, "Boulder to Birmingham", from her 1975 debut album, Pieces of the Sky.
Profile II: The Best of Emmylou Harris is a compilation of hits by Emmylou Harris originally from five of her albums released between 1979 and 1983, plus two singles, "Mister Sandman" from 1981, and "Someone Like You", a new tune which became a Billboard #26 country hit in early 1985. "Mister Sandman" is a different recording from the one which appeared on Harris's 1981 Evangeline album, and lacks the backup vocals of Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt featured on Evangeline.
Songs of the West is a compilation of "western"-themed songs by Emmylou Harris taken from eight of her previous albums originally released between 1975 and 1992.
Western Wall: The Tucson Sessions is a 1999 duet album by American singer, songwriter, and producer Linda Ronstadt and singer, songwriter, and guitarist Emmylou Harris, who had previously collaborated on two albums with Dolly Parton.
Train a Comin' is the fifth studio album by Steve Earle, released in 1995. In addition to Earle, it features Peter Rowan, Norman Blake, Roy Huskey, and Emmylou Harris. The album was nominated for a Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Album.
The albums discography of American singer–songwriter Emmylou Harris contains 28 studio albums: 22 of which were solo releases while six were released collaboratively with other artists. Her albums discography also includes 15 compilation albums, five live albums, one soundtrack album, four video albums and two box sets. Harris's first studio album Gliding Bird was released in 1969 by Jubilee Records.
Ain't Living Long Like This is the debut studio album by American country music singer-songwriter Rodney Crowell, released in 1978 by Warner Bros. Records. It failed to enter the Top Country Albums chart. The songs, "Elvira", "Song for the Life" and "(Now and Then, There's) A Fool Such as I" were released as singles but they all failed to chart within the top 40. Despite this, Ain't Living Long Like This is considered one of Crowell's best and most influential albums. Brett Hartenbach of Allmusic says it "not only showcases his songwriting prowess, but also his ability to deliver a song, whether it's one of his own or the work of another writer". Most of the songs on this album were later covered by other artists including The Oak Ridge Boys and Alan Jackson. When the album was re-released in 2002 the font on the cover was enlarged to make it more legible.
The Very Best of Emmylou Harris: Heartaches & Highways is a compilation album by American country music artist Emmylou Harris. It was released by Rhino Records on July 19, 2005. The album peaked at number 23 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart.
[1] 