One of the most distinctive voices in country, pop, rock, and folk music was that of American singer-songwriter Emmylou Harris. Her position in American pop history is guaranteed by the uniqueness and emotion of her music.
Throughout the course of her forty-year music career, Emmylou Harris has shared the stage alongside such legends as Bob Dylan, Dolly Parton, and Linda Ronstadt. Her dedication to her craft, along with her love of making music, has propelled her to the top of the country music charts and won her countless honours.
Who Is Emmylou Harris?
On April 2, 1947, Emily Lou was born to military parents in Birmingham, Alabama. Both of her parents served in the military during conflict; her father was a Marine Corps commander and received several decorations during his ten months as a prisoner of war in Korea in 1952.
Virginia native Emily Lou spent her formative years in both North Carolina and the city of Woodbridge, from which she later earned her high school diploma. After that, she was awarded a scholarship to attend UNC Greensboro to major in drama. There, she also started taking music seriously, which is where she learnt to play the guitar and sing Bob Dylan and Joan Baez songs.
Iconic singer-songwriter Emmylou Harris
But, Emily Lou left college and relocated to New York in order to pursue her passion for music. She sang folk music at the Greenwich Village coffee shops and worked as a waiter to support herself.
Emily Lou, who had become somewhat of a celebrity at this point, put her music career on pause after getting married so that she could spend some time adjusting to married life. Fans were surprised by how long she took off from her career, but she eventually got back to what she loved after her marriage ended in divorce. At a specific pub, where she was singing the music of Gerry Mule and Tom Guidera, she was discovered by the famous “Flying Burrito Brothers,” who in turn introduced her to her old bandleader, Gram Parsons. While Parsons was seeking for a vocalist to collaborate with for his first solo album, GP, this encounter couldn’t have come at a better time for Emmylou. After Parsons’ untimely death on September 19, 1973, the two went on a tour and recorded the album Grievous Angel, which was released the following year.
After signing with Reprise Record and founding her own singing group, which she named “Angel Band,” Lou was inspired by Parsons’ death to go to Los Angeles. Later, she would count eight albums produced with her second husband, producer Brian Ahern, among her most significant works. Pieces of the sky, her debut album, was published in 1975 and contained a unique blend of cover songs by artists ranging from The Beatles to Merle Haggard.
Harris’s new band, dubbed “Hot Band,” recorded his platinum album Elite Hotel. Luxury Liner, Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town, Profile: The Best of Emmylou Harris, and Blue Kentucky Girl were the five further albums they put out in the ’70s. The latter accomplishment helped her win a second Grammy.
She and her third husband, Paul Kennerly, put out the semi-autobiographical album “The Ballad of Sally” and the solo albums Thirteen and The Angel Band. In 1987, Lou recorded a trio with fellow country performers Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt, and the album went on to become Lou’s best-selling album of all time.
Her 1995 experimental album “Wrecking Ball” was a big success and ultimately won her a Grammy. She continued to put out albums in the year 2000 and her final single was published in 2013.
Thus far, she has released 70 singles in addition to 11 compilation albums, 3 video albums, 3 live albums, and 26 studio albums. Harris is the recipient of 13 Grammys and 3 CMAs.
Her Husband and Daughter
While performing in Greenwich Village in 1969, EmmyLou Harris met and later married composer Tom Slocum. In 1970, she released her debut album, Gliding Bird. Harris and Slocum’s marriage ended quickly once she learned she was pregnant due to Slocum, leading to the demise of her record label due to the stipulation that both partners must be married to release music under their respective labels. As a new mother, she decided to return to her parents’ farm outside of the nation’s capital to bring up her daughter, whom she called Haille.
Emmylou Harris wed her record company executive Brian Ahern in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 1977. They had a daughter together named Megan, but split up in 1984. She immediately fell in love with the singer and composer Paul Kennerly, whom she married in 1985 and later divorced in 1993.
Read Also: Anthony Ciccone dies at 66