Emmylou Harris is an American singer, musician and songwriter from Birmingham, Alabama. Born in 1947, she grows up near Washington, D.C. and begins performing in the late 1960s on the local folk scene after moving to Greenwich Village.

Career

Harris works as a solo artist, bandleader and interpreter of other writers’ songs, and also becomes known as a backing vocalist and duet partner. Early in her career she sings in a local folk duo, performs in clubs around Washington, D.C., and shares stages with Jerry Jeff Walker and David Bromberg.

She is discovered in 1971 by Chris Hillman, who brings Gram Parsons to hear her sing. In 1972 she joins Parsons in Los Angeles for work on his solo album GP. Parsons’ death in 1973 leaves her at a musical crossroads, and her song Boulder To Birmingham is written soon afterwards in response to that loss.

After returning to the Washington, D.C. area, Harris forms a country band and later makes her major label debut with Pieces of the Sky in 1975, where she forms the first version of the Hot Band. Members associated with Emmylou Harris and The Hot Band include Albert Lee, Rodney Crowell and Hank DeVito.

Collaborations and recorded work

Harris records and performs with a wide range of artists, including Gram Parsons, The Band, Linda Ronstadt, Roy Orbison, Dolly Parton, Mark Knopfler, Guy Clark, Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, Rodney Crowell, John Denver and Neil Young. Other collaborations mentioned include Ryan Adams, Beck, Elvis Costello, Johnny Cash, Lucinda Williams, Tammy Wynette, The Chieftains, Lyle Lovett and George Jones.

She sings with Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt on the albums Trio and Trio II. Her work with Parsons also includes his group Gram Parsons and the Fallen Angels.

Style and recognition

Her music moves across country, folk, pop and alternative, and she is associated with americana, country folk, country pop and country rock as well as folk and country. She is known for a distinctive voice and for finding strong material in other writers’ songs.

Her 2000 album Red Dirt Girl marks a shift toward songwriting and brings her tenth Grammy. By the time of Stumble Into Grace, she writes ten of the album’s eleven tracks. Across her career she receives eleven Grammys in total.

Activism

Harris is active in social and cultural causes. She supports the Country Music Foundation and the Grand Ole Opry, backs PETA and the Humane Society, and serves as a prominent spokesperson for the Campaign for a Landmine Free World from 1997.