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Emmylou Harris

Recording Artist · Active 1970–present · Birmingham, Alabama · emmylouharris.com · Also a musician
Classic Country Folk / Americana

Emmylou Harris is one of the most influential country and Americana vocalists of the past 50 years — a singer whose discovery of bluegrass through Gram Parsons, her lifelong devotion to traditional material, and her championing of bluegrass musicians (including Ricky Skaggs, Sam Bush, Tony Rice, and countless others in her bands) has made her a foundational figure linking mainstream country to bluegrass and Americana.

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  • Born in Birmingham, Alabama, to a Marine Corps family. Raised in Virginia; attended UNC Greensboro.
  • Discovered country and bluegrass through Gram Parsons, who invited her to sing harmonies on his 1973–74 solo albums GP and Grievous Angel after hearing her in a Washington, D.C. club. Parsons's death in 1973 devastated her but shaped her subsequent career.
  • Formed the Hot Band in 1975 with James Burton (guitar), Rodney Crowell (guitar), and others. The Hot Band became a legendary launching pad for Nashville country talent.
  • Won 14 Grammy Awards across her career. Key albums: Pieces of the Sky (1975), Elite Hotel (1975), Luxury Liner (1977), Roses in the Snow (1980, all-bluegrass), Cimarron (1981), and many more.
  • Roses in the Snow (1980) — produced by Brian Ahern and featuring Ricky Skaggs, Tony Rice, Jerry Douglas, and Sam Bush — was a commercially successful bluegrass album that brought the genre to country radio audiences.
  • Trio (1987) and Trio II (1999) with Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt — both Grammy-winning albums featuring Alan O'Bryant's “Those Memories of You.”
  • Formed the Nash Ramblers (with Sam Bush, Roy Huskey Jr., Jon Randall Stewart, Al Perkins, Larry Atamanuik) in the early 1990s. The band's At the Ryman (1992) won the Grammy for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.
  • Transitioned toward alt-country/Americana with Wrecking Ball (1995, produced by Daniel Lanois), which won Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Album.
  • Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2008. Grand Ole Opry member since 1992.
  • Has recorded with nearly every major bluegrass musician of the past 50 years as collaborator or bandmate. Continues to tour and record.

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