Every Friday around 11 a.m. Central, it’s time for Classic Americana on Radio Heartland. We pull a special track from the archives or from deep in the shelves to spotlight a particular artist or song.

Emmylou Harris is one of the most esteemed artists in Americana and country music.

Like many people in her age group, Harris, who was born April 2, 1947, was inspired to get involved in music by the American folk revival of the late 1950s and early 60s. Beginning in New York’s Greenwich Village scene and later moving to Nashville, Harris’ career had a rather inauspicious start until she was invited to sing harmony vocals with Gram Parsons. The two became friends as well as musical collaborators, and Harris credits Parsons for helping her firm up her artistic direction and for fueling her interest in authentic country music sounds.

When Parsons died in 1973, Harris embarked on her own solo career, continuing in the country or country-rock mold that she had established working with Parsons. In a career that has spanned 40 years and counting, Harris has released 28 studio albums, six of which were collaborations with other esteemed artists; namely Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, Rodney Crowell and Mark Knopfler.

For our classic Americana pick this week, we’re going to hear a cut from Harris’ 1978 solo album, Blue Kentucky Girl. Even though the record was a solo release, the particular track we’re spotlighting features harmony vocals from two of Harris’ favorite collaborators, Linda Ronstadt and Dolly Parton — and the song itself was written by another friend, Rodney Crowell. Here’s the original:

The version of “Even Cowgirls Get the Blues” I’ve chosen to play is Emmylou Harris and the Nash Ramblers playing it, which appears on the album Ramble In Music City: The Lost Concert.

Emmylou Harris’ influence continues to be felt, and may be best exemplified in the song “Emmylou,” released by Swedish band First Aid Kit in 2012.

Classic Americana Playlist

External Link

Emmylou Harris – official site