Emmylou Harris was born on April 2, 1947, in Birmingham, Alabama. Her family moved frequently during her early years, finally settling in a suburb of Washington D.C. Though she wasn't very interested in school she graduated as a valedictorian and won a scholarship to study drama at the University of North Carolina in Greensboro. But Harris was already developing an interest in music and preferred to spend her time singing and playing guitar in Greenwich Village folk clubs. There she met fellow songwriter Tom Slocum, with whom she made her first album, Gilded Bird; but the album was not a success and the record label declared bankruptcy shortly afterward. Harris and Slocum married and had a daughter, Hallie, but the marriage broke down, and Harris, failing to make ends meet as a single mother in Nashville, moved back to Washington DC to live with her parents.
Harris soon returned to performing, working with Gerry Mule and Tom Guidera. There she was spotted by Chris Hillman of The Byrds, who recommended her to his former band member Gram Parsons, who was looking for a female vocalist. Harris toured with Parsons' band Fallen Angels and worked with him on his album Grievous Angel. They fell in love and had a passionate affair which ended tragically when Parsons died from an overdose of drugs and alcohol. Heartbroken and alone in Los Angeles, Harris poured her energy into her music, attracting the attention of producer Brian Ahern. Signing a contract with Reprise Records, she made her first major album, Pieces of the Sky, touring with Parsons' friends Hank DeVito, James Burton and Glen D Hardin (who had previously worked with Elvis Presley) in The Hot Band. Both album and tour were a great success, and she followed up with Elite Hotel, Luxury Liner, and Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town, before changing direction to concentrate on country music with Blue Kentucky Girl and Light of the Stable. The album Roses in the Snow, which included a duet with Roy Orbison and contributions from Ricky Skaggs, Tony Rice, Johnny Cash, and Jerry Douglas, won her a Grammy. During this time she also worked with Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, Neil Young, and Bob Dylan.
Harris enjoyed a successful career in country music throughout the 80s, but in the 90s, when the focus of the industry shifted to youth, she found it harder to make sales. Breaking up The Hot Band, she formed The Nash Ramblers with Sam Bush, Roy Huskey Jr., Larry Atamanuik, Al Perkins, and Jon Randall, to record another Grammy-winning album, At The Ryman. She later made a move into alternative rock with Wrecking Ball produced by Daniel Lanois, which gained her a whole new following. Harris also contributed to several movie soundtracks including that for the Coen brothers' Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?, which starred George Clooney. In 2005 she toured with Elvis Costello and released The Very Best of Emmylou Harris: Heartaches and Highways.
Harris has been married three times. Her second husband was her then producer Brian Ahern; their marriage lasted seven years and produced a daughter, Meghann. In 1985 she married fellow musician Paul Kennerly, but they divorced in 1993. Harris now lives alone and spends the time when she's not working helping out with good causes. For the past six years she has organized annual benefit concerts for the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation's campaign for a Landmine Free World. This has won the support of stars including Mary Chapin-Carpenter, Joan Baez, and Nancy Griffith. Harris also promotes animal rights and campaigns with PETA.
YUDDY
