  Country Music News for the Country Music Enthusiast 
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Nobody in the music business has aged as gracefully as Emmylou Harris. Born in Alabama on April 2, 1947, her career has both spanned and spawned musical genres. Yet her low-key, private lifestyle and understated, almost shy, public personality convey the message that Emmylou is a dedicated artist in a class apart from many of today's celebrity-conscious performers. After graduating as valedictorian of her high school class, Emmylou spent a couple of years in various colleges (University of North Carolina, Boston University) and pursued an acting career. During that time she began singing and waitressing, and eventually realized that music was her real love. More than 25 years after she headed for New York to follow that star, Emmylou still confessed to being consumed by her passion for music. 
The earlier years nearly burned out that ardor, as waitressing, hosting in a model home development and raising a daughter as a single mother (after her first marriage to songwriter, Tom Slocum ended in divorce) often took precedence over her other aspirations. She played in clubs from New York to Washington, D.C. area, met Gram Parsons, then part of the Flying Burrito Brothers and looking for a female singer. Parsons followed up a year of promises by sending her a plane ticket to Los Angeles. There, she sang on his GP and Grievous Angel albums and joined his 1973 tour, and, through it all, came heavily under the influence of Parsons' eclectic brand of music, a country-rock fusion that was both innovative and inspired. Emmylou was devastated when Parsons, her friend and mentor, died of a heart attack in September 1973. His untimely death (he was 26) served as a catalyst for her career, however, since in an effort to hold her life together, she formed her own band, the now-famous Hot Band, which included Rodney Crowell and Ricky Skaggs and, later (though not actually during the classic Hot Band era), Vince Gill. Her first major label album, 1974's Pieces of Sky, with Warner Bros., took off, with "If I Could Only Win Your Love" (her revival of an old Louvin Brothers chestnut) reaching Number One. She followed this up with Elite Hotel, earning a Grammy nomination. Her producer at this time was Brian Ahern, whom she eventually married. (She and Ahern had a daughter, and eventually divorced.) Throughout two decades of recording, Emmylou's pure voice has cut through traditional country ballads and contemporary rock, earning five Grammy awards--three for Best Country Vocal Performance Female (Elite Hotel, Blue Kentucky Girl, and "In My Dreams") and two for Best Country Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group ("That Lovin' You Feeling Again" with Roy Orbison, and the album, Trio, with Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt). 
Of her later albums, 1987's Trio generated the most recognition and critical acclaim. In 1991, she recorded Live at the Ryman, a tribute to Nashville's venerable music hall and yet another demonstration of Emmylou's unabashed disregard for sticking to any one musical category. Live at the Ryman also showcased Emmylou's new band, The Nash Ramblers, an acoustic ensemble she formed in 1990, which has included a stellar line-up of musicians, including such notables as mandolin player Sam Bush, Carl Jackson (an occasional member), guitarist Randy Stewart (who now records for RCA as Jon Randall) and bass player Roy Huskey, Jr. Harris' decision to switch to all-acoustic backing came after continuing throat problems served as a warning that her voice could no longer compete with the high-decibel electric magic of the still-great Hot Band. The former East Coast, then West Coast, singer became an Nashville transplant in the early 1980's when she married songwriter Paul Kennerley and moved herself and her two daughters to Music City (they divorced in 1992). She has served as president of the Country Music Association's board of director for several years, and in January 1992 was named a member of the Grand 0le 0pry. Then in 1995, Harris released Wrecking Ball, her stunning Daniel Lanois-produced collection of moody songs. After two years of touring in support of the Grammy-winning album, Emmylou amicably parted with her longtime manager, Monty Hitchcock, and her record label, Elektra. It was a move that left her as a free agent, an artistic entity with a new-found space to create. "I got to a point where I worked this album (Wrecking Ball) for two years and I needed to pull back, " Emmylou confided to the Dallas Morning News in 1998. "I don't need the pressures of 'What is your next studio record going to be?' or 'When is it going to come out?' People were saying, 'You're going to lose momentum.' Well, I've probably already lost that momentum." "In for me, momentum is not as important as the creative energy that comes from feeling that you got the goods. I'm kind of working on the goods. You can cling to that muse, but it's not enough to hope that the muse going to drop down you. You have to give yourself some space for her to come to you." 
Thus began a new chapter in Emmylou's expansive and eclectic artistry. The release of Spyboy, a live album that chronicles the Wrecking Ball tour, bought her time to recharge and weigh her options. The Wall Street Journal began its review of Spyboy this way: "Emmylou Harris scaled the peaks of meaningful music long ago, but she never seems to come down the other side. She has a habit of choosing songs the Nashville establishment might consider risky (including those by Lucinda Williams and Gillian Welch) and lending them a voice that can't miss. Listening to that reassuring voice might make you wish you could sit on the porch with her and her friends and sing along, or on the more spiritual ones, sit in a church service with Emmy as the preacher and her ace band as the choir. In Spyboy, recorded live in concert last year during her European tour, you're indeed invited to the party." Emmylou has a history of forming bands with the most interesting musicians available. The band that backed her on Spyboy was no exception, including Buddy Miller (one of Nashville's best and most undervalued singer-songwriters) on guitar and a New Orleans rhythm section of Brady Blade on drums and Daryl Johnson on bass. Emmylou gives her excellent band equal time on this album, and they give us stunning renditions of gems from Harris' 25-year career. Spyboy includes a breathtaking version of "Love Hurts," originally a duet with Gram Parsons in the '70s. Then she takes cuts from Wrecking Ball ("Where Will I Be" and "Deeper Well") and gives them a fresh interpretation. "All My Tears, written by Buddy Miller's wife, Julie, gets special treatment. Other standouts include "I Ain't Living Long Like This" and "Tulsa Queen." The one new track, Daniel Lanois' ode to "The Maker" is a perfect, eight-minute finale. A very personal note by Glenda S. Paradee The first time I listened to Emmylou Harris' newest CD, Spyboy, was on a beautiful, warm, clear, sunny Sunday morning. I popped in the CD and cranked up the volume. I turned on the backyard speakers and pulled up a comfortable patio chair. As Emmylou's voice filled the air, my water fountain was flowing, the palm trees were swaying in a light breeze, the pool was glistening in the sun, the red hibiscus flowers were blooming, the birds were chirping, the wind chimes were gently tinkling, and the butterflies were gaily flying. What I felt listening to Emmylou's Spyboy CD for the very first time was spiritual experience. The beautiful music and being out in nature was a wonderful combination. I've been a fan of Emmylou for over 20 years, and Spyboy has just reinforced my admiration for her and her music. Emmylou, Thanks for the Music! Emmylou Harris
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