Early Life

Emmylou was born in Birmingham, Alabama, on April 2, 1947. Her father was a Marine Corps officer and her mother was a homemaker. Emmylou was exposed to country music at an early age and would often sing along with the radio. When she was a teenager, her family moved to Woodbridge, Virginia where she attended Gar-Field Senior High School. After graduating, she enrolled in the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Personal Life

In 1969, Emmylou married songwriter Tom Slocum. The couple had one son together, Mika Hallie Slocum, before divorcing in 1970. In 1977, she married Brian Ahern, they had a daughter, Meghann Ahern. The couple divorced in 1984. Emmylou has been in a relationship with songwriter and musician John Starling since 1984. In 1985, she married Paul Kennerley, they got divorced in 1993.

Music Career

In 1973, Harris met singer-songwriter Gram Parsons, who hired her as a female vocalist on his album GP. Parsons died in his motel room, and Harris decided to continue working in the music industry. She recorded her first solo album, Pieces of the Sky, in 1975. The album was a critical and commercial success, and Harris began to tour with her own band. In December 1975, she released Elite Hotel, which featured the hit single “Wheels”.

Harris’ next album, Luxury Liner, was released in 1977. She also released an album of folk songs called Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town in 1978. The following year, she released Blue Kentucky Girl, which contained her cover of the Dolly Parton song “To Daddy”. Harris’ popularity continued to grow, and she won a Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for her work on Blue Kentucky Girl.

In 1980, Harris released the album Roses in the Snow. The album featured duets with country music stars like Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton. Harris also collaborated with Roy Orbison on the song “That Lovin’ You Feelin’ Again”, which won a Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group.

Harris’ 1982 album, Evangeline, was her first album to be certified platinum. The album featured the hit single “Born to Run”, which Harris performed with Bruce Springsteen at the Grammy Awards.

Harris’ next album, The Ballad of Sally Rose, was released in 1985. The album was a critical and commercial success, and Harris won a Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for the title track.

In 1989, Harris released her album Bluebird. The album was Harris’s tribute to her bluegrass roots and featured traditional bluegrass standards, as well as new songs written by Harris and other contemporary bluegrass songwriters.

In 1990, Harris released her album Brand New Dance. The album garnered good reviews, but it was the beginning of a downturn in sales and radio play for Harris. In spite of this, she continued to tour and release new music, including Wrecking Ball in 1995 and Spyboy in 1998. In 2000, Harris collaborated with Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt on the album Trio II. The album was a critical and commercial success, nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Country Album.

Harris’s next album, Red Dirt Girl, was released in 2000 to critical acclaim. The album won Harris a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album. Harris continued to tour and release new music throughout the 2000s. In 2008, she released All I Intended to Be, which nominated Harris for a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album.

Awards and Nominations

Studio Albums