Music Bloodline

Emmylou Harris

Gram Parsons' one-time singing partner became an enduring force in progressive country by the end of the 1970s.

Biography

Though other performers sold more records and earned greater fame, few left as profound an impact on contemporary music as Emmylou Harris. Blessed with a crystalline voice, a remarkable gift for phrasing, and a restless creative spirit, she traveled a singular artistic path, proudly carrying the torch of "cosmic American music" passed down by her mentor, Gram Parsons. With the exception of only Neil Young, an occasional collaborator, no other mainstream star established a similarly large body of work as consistently iconoclastic, eclectic, or daring; even her latter-day music remained as heartfelt, visionary, and vital as her earliest recordings. ~ Jason Ankeny