EMMYLOU HARRIS Birth date: April 2, 1947 Birthplace: Birmingham, Ala. Raised: suburbs of Washington, D.C. On letting her hair go gray: "If it encourages other women to say, 'I can do that too,' that's great. We earned those gray hairs!" Eyes: brown Parents: father Walter, a decorated marine pilot who spent 16 months in a Korean POW camp, passed away in 1993; mother Eugenia, a homemaker Emmylou Harris Fan Club c/o Reggie Mays P.O. Box 707 Ross, OH 45061 Children: daughters Mika Hallie (born March 15, 1970), and Meghann Ahern (born Sept. 9, 1979) Residence: Nashville Voice: soprano High school: graduated from Garfield High School in Alexandria, Va., in 1965 High school activities: cheerleader, saxophone player in the marching band and class valedictorian. "I was a 16-year-old WASP wanting to quit school and become Woody Guthrie." College: attended University of North Carolina at Greensboro on a drama scholarship, and Boston University Previous jobs: waiting tables in New York City, tending bar at Nashville's High Hat Restaurant and serving as a hostess for a model-home development in Maryland First break: In 1971, at the Red Fox Inn, in Bethesda, Md., The Flying Burrito Brothers heard her perform and invited her to join their band. Although the group broke up a few days later, Burrito Brother Chris Hillman introduced Emmylou to former band member Gram Parsons, who invited her to sing on his upcoming solo album, GP, and later Grievous Angel. Musical influences: Gram Parsons, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Buck Owens On Gram's influence: "I've always tried to celebrate and promote Gram's music, and if I have any kind of influence on anybody, it's because of the influence Gram had on me." Famous band members: Ricky Skaggs, Rodney Crowell, Jon Randall, Vince Gill Favorite charities: Second Harvest Food Bank and landmine-removal organizations. She established the Concerts For A Landmine Free World Tour to raise money for removal efforts and contributed to a CD of the same name. Favorite performer: folk icon Pete Seeger, to whom she wrote when she was in high school for advice on becoming a singer Grand Ole Opry: inducted in 1992 Grammys: 11 CMA awards: Female Vocalist (1980); Vocal Event (with Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt, 1988) ACM awards: Album of the Year for Trio (with Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt, 1987) Gold albums: Pieces Of The Sky (1975); Elite Hotel (1976); Luxury Liner (1977); Quarter Moon In A Ten Cent Town (1978); Profile: Best Of Emmylou Harris (1978); Blue Kentucky Girl (1979); Roses In The Snow (1980); Evangeline (1981) Platinum album: Trio (with Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt, 1987) First Top 10 single: "If I Could Only Win Your Love" (No. 4, 1975) Top 10 Country singles: 27 On country music: "I discovered country music relatively late in life. When I really discovered George Jones and The Louvin Brothers, I thought, 'This music is so great.' I felt there must be a lot of other people out there like me who hadn't heard them on the radio and were missing out on this treasure of incredibly stunning, moving, beautiful music."
Published on: May 2, 2001, Country Weekly Online
Relinquishing parents and grandparents group
© 1997 potoroo@hotmail.com
Get your own Free Home Page