Emmylou Harris

One of America's finest and most enduring popular singers, Emmylou Harris has always been closely associated with country music, although she fits no Nashville stereotype and has always been keen to explore other areas. She first got into music in a big way at the University of North Carolina, learning Bob Dylan songs, which led her to start performing folk music in New York's Greenwich Village. In 1971 she met the Flying Burrito Brothers and ended up singing with Gram Parsons on his debut solo album GP. She toured with his band The Fallen Angels and they worked together on his next album Grievous Angel. Parsons' sudden death in 1973 inspired Emmylou to write her most famous song Boulder To Birmingham, resulting in her successful 1975 debut solo album Pieces Of The Sky and the formation of The Hot Band, with top session guitarist James Burton and pianist Glen Hardin. It was the start of a glittering career that saw her break down many perceptions about country music with numerous collaborations, notably singing harmony vocals with Bob Dylan on his Desire album. Other landmarks include the concept albums White Mansions (1978) and The Legend Of Jesse James (1980), the Trio collaboration with Linda Ronstadt and Dolly Parton (1987), the Daniel Lanois produced Wrecking Ball (1995) and her first entirely self-written album Red Dirt Girl (2000).