Emmylou Harris

It’s not often that you have an opportunity to catch a performance from an artist with a pedigree such as Emmylou Harris,  so when she comes to town you make sure to be there.   Clearly, this sentiment was shared by many, as it was a packed house for the singer-songwriter’s performance on this warm summer evening in July.  In surveying the crowd, it was more than apparent that it was a distinctly different demographic than the crowds in attendance the previous two nights.

This was not a crowd that was unfamiliar with Emmylou’s music, or her extensive career that dates back over many decades.   Her career started back in the 1960s, eventually breaking through in the latter half of the 1970s and since that initial breakthrough,

Emmylou Harris

has continued to write and record music ever since.  In the late 80s, Harris teamed with Dolly Parton and Linda Rondstadt to record an album entitled Trio which would become one of her biggest albums and continued to propel her career forward.  Initially, she was considered a country artist, but Emmylou moved away from the genre during the ’90s and shifted into a more folk-based sound which is still at the heart of her more recent material.

On this night in Halifax, Emmylou’s set featured a great deal of her song-interpretation skillset as it was a set comprised largely of songs she has covered and recorded over the years, which as few of her own works weaved into the set, including: “Red Dirt Girl”, “One of these Days” and “Darlin’ Kate”.   Watching the legendary artist perform was an absolute delight, as her vocals shone clearly throughout the concert grounds and wowed the packed house.  At one point Emmylou shared with the crowd that she was no stranger to our fine city, as she got married in a private ceremony here in ’77.  Thus making her triumphant return all the more special.

Emmylou Harris

Alan Syliboy & The Thundermakers