Jaci Dawn

I was first introduced to Emmylou Harris in 1974. My first college roommate had an eclectic taste in music and introduced me to artists who never made the Kasey Kasem Top 100, and who never got air time on our small town AM radio station, and who were never featured artists on the Columbia Records Album of the Month rip-off:

Lou Reed. Leonard Cohen. Emmylou Harris.

Who had even heard of Emmylou in those days? An obscure balladeer, the protegé of Gram Parsons (formerly of the Byrds), and certainly no Top Ten hit songstress. Her voice haunted me. Her ballads, some written by herself, but many penned by Leonard Cohen, Guy Clark (who, again?), and too many to mention. Today, she’s well-known. Then, she was obscure.

I fell in love. I met Guy Clark through her (not IRL – she introduced me to his songwriting). She covered Leonard Cohen. She wrote her own music. She partnered with Linda Ronstadt and Dolly Parton. She’s sung harmony with more male vocalists than I can think to name. Her voice always whispers over theirs. John Prine. Willie Nelson. Don Williams. Dan Fogelberg.

There are other female vocalists that I am in love with, but most of them I came to know because of my love for Emmylou.

I saw Emmylou in concert at Blue Mountain Communtiy College (now Eastern Oregon Community College). She was touring with the original Hot Band. There were probably 30 people at the concert. It was the one and only time I did cocaine. She did not disappoint.

I can’t explain my draw to her: she’s a balladeer. I love ballads. They tell stories. She has a Voice that is unique. I have no musical Voice, but I have an ear for good music. She’s ageless. That silver hair? I’d kill for it. She’s popular now, in certain circles, but in so many circles if I mention her name, I am met with blank stares: “Who?”

That makes her proprietary: she’s MY heroine. You don’t know who Emmylou is? You must be a musical idiot. (Probably not, just interested in a different genre of music than I am, so don’t take it personal. Don’t take it personal if I don’t know who the newest & greatest pop music star is or the present reigning hip-hop king & queen are). (On a side note: do you know who Odetta was? No? OMG. You MUST research Odetta. That’s all.)

My love for Emmylou opened my ears to several genres of music: neo bluegrass, bluegrass, neo folk, 1970’s folk, early folk, early R&B, early Blues, and the most prevalent in our society now: Americana. Indie music. Even if you hate “Country” music, you can surf Americana and find relevant music.

Here’s a little Emmylou from the time period when I saw her live.

 https://youtu.be/3T2xVYRAvyU