Born on This Day in 1947, This Crystalline-Voiced Country-Folk Pioneer and Animal Activist Who Vowed To Carry Gram Parsons’ Torch

Born on this day (April 2) in 1947 in Birmingham, Alabama, Emmylou Harris is a talented singer-songwriter with a penchant for bringing together equally talented musicians. Known for songs like “Boulder to Birmingham” and “Beneath Still Waters”, her career has spanned nearly six decades, during which she has sold more than 15 million records and picked up 13 Grammy Awards. Today, we’re taking a look at the life and career of Emmylou Harris as she celebrates her 79th birthday.

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Growing up in North Carolina and Virginia, Harris idolized 1960s folk figures like Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and Buffy Sainte-Marie. After graduating in 1965 as class valedictorian from Gar-Field Senior High School—where she was also a cheerleader and saxophone player in the marching band—she headed to the University of North Carolina at Greensboro on a drama scholarship.

Eventually, Harris chose to prioritize her singing career over higher education, moving to New York City’s Greenwich Village for its thriving folk scene. Signing with Jubilee Records in 1969, she released her debut studio album, Gliding Bird, in 1970. Unfortunately, Jubilee declared bankruptcy not long after. Following a move to Nashville and a divorce, Harris returned to her parents’ home in the Washington, D.C. suburb of Clarksville, Maryland.

How Gram Parsons Influenced Emmylou Harris’ Sound

While Emmylou Harris had more or less put her dreams of making a living in music to rest, she continued performing on the Washington, D.C.-area club circuit. That’s how singer-songwriter Gram Parsons, formerly of the Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers, discovered her, inviting Harris to join him on harmony.

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The “Beneath Still Waters” singer would continue performing with Parsons until his death from an accidental overdose in 1973. Although devastated by the loss of her friend, Harris was determined to take up Parsons’ country-rock mantle. “Once I started singing country music with Gram there was no turning back for me,” she later said.

[RELATED: 3 Emmylou Harris Songs That Prove She Is a Stunning Lyricist]

Harris broke into mainstream success in the 1970s with critically acclaimed albums like Pieces of the Sky and Elite Hotel. Also in high demand as a duet singer, she has performed with the likes of Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Willie Nelson, and Lucinda Williams.

Emmylou Harris last released new music in 2011, with her 26th studio album Hard Bargain. In 2004, she set up a dog rescue, Bonaparte’s Retreat, in her own backyard that is still going strong today.

Currently in the midst of her European farewell tour, Harris tells the Guardian she doesn’t know the meaning of the phrase “winding down.”

“I think when you’re an artist, you don’t ever really retire,” she said. “As I tell my friends, I don’t know what I’m doing, but I sure am doing a lot of it.”

Featured image by Debbie Hickey/Getty Images