Emmylou Harris, an award-winning and history-making artist, has been creating incredible music for over six decades.
Born on April 2, 1947, in Birmingham, Ala., Harris showed interest in the arts from a young age. That passion earned her a scholarship to attend the School of Music, Theatre and Dance at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. But Harris didn’t complete her degree, instead opting to follow her passions to New York City, where young singer played local gigs while also waitressing.
It was only a short time until Harris found herself connecting with musicians like Gram Parsons, whom she forged a close bond with, performing on the bulk of his iconic 1974 album Grievous Angel. In 1975, Harris released “If I Could Only Win Your Love,” which climbed to No. 4 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and earned Harris her first Grammy nomination.
Another notable release came in the form of a collaboration with Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt in 1987. The multi-platinum, No. 1 hit Trio album united three of the most angelic voices of all time on one 11-track record. It also won two Grammy Awards and spawned four hit singles, including their remake of the Phil Spector song “To Know Him Is to Love Him,” which went all the way to No. 1. Twelve years later, in 1999, the threesome released their second album, Trio II.
Harris has covered a lot of ground over the past decades. Scroll through the photos below to see the singer through the years.