1.
“Guitar Town”
From Emmylou Harris’ ‘At the Ryman’ (1992)
The title track and second single from Earle’s debut studio album, “Guitar Town” became a hit for the then-rising singer-songwriter in 1986. The song also helped win Earle two Grammy Awards, Best Country Song and Best Country Male Vocalist, in 1987.
“Guitar Town” helped launch Earle’s career in the late ’80s, but in the early ’90s, it would accomplish an even bigger feat. In 1992, Emmylou Harris and her then-new backing band, the Nash Ramblers, included “Guitar Town” on the live album At the Ryman. At the time, the fabled downtown Nashville auditorium wasn’t the shining Mecca of country music that it is today; in fact, there had been no public concerts there since the Grand Ole Opry relocated from the venue in 1974. Harris asked permission to play at the Ryman for a set that she describes as a “travelogue of American music,” USA Today reported in 2017. The setlist consisted of a hand-picked selection of cover songs and iconic American classics, including “Guitar Town.”
It is largely thanks to that performance — and the acclaim that followed Harris’ recording of it — that the Ryman has been restored into the illustrious music destination beloved by country fans everywhere today. While Harris was the one who recorded the project, it would never have been possible without Earle’s legendary songwriting talent.