The gram (also gramme in some British English texts), (Greek/Latin root ''grámma''); symbol g, is a unit of mass.

Originally defined as "the absolute weight of a volume of pure water equal to the cube of the hundredth part of a metre, and at the temperature of melting ice" (later 4 °C), a gram is now defined as one one-thousandth of the SI base unit, the kilogram, or 1×10⁻³ kg, which itself is defined as being equal to the mass of a physical prototype preserved by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures.

Symbol and abbreviations

The International System of Units ''symbol'' for the gram is g followed the numeric value with a space, as in "640 g". (symbols are language-neutral, abbreviations are not). In some fields and regions, the international standard units for units are used quite strictly, in particular in technical and scientific publications and in legally regulated product labels. In other contexts, a wide range of other unofficial abbreviations have been encountered, such as gr, gm, grm, gms, grms. The use of abbreviations such as "gm", "Gm", or "GM" for grams could potentially lead to serious errors in healthcare settings where accidentally transposing "gm" to "mg" (milligrams) would result in a 1000 times dosage difference. It would therefore be prudent to use "g" as the symbol (and in English, the abbreviation) for grams in any healthcare setting.

History

It was the base unit of mass in the original French metric system and the later centimetre-gram-second (CGS) system of units. The word originates from Late Latin ''gramma'' – a small weight.

Uses

The gram is today the most widely used unit of measurement for non-liquid ingredients in cooking and grocery shopping worldwide. For food products that are typically sold in quantities far less than 1 kg, the unit price is normally given per 100 g.

Most standards and legal requirements for nutrition labels on food products require relative contents to be stated per 100 g of the product, such that the resulting figure can also be read as a percentage.

Conversion factors

1 gram (g) = 15.4323583529 grains (gr)

1 grain (gr) = 0.06479891 grams (g)

1 avoirdupois ounce (oz) = 28.349523125 grams (g)

1 troy ounce (ozt) = 31.1034768 grams (g)

1 gram (g) = 8.98755179 joules (J) (by mass–energy equivalence)

Comparisons

1 gram is roughly equal to 1 small paper clip

References

See also

Conversion of units

Duella

Gold gram

Orders of magnitude (mass)

External links

grams (weight) conversion to spoons (volume) as used in cooking

Category:Units of mass Category:SI derived units Category:Centimetre gram second system of units

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name	Gram Parsons
background	solo_singer
birth name	Ingram Cecil Connor III
born	November 05, 1946Winter Haven, Florida
died	September 19, 1973Joshua Tree, California
origin	Waycross, Georgia
instrument	Vocals, guitar, piano, organ
genre	Country, country rock, rock
occupation	Singer-songwriter, guitarist, pianist
years active	1963–1973
label	Reprise, A&M;
associated acts	International Submarine Band The Byrds The Flying Burrito Brothers Emmylou Harris
website
notable instruments	}}

Gram Parsons (November 5, 1946 – September 19, 1973) was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and pianist. Parsons is best known for his work within the country genre; he also mixed blues, folk, and rock to create what he called "Cosmic American Music". Besides recording as a solo artist, he also worked in several notable bands, including the International Submarine Band, The Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers. His career, though short, is described by Allmusic as "enormously influential" for both country and rock, "blending the two genres to the point that they became indistinguishable from each other."

Born in 1946, Parsons emerged from a wealthy but troubled childhood to attend Harvard University. He founded the International Submarine Band in 1966, and after several months of delay their debut, ''Safe at Home'', was released in 1968, by which time the group had disbanded. Parsons joined The Byrds in early 1968, and played a pivotal role in the making of the seminal ''Sweetheart of the Rodeo'' album. After leaving the group in late 1968, Parsons and fellow Byrd Chris Hillman formed The Flying Burrito Brothers in 1969, releasing their debut, ''The Gilded Palace of Sin'', the same year. The album was well received but failed commercially; after a sloppy cross-country tour, they hastily recorded ''Burrito Deluxe''. Parsons was fired from the band before its release in early 1970. He soon signed with A&M; Records, but after several unproductive sessions he canceled his intended solo debut in early 1971. Parsons moved to France, where he lived for a short period at Villa Nellcôte with his friend Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones. Returning to America, Parsons befriended Emmylou Harris, who assisted him on vocals for his first solo record, ''GP'', released in 1973. Although it received enthusiastic reviews, the release failed to chart; his next album, ''Grievous Angel'' (released posthumously in 1974) met with a similar reception, and peaked at number 195 on ''Billboard''. Parsons died of a drug overdose on September 19, 1973 in a hotel room in Joshua Tree, California, at the age of 26.

Since his death, Parsons has been recognized as an extremely influential artist, credited with helping to found both country rock and alt-country. His posthumous honors include the Americana Music Association "President's Award" for 2003, and a ranking at #87 on ''Rolling Stone'''s list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time."

Biography

Early life and career (1946–1968)

Parsons was born Ingram Cecil Connor III on November 5, 1946 in Winter Haven, Florida, to Ingram Cecil ("Coon Dog") and Avis (née Snively) Connor. The Connors normally resided in Waycross, Georgia, but Avis traveled to her hometown in Florida to give birth. She was the daughter of citrus fruit magnate John A. Snively, who held extensive properties both in Winter Haven and in Waycross; Parsons' father was a famous World War II flying ace, decorated with the Air Medal, who was present at the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. Biographer David Meyer characterized Coon Dog and Avis as loving parents: he writes in ''Twenty Thousand Roads'' that they are "remembered as affectionate parents and a loving couple". He also notes, however, that "unhappiness was eating away at the Connor family": Avis suffered from depression, and both parents were alcoholics. Coon Dog committed suicide two days before Christmas Day, 1958, devastating the young Gram and the rest of the Connor family. Avis subsequently married Robert Parsons, whose surname was adopted by Ingram (henceforth he would be known as Gram Parsons). Gram attended the prestigious Bolles School in Jacksonville, Florida. For a time, the family found a stability of sorts. They were soon torn apart in early 1965, when Robert became embroiled in an extramarital affair and Avis' heavy drinking led to her death from cirrhosis on July 5, 1965, the day of Gram's graduation from Bolles.

As his family disintegrated around him, Parsons developed strong musical interests, particularly after seeing Elvis Presley perform in concert in 1957. Five years later, while barely in his teens, he played in rock and roll cover bands such as the Pacers and the Legends, headlining in clubs owned by his stepfather in the Winter Haven/Polk County area. By the age of 16 he graduated to folk music, and in 1963 he teamed with his first professional outfit, the Shilos. Heavily influenced by the Kingston Trio and the Journeymen, the band played hootenannies, coffee houses and high school auditoriums. Forays into New York City's Greenwich Village included appearances at The Bitter End.

After The Shilos broke up, Parsons attended Harvard University, where he studied theology but departed after a single semester. Despite being from the South, he did not become seriously interested in country music until his time at Harvard, where he heard Merle Haggard for the first time. In 1966, he and other musicians from the Boston folk scene formed a group called the International Submarine Band. They relocated to Los Angeles the following year, and after several lineup changes signed to Lee Hazlewood's LHI Records, where they spent late 1967 recording ''Safe at Home''. The album contains one of Parsons' best-known songs, "Luxury Liner", as well as an early version of "Do You Know How It Feels", which he revisited later on in his career. ''Safe at Home'' would remain unreleased until mid 1968, by which time the International Submarine Band had broken up.

Membership in The Byrds (1968)

By 1968 Parsons had come to the attention of The Byrds' bassist, Chris Hillman, via Larry Spector (The Byrds' business manager), as a possible replacement band member following the departures of David Crosby and Michael Clarke from the group in late 1967. Parsons had been acquainted with Hillman since the pair had met in a bank during 1967 and in February 1968 he passed an audition for the band, being initially recruited as a jazz pianist but soon switching to rhythm guitar and vocals.

Although Parsons was an equal contributor to the band, he was not regarded as a full member of The Byrds by the band's record label, Columbia Records. Consequently, when The Byrds' Columbia recording contract was renewed on February 29, 1968, it was only original members Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman who signed it. Parsons, like fellow new recruit Kevin Kelley, was hired as a sideman and received a salary from McGuinn and Hillman. In later years, this led Hillman to state "Gram was hired. He was not a member of The Byrds, ever — he was on salary, that was the only way we could get him to turn up." However, these comments overlook the fact that Parsons, like Kelley, was considered a bona fide member of the band during 1968 and as such, was given equal billing alongside McGuinn, Hillman, and Kelley on the ''Sweetheart of the Rodeo'' album and in contemporary press coverage of the band.

}} ''Sweetheart of the Rodeo'' was originally conceived by band leader Roger McGuinn as a sprawling, double album history of American popular music. It was to begin with bluegrass music, then move through country and western, jazz, rhythm and blues, and rock music, before finally ending with the most advanced (for the time) form of electronic music. However, as recording plans were made, Parsons exerted a controlling influence over the group, persuading the other members to leave Los Angeles and record the album in Nashville, Tennessee. Along the way, McGuinn's original album concept was jettisoned in favor of a fully fledged country project, which included Parsons' songs such as "One Hundred Years from Now" and "Hickory Wind", along with compositions by Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie, and Merle Haggard, among others.

Recording sessions for ''Sweetheart of the Rodeo'' commenced at Columbia Records' recording studios in the Music Row area of Nashville on March 9, 1968. Mid-way through, the sessions moved to Columbia Studios, Hollywood, Los Angeles, finally coming to a close on May 27, 1968. However, Parsons was still under contract to LHI Records and consequently, Hazlewood contested Parsons' appearance on the album and threatened legal action. As a result, McGuinn ended up replacing three of Parsons' lead vocals with his own singing on the finished album, a move that was still rankling Parsons as late as 1973, when he told Cameron Crowe in an interview that McGuinn "erased it and did the vocals himself and fucked it up." However, Parsons is still featured as lead vocalist on the songs "You're Still on My Mind", "Life in Prison", and "Hickory Wind".

While in England with The Byrds in the summer of 1968, Parsons left the band due to his concerns over a planned concert tour of South Africa, citing opposition to that country's apartheid policies. There has been some doubt expressed by Hillman over the sincerity of Parsons' protest. It appears that Parsons was mostly apolitical, although he did refer to one of the younger African-American butlers in the Connor household as being "like a brother" to him in an interview. During this period, Parsons became acquainted with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones. Prior to Parsons' departure from The Byrds, he had accompanied the two Rolling Stones to Stonehenge (along with McGuinn and Hillman) in the English county of Wiltshire, where Richards had a house near the ancient site. Immediately after leaving the band, Parsons stayed at Richards' house and the pair developed a close friendship over the next few years, with Parsons reintroducing the guitarist to country music. According to Stones' confidant and close friend of Parsons, Phil Kaufman, the twosome would sit around for hours, playing obscure country records and trading off on various songs with their guitars.

The Flying Burrito Brothers (1969–1970)

Returning to Los Angeles, Parsons sought out Hillman, and the two formed the Flying Burrito Brothers with bassist Chris Ethridge and pedal steel player Sneaky Pete Kleinow. Their 1969 album ''The Gilded Palace Of Sin'' was a modernized version of the Bakersfield style of country music made popular by Buck Owens, and the band appeared on the album cover wearing Nudie suits emblazoned with all sorts of hippie accoutrements. Along with the Parsons-Hillman originals "Christine's Tune" and "Sin City" were versions of the soul music classics "The Dark End of the Street" and "Do Right Woman", the latter featuring David Crosby on high harmony. The album's original songs were the result of a very productive songwriting partnership between Parsons and Hillman, who were sharing a bachelor pad in LA during this period. The atypically pronounced (for Parsons) gospel soul influence on this album likely comes from his frequent jamming with Delaney and Bonnie and Richards.

Though not a commercial success, ''Gilded'' was measured by rock critic Robert Christgau as "an ominous, obsessive, tongue-in-cheek country-rock synthesis, absorbing rural and urban, traditional and contemporary, at point of impact." The album was recorded without a permanent drummer, but the group soon added original Byrd Michael Clarke on drums. Embarking on a cross-country tour via train, as Parsons suffered from periodic bouts of fear of flying, the group squandered most of their money in a perpetual poker game and received bewildered reactions in most cities. Parsons was frequently indulging in massive quantities of psilocybin and cocaine, so his performances were erratic at best, while much of the band's repertoire consisted of vintage honky tonk and soul standards with few originals. Perhaps the most successful appearance occurred in Philadelphia, where the group opened for the reconstituted Byrds. Midway through their set, Parsons joined the headline act and fronted his former group on renditions of "Hickory Wind" and "You Don't Miss Your Water". The other Burritos surfaced with the exception of Clarke, and the joint aggregation played several songs, including "Long Black Veil" and "Goin' Back".

After returning to Los Angeles the group recorded "The Train Song", written during an increasingly infrequent songwriting session on the train and produced by 1950s R&B; legends Larry Williams and Johnny "Guitar" Watson. Despite a request from the Burritos that the remnants of their publicity budget be diverted to promotion of the single, it also flopped. Ethridge departed shortly thereafter. He was replaced by lead guitarist Bernie Leadon, while Hillman reverted to bass.

By this time, Parsons's own use of drugs had increased to the extent that new songs were rare and much of his time was diverted to partying with the Stones, who briefly relocated to America in the summer of 1969 to finish their forthcoming ''Let It Bleed'' album and prepare for an autumn cross-country tour, their first series of regular live engagements since 1967. As they prepared to play the nation's largest sports arenas, the Burritos played to dwindling nightclub audiences; one night Jagger had to literally order Parsons to fulfill an obligation to his group. The singer's dedication to the Rolling Stones was rewarded when the Burrito Brothers were booked as the opening act of the infamous Altamont Music Festival. Playing a short set including "Six Days on the Road" and "Bony Moronie", Parsons left on one of the final helicopters and attempted to pick up Michelle Phillips. "Six Days..." was included in ''Gimme Shelter'', a documentary of the event.

With mounting debt incurred, A&M; hoped to recoup some of their losses by marketing the Burritos as a straight country group. To this end, manager Jim Dickson instigated a loose session where the band recorded several honky tonk staples from their live act, contemporary pop covers in a countrified vein ("To Love Somebody", "Lodi", "I Shall Be Released", "Honky Tonk Women"), and Larry Williams' "Bony Moronie". This was soon scrapped in favor of a second album of originals on an extremely reduced budget. Faced with a dearth of new material, most of the material was hastily written in the studio by Leadon, Hillman, and Parsons, with two ''Gilded Palace of Sin'' outtakes thrown into the mix. The resulting album, entitled ''Burrito Deluxe'', was released in April 1970.

The album is considered less inspired than its predecessor, but it is notable for the Parsons-Hillman-Leadon song "Older Guys" and for its take on Jagger and Richards' "Wild Horses"—the first recording released of this famous song. Parsons was inspired to cover the song after hearing an advance tape of the ''Sticky Fingers'' album sent to Kleinow, who was scheduled to overdub a part on the song (Kleinow's part was not included on the released Rolling Stones version, though it is available on bootlegs). Jagger consented to the cover version, so long as the Flying Burrito Brothers did not issue it as a single.

''Burrito Deluxe'', like its predecessor, underperformed commercially but faced the double whammy of being lambasted by critics. Disenchanted with the band, Parsons left the Burritos in mutual agreement with Hillman, who was at his wits end after two years of babysitting Gram. Under Hillman's direction, the group recorded a further two LPs.

Aborted solo effort and residency at Villa Nellcôte (1970–1972)

Parsons signed a solo deal with A&M; Records and moved in with producer Terry Melcher in early 1970. Melcher (who had worked with The Byrds and The Beach Boys and had rejected producing an unknown singer/songwriter by the name of Charles Manson) was a member of the successful duo Bruce & Terry, also known as The Rip Chords. The two shared a mutual penchant for cocaine and heroin, and as a result, the sessions were largely unproductive, with Parsons eventually losing interest in the project. "Terry loved Gram and wanted to produce him ... But neither of them could get anything done," recalled Eve Babitz. "Long lost, the tapes from this session have gathered a legendary patina," writes David Meyer. The recording stalled, and the master tapes were checked out, but there is conflict as to whether "Gram ... or Melcher took them". He accompanied the Rolling Stones on their 1971 U.K. tour in the hope of being signed to the newly formed Rolling Stones Records, intending to record a duo album with Richards. Moving into Villa Nellcôte with the guitarist during the sessions for ''Exile on Main Street'', Parsons remained in a consistently incapacitated state and frequently quarreled with his much younger girlfriend, aspiring actress Gretchen Burrell. Eventually, Parsons was asked to leave by Anita Pallenberg, Richards' longtime domestic partner. Rumors have persisted that he appears somewhere on the legendary album, and while Richards concedes that it is very likely he is among the chorus of singers on "Sweet Virginia", to this day nothing has been substantiated. Parsons attempted to rekindle his relationship with the band on their 1972 tour to no avail.

After leaving the Stones' camp, Parsons married Burrell in 1971 at his stepfather's New Orleans estate. Allegedly, the relationship was far from stable, with Burrell cutting a needy and jealous figure while Parsons quashed her burgeoning film career. Many of the singer's closest associates and friends claim that Parsons was preparing to commence divorce proceedings at the time of his death; the couple had already separated by this point.

Solo career and touring with Emmylou Harris (1972–1973)

Parsons and Burrell enjoyed the most idyllic time of their relationship, visiting old cohorts like Ian Dunlop and Family/Blind Faith/Traffic member Ric Grech in England. With the assistance of Grech and one of the bassist's friends, Hank Wangford a doctor friend who dabbled in country music, Parsons managed to kick his heroin habit once and for all (a treatment suggested by William Burroughs proved unsuccessful).

He returned to the US for a one-off concert with the Burritos, and at Hillman's instigation went to hear Emmylou Harris sing in a small club in Washington, D.C. They became friends and, within a year, he asked her to join him in Los Angeles for another attempt to record his first solo album.

Having gained thirty pounds since his Burrito days from Southern food and excessive alcohol consumption, it came as a surprise to many when Parsons was enthusiastically signed to Reprise Records by Mo Ostin in mid-1972. ''GP'', released in 1973, used the guitar-playing of James Burton (sideman to Elvis Presley and Ricky Nelson), and featured new songs from a creatively revitalized Parsons such as "Big Mouth Blues" and "Kiss the Children," as well as a cover of Tompall Glaser's "Streets of Baltimore".

Parsons, by now featuring Harris as his duet partner, played dates across the United States as Gram Parsons and the Fallen Angels. Unable to afford the services of the Elvis band for a month, the band featured the talents of obscure Colorado-based rock guitarist Jock Bartley (soon to skyrocket to fame with Firefall), veteran Nashville sideman Neil Flanz on pedal steel, Kyle Tullis on bass and former Mountain drummer N.D. Smart (once described by Canadian folksinger Ian Tyson as "a psychotic redneck"). The touring party also included Gretchen Parsons—by this point extremely envious of Harris—and Harris' young daughter. Coordinating the spectacle as road manager was Phil Kaufman, who had served time with Charles Manson on Terminal Island in the mid-sixties and first met Parsons while working for the Stones in 1968. Kaufman ensured that the performer stayed away from substance abuse, limiting his alcohol intake during shows and throwing out any drugs smuggled into hotel rooms. At first, the band was under-rehearsed and played poorly, but improved markedly with steady gigging and received rapturous responses at the Armadillo World Headquarters in Austin, Texas and at a filmed concert at Liberty Hall in Houston (with Neil Young and Linda Ronstadt sitting in) and Max's Kansas City in New York City. According to a number of sources, it was Emmylou who forced the band to practice and work up an actual set list. Nevertheless, the tour did absolutely nothing for record sales. While he had been in the vanguard with The Byrds and the Burrito Brothers, Parsons was now perceived as being too authentic and traditional in an era dominated by the stylings of the Eagles, whose sound Parsons disdained (although he did maintain cordial relations with Bernie Leadon, now a member of the Eagles).

For his next and final album, 1974's ''Grievous Angel'', he again used Harris and Burton. The record, which was released after his death, received even more enthusiastic reviews than had ''GP'', and has since attained classic status. Among its most celebrated songs is "$1000 Wedding", a holdover from the Burrito Brothers era, and "Brass Buttons", a 1965 opus which addresses his mother's alcoholism. Also included was a new version of "Hickory Wind" and "Ooh Las Vegas", co-written with Grech and dating from the ''G.P.'' sessions. Despite the fact that Parsons only contributed two new songs to the album ("In My Hour of Darkness", "Return of the Grievous Angel"), Parsons was highly enthused with his new sound and seemed to have finally adopted a serious, diligent mindset to his musical career, eschewing most drugs and alcohol during the sessions.

Before recording, Parsons and Harris played a preliminary three show mini-tour as the headline act in a Warner Brothers country-rock package. The backing band included Clarence White, Pete Kleinow, and Chris Etheridge. On July 14, 1973, the legendary White was killed by a drunk driver while loading equipment in his car for a concert with the New Kentucky Colonels. At White's funeral, Parsons and Bernie Leadon launched into an impromptu touching rendition of "Farther Along"; that night, the distraught and drunken musician reportedly informed Phil Kaufman of his final wish: to be cremated in Joshua Tree. Despite the almost insurmountable setback, Parsons, Harris, and the other musicians decided to continue with plans for a fall tour.

In the summer of 1973, Parsons' Topanga Canyon home burned to the ground, the result of a stray cigarette. Nearly all of his possessions were destroyed with the exception of a guitar and a prized Jaguar automobile. The fire proved to be the last straw in the relationship between Burrell and Parsons, who moved into a spare room in Kaufman's house. While not recording, he frequently hung out and jammed with members of New Jersey–based country rockers Quacky Duck and His Barnyard Friends (whose members included Tony Bennett's sons, Danny and Dae Bennett as well as future Dylan sideman and member of the Alpha Band, multi-instrumentalist David Mansfield) and the proto-punk Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers, who were being managed by Kaufman. Richman credits Parsons with introducing him to acoustic-based music. Parsons is credited as producer on Quacky Duck's only album, ''Media Push'', released by Warner Bros. in 1974. According to the road manager of Quacky Duck, Parsons was, despite being frequently drunk, a kind soul who provided business and musical guidance to the younger band.

Before formally breaking up with Burrell, Parsons already had a woman waiting in the wings. While recording, he saw a photo of a beautiful woman at a friend's home and was instantly smitten. The woman turned out to be Margaret Fisher, a high school sweetheart of the singer from his Waycross, Georgia days. Like Parsons, Fisher had drifted west and became established in the Bay Area rock scene. A meeting was arranged and the two instantly rekindled their relationship, with Fisher dividing her weeks between Los Angeles and San Francisco at Parsons' expense.

Death

In the late 1960s, Parsons became enamored of Joshua Tree National Monument in southeastern California. Alone or with friends, he would disappear in the desert for days searching for UFOs while under the influence of psilocybin or LSD. After splitting from Burrell, Parsons would frequently spend his weekends in the area with Margaret Fisher and Phil Kaufman. Before his tour was scheduled to commence in October 1973, Parsons decided to go on one more excursion. Accompanying him were Fisher, personal assistant Michael Martin, and Dale McElory, Martin's girlfriend. Less than two days after arriving, Parsons died September 19, 1973 in Joshua Tree, California at the age of 26 from an overdose of morphine and alcohol. According to Fisher in the 2005 biography ''Grievous Angel: An Intimate Biography of Gram Parsons'', the amount of morphine consumed by Parsons would be lethal to three regular users and thus he had likely overestimated his tolerance considering his experience with opiates. Fisher and McElroy were returned to Los Angeles by Kaufman, who dispersed the remnants of Parsons' stash in the desert.

Parsons' body disappeared from the Los Angeles International Airport where it was being readied to be shipped to Louisiana for burial. Prior to his death, Parsons stated that he wanted his body cremated at Joshua Tree and his ashes spread over Cap Rock, a prominent natural feature there; however, Parsons' stepfather arranged for a private ceremony back in New Orleans and neglected to invite any of his friends from the music industry. Two accounts claim that Bob Parsons stood to inherit Gram's share of his grandfather's estate if he could prove that Gram was a resident of Louisiana, explaining his eagerness to have him buried there.

To fulfill Parsons' funeral wishes, Kaufman and a friend stole his body from the airport and in a borrowed hearse drove it to Joshua Tree where they attempted to cremate it by pouring five gallons of gasoline into the open coffin and throwing a lit match inside. What resulted was an enormous fireball. Police chased them, but according to one account they "were unencumbered by sobriety" and the pair got away. The two were arrested several days later. Since there was no law against stealing a dead body, they were only fined $750 for stealing the coffin and were not prosecuted for leaving 35 lbs of his charred remains in the desert.

The site of Parsons' cremation was marked by a small concrete slab and was presided over by a large rock flake known to rock climbers as 'The Gram Parsons memorial hand traverse'. The slab has since been removed by the U.S. National Park Service and was relocated to the Joshua Tree Inn which was where he was staying at the time of his death. At the site of the original memorial now are simple rock structures and writings on the rock which the park service sand blasts to remove from time to time.

Legacy

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic describes Parsons as "enormously influential" for both country and rock, "blending the two genres to the point that they became indistinguishable from each other. ... His influence could still be heard well into the next millennium." In his essay on Parsons for ''Rolling Stone'' magazine's "100 Greatest Artist" list, Keith Richards notes that Parsons' recorded music output was "pretty minimal." But nevertheless, Richards claims that Parsons "effect on country music is enormous[, t]his is why we're talking about him now."

The 2003 film ''Grand Theft Parsons'' stars Johnny Knoxville as Phil Kaufman and chronicles a farcical version of the theft of Parsons' corpse. The song "My Man", written by Bernie Leadon and performed by the Eagles on their album ''On the Border'', is a tribute to Gram Parsons. Both Leadon and Parsons were members of the Flying Burrito Brothers during the late 1960s and early 1970s.

A music festival called Gram Fest or the Cosmic American Music Festival was held annually in honor of Parsons in Joshua Tree, California, between 1996 and 2006. The show featured tunes written by Gram Parsons and Gene Clark as well as influential songs and musical styles from other artists that were part of that era. Performers were also encouraged to showcase their own material. The underlying theme of the event is to inspire the performers to take these musical styles to the next level of the creative process. Past concerts have featured such notable artists as Sneaky Pete Kleinow, Chris Ethridge, Spooner Oldham, John Molo, Gib Guilbeau, Counting Crows, Bob Warford, Rosie Flores, David Lowery, Barry & Holly Tashian, George Tomsco, Jann Browne, Lucinda Williams, Polly Parsons, The "Road Mangler"- Phil Kaufman, Ben Fong-Torres, Victoria Williams & Mark Olson, Sid Griffin, as well as a variety of many other bands that had played over the 2 or 3 day event. In addition, the Gram Parsons Tribute, in Waycross, Georgia, is a music festival remembering Parsons in the town in which he grew up.

In February 2008, Gram's protégée, Emmylou Harris, was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Despite his influence, however, Parsons has yet to be inducted. Radley Balko has written that "Parsons may be the most influential artist yet to be inducted to either the Rock and Roll Country Music Hall(s) of Fame. And it's a damned shame." The Gram Parsons Petition Project (G3P) was begun in May 2008 in support of an ongoing drive to induct Parsons into the Country Music Hall of Fame. On September 19, 2008, the 35th anniversary of Parsons' death, it was first presented to the Country Music Association (CMA) and Hall as a "List of Supporters" together with the official Nomination Proposal. The online List of Supporters reached 3,500 on what would have been Parsons' 64th birthday and continues to gather signatures, as well as at G3P's annual Gram National concerts and other tribute events each year.

In November 2009, the musical theatre production ''Grievous Angel: The Legend of Gram Parsons'' premiered, starring Anders Drerup as Gram Parsons and Kelly Prescott as Emmylou Harris. Directed by Micheal Bate and co-written by Bate and David McDonald, the production was inspired by a March 1973 interview that Bate conducted with Parsons, which became Parsons' last recorded conversation.

In 2006, a Gandulf Hennig directed documentary film titled ''Gram Parsons: Fallen Angel'' was released.

Discography

Year	Album	Chart Positions
		! width="50"	! width="50"
	''Safe at Home'' (International Submarine Band)
''Sweetheart of the Rodeo'' (The Byrds)
1969	''The Gilded Palace of Sin'' (Flying Burrito Brothers)
1970	''Burrito Deluxe'' (Flying Burrito Brothers)
1973
1974	''Grievous Angel''
1976
1979	''Early Years (1963–1965)''
1982	''Live 1973'' (Gram Parsons and the Fallen Angels)
1987	''Dim Lights, Thick Smoke and Loud Loud Music'' (Flying Burrito Brothers)
1995	''Cosmic American Music''
2001	''Another Side of This Life: The Lost Recordings of Gram Parsons''
2001	''Sacred Hearts & Fallen Angels: The Gram Parsons Anthology''
2006	''The Complete Reprise Sessions''
2007	''Gram Parsons Archives Vol.1: Live at the Avalon Ballroom 1969''(Gram Parsons with the Flying Burrito Brothers)

Tribute albums

''Conmemorativo: A Tribute to Gram Parsons'' (1993)

''Return of the Grievous Angel: A Tribute to Gram Parsons'' (1999)

Notes

References

Online

}} }}

Bibliography

''Road Mangler Deluxe,'' Phil Kaufman with Colin White, White-Boucke Publishing, 2005 (3rd edition). ISBN 1-888580-31-3

''Are You Ready for the Country: Elvis, Dylan, Parsons and the Roots of Country Rock,'' Peter Dogget, Penguin Books, 2001. ISBN 0-14-026108-7

''In the Country of Country: A Journey to the Roots of American Music,'' Nicholas Dawidoff, Vintage Books, 1998. ISBN 0-375-70082-X

''Hickory Wind: The Life and Times of Gram Parsons,'' Ben Fong-Torres, Pocket Books, 1991. ISBN 0-671-70513-X

''Grievous Angel: An Intimate Biography of Gram Parsons,'' Jessica Hundley and Polly Parsons, Thunder's Mouth Press, 2005. ISBN 978-1-56025-673-1

''Proud to Be an Okie: Cultural Politics, Country Music, and Migration to Southern California,'' Peter La Chapelle. University of California Press, Berkeley, 2007. ISBN 978-0-520-24889-2

''Gram Parsons: God's Own Singer,'' Jason Walker, Helter Skelter Books, London, 2002. ISBN 1-900924-27-7

''Moody Food,'' Ray Robertson, SFWP, 2006. ISBN 0-9776799-0-X

''Live Fast, Die Young: Misadventures in Rock & Roll America'', Chris Price & Joe Harland. Summersdale. 2010. ISBN 978-1-84953-049-1

''Trailblazers: Gram Parsons, Nick Drake & Jeff Buckley David Bret JRBooks, London, 2009.

External links

Time for a Repress: ''The Gilded Palace of Sin'' by Bob Proehl, 30, March 2009

Category:1946 births Category:1973 deaths Category:People from Winter Haven, Florida Category:American country guitarists Category:American country singer-songwriters Category:American male singers Category:American pianists Category:American country rock musicians Category:Harvard University people Category:The Byrds members Category:The Flying Burrito Brothers members Category:Musicians from Florida Category:International opponents of apartheid in South Africa Category:People from Waycross, Georgia Category:Accidental deaths in California Category:Drug-related deaths in California

ca:Gram Parsons da:Gram Parsons de:Gram Parsons es:Gram Parsons fr:Gram Parsons it:Gram Parsons nl:Gram Parsons ja:グラム・パーソンズ no:Gram Parsons nn:Gram Parsons pt:Gram Parsons fi:Gram Parsons sv:Gram Parsons

name	Joell Ortiz
background	solo_singer
birth date	July 06, 1980
origin	Brooklyn, New York, United States
genre	Hip hop
years active	1999 - present
label	SRC, Universal Motown, Shady Records
associated acts	Slaughterhouse, Immortal Technique, Big Noyd, Ras Kass, Battles, Eminem
website	www.joellortiz.com
notable instruments	}}

Joell Ortiz (born July 6, 1980) is an American rapper from Brooklyn, New York. One of the youngest Slaughterhouse members, Joell Ortiz was born to Puerto Rican parents. Ortiz grew up in the Cooper Park Houses in the East Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, New York formerly signed to Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment record label. He was featured in the Unsigned Hype column of the March 2004 issue of ''The Source'' Magazine and was also selected as Chairman's Choice in ''XXL'' Magazine. During the same time Joell also went on to win the 2004 EA Sports Battle which earned his song Mean Business a spot on the NBA Live 2005 soundtrack. The same year he was offered a contract to Jermaine Dupri's So So Def label. The deal quickly went sour which caused Joell to start beef with Jermaine. Joell has since collaborated with KRS-One and Kool G. Rap. Joell released his street album called "The Brick: Bodega Chronicles" April 24, 2007 on Koch Records. The album was recorded while Joell was trying to get signed and going through some tough times personally. Even though he was signed to Aftermath Entertainment, Dr. Dre allowed him to release the street album on Koch Records. The Brick features productions from Showbiz, The Alchemist, Domingo, Ho Chi from Killahertz Productions, Lil’ Fame of M.O.P., Novel, and Moss, among others. Guest spots include Big Daddy Kane, Styles P, Big Noyd, M.O.P, Akon, Immortal Technique, Grafh, Ras Kass, Stimuli, and Novel. Joell Ortiz is 1/4 of Super Group Slaughterhouse who drop their highly anticipated EP entitled, Slaughterhouse EP on February 8, 2011.

Music career

The Brick (Bodega Chronicles)

Though signed to Aftermath, Ortiz released an album titled ''The Brick (Bodega Chronicles)'' April 24, 2007 on Koch Records. ''The Brick'' features production by Showbiz, Street Radio, and The Alchemist, among others. Guest artists include rappers Big Daddy Kane, Styles P, Big Noyd, Akon, Immortal Technique, Grafh, and Ras Kass.

Departure from Aftermath and joining Slaughterhouse

Ortiz parted ways with Aftermath Entertainment on April 15, 2008.

Joe Budden reached out to Crooked I, Royce Da 5'9", Joell Ortiz, and Nino Bless for a track titled "Slaughterhouse" on his digital release, ''Halfway House''. Based on the reception of the track, they decided to form a super-group, minus Nino Bless, and named it after the first song they made together. They released numerous songs throughout early 2009, building a buzz for their self-titled album which was released through E1 on August 11, 2009. The album features production from Alchemist, DJ Khalil, Mr. Porter, Streetrunner, plus guest appearances from Pharoahe Monch, K-Young, and The New Royales. In 2010 the group signed to Shady Records and left E1 Entertainment.

A remix of Joell Ortiz' "Hip Hop" featuring Jadakiss and Saigon appeared on a fictitious urban radio station in the popular video game GTA IV.

Signing with SRC/Universal Motown and Free Agent

Ortiz started to have problems with E1 Entertainment and wanted to leave the label, but E1 would not let him. After almost a year, Ortiz finally left the label on November 5, 2010. In August 2010 Ortiz signed a deal with Steve Rifkind's label SRC Records and Universal Motown.

In an October 31, 2010 interview on Conspiracy Worldwide Radio, Joell Ortiz discussed his relationship with Eminem and the flood of record labels that have flocked to sign him after his Free Agent album is released. He also spoke of Eminem's excitement at working with him.

Discography

Studio albums

Year	Title	Peak chart positions					RIAA certification
		!width=40 align=center	!width=40 align=center	!width=40 align=center	!width=40 align=center	!width=40 align=center
		*Released: April 24, 2007	*Label: E1 Music
	align="left"	*Released: February 22, 2011	*Label: E1 Music

EP's

''Farewell Summer EP'' (2010)

Collaboration albums

2009: ''Slaughterhouse'' (with Slaughterhouse)

2011: ''Slaughterhouse EP'' (with Slaughterhouse)

Mixtapes

''Who The F*@k Is Joell Ortiz?'' (2004)

''Covers The Classics'' (2009)

''Road Kill'' (2009)

''Defying The Predictable'' (with Novel) (2010)

''Pre-Agent(2010)

''life and times of Sebastian Rios ( comming soon 2011)

Singles

{|class="wikitable" ! rowspan="2"|Year ! rowspan="2"|Song ! colspan="3"|Chart positions !rowspan="2"|Album |- !width="40"|U.S. !width="40"|U.S. R&B; !width="40"|U.S. Rap |- |align="center" rowspan=1|2007 | "Hip Hop" |align="center"|— |align="center"|— |align="center"|— |rowspan=1|''The Brick: Bodega Chronicles'' |- |align="center" rowspan=1|2010 | "Call Me (She Said)" (featuring Novel) |align="center"|— |align="center"|— |align="center"|— |rowspan=2|''Free Agent'' |- |align="center" rowspan=1|2011 | "So Hard" (featuring Ana Yvette) |align="center"|— |align="center"|— |align="center"|— |- |}

Featured Singles

{|class="wikitable" ! rowspan="2"|Year ! rowspan="2"|Song ! colspan="3"|Chart positions !rowspan="2"|Album |- !width="40"|U.S. !width="40"|U.S. R&B; !width="40"|U.S. Rap |- |align="center" rowspan=1|2011 | "We Keep It Rockin" (Maino featuring Swizz Beatz, Jim Jones, Jadakiss & Joell Ortiz) |align="center"|— |align="center"|— |align="center"|— |rowspan=1|''The Day After Tomorrow'' |- |align="center" rowspan=1|2011 | "Currency" (Emcee Composition featuring Joell Ortiz) |align="center"|— |align="center"|— |align="center"|— |rowspan=1|''Garden Statements'' |- |}

References

http://www.champmag.com/2010/12/17/video-joell-ortiz-talks-life-after-free-agents-w-champ-mag/

External links

Official website

Official Twitter

Category:1980 births Category:Living people Category:Aftermath Entertainment artists Category:American people of Puerto Rican descent Category:Hispanic and Latino American rappers Category:People from Brooklyn Category:Rappers from New York City

de:Joell Ortiz es:Joell Ortiz pl:Joell Ortiz tr:Joell Ortiz

Name	Mylène Farmer
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Mylène Jeanne Gautier
Born	September 12, 1961Pierrefonds, Quebec, Canada
Origin	Paris, France
Citizenship	French
Genre	Pop, rock, electronica
Occupation	Singer, songwriter, actress
Years active	1984–present
Label	Polydor Records
Associated acts	Moby, Seal, Archive, Alizée, Jean-Louis Murat}}

Mylène Farmer, , born Mylène Jeanne Gautier, , (born 12 September 1961), is a French singer, songwriter, occasional actress and author.

She has sold more than 30 million records and is among the most successful recording artists of all time in France. She holds the record for the most number one hits in the French charts, with twelve to date, eight of which were consecutive.

Early years

Mylène Farmer was born in Pierrefonds, Quebec, Canada. Her parents moved from France in the late 1950s as Farmer's father, Max, pursued an engineering contract on a dam. Her family returned to France when she was eight, settling in the Parisian suburb of Ville d'Avray. In her teenage years, Farmer was passionate about horse-riding, qualifying as a riding instructor at the equestrian centre in Saumur. At the age of 17, however, Farmer discovered acting and she abandoned the stables to take a three-year course at the Cours Florent, a drama school in Paris. Changing her name to Mylène Farmer as a tribute to her idol, 1930s Hollywood actress Frances Farmer, she began to earn a living as a model acting in several TV ads.

In 1984, Farmer met Laurent Boutonnat, a young film student, after replying to a newspaper ad for an actress for a small film he was working on. Farmer and Boutonnat became friends and forged a creative partnership, writing and producing the music. Boutonnat, whose ambition was to become a film director, was the force behind Mylène’s videos.

Farmer gained fame with songs featuring shocking yet poetic lyrics, and explicit music videos: "Maman a tort" was about the love of a young girl for her female hospital nurse. "Pourvu qu'elles soient douces" contains hints of sodomy; the video, set in the 18th century, featured a caning. "Libertine" is said to feature the first full frontal nudity appearance by a singer on a major music video. "Que mon cœur lâche" was about love with condoms in the age of AIDS; the video for the song features a scene in which God tells Jesus he will not send him to Earth again because the last time "was a disaster". The videos for "Beyond My Control" and "Je te rends ton amour" were censored because of their sexual and violent content; later released in a video single, the latter one became the highest selling release of that kind in France.

Her most well-known songs include "Désenchantée", "Pourvu qu'elles soient douces", "Sans contrefaçon", "Libertine", "California", "C'est une belle journée", "Rêver", "XXL", "Les Mots" and "Oui mais... non".

Debut (1984–1989)

Boutonnat and a young songwriter, Jérôme Dahan, had written a song, and were auditioning to find a singer to record it. Farmer was eventually chosen and recorded the song, "Maman a tort" (one of the few songs not to be written by Farmer herself), which was released to good success in March 1984. The video cost the modest sum of 5000 FR but caused a stir in the music world. However, the following single, "On est tous des imbéciles", was met with little praise.

Despite the mitigated success of her first two singles, Farmer, helped by Boutonnat, started working on her first album. Even if this album was almost entirely written and composed by Boutonnat, it was then that it was decided that Farmer would write the lyrics of her songs and Boutonnat would compose the music and direct the videos. "Libertine", the album's lead single, was released in March 1986 and set the tone for Farmer's musical style. The sensual, romantic lyrics were inspired by 19th-century literature. As for the video, which had a running time of more than 10 minutes, Boutonnat was inspired by the film ''Barry Lyndon'' and the novels of the Marquis de Sade, thus giving the video a cinematic style. Farmer, lit by candlelight, is shrouded in mystery and sexual ambiguity, it also was the very first video in which a French female singer appeared full frontal naked. The following single, "Tristana", also met success and the video also had a cinematic approach that impressed the audience. Meanwhile, another single from the album, Plus grandir, also shot in cinematic 35 mm, was released.

In 1988, Boutonnat and Farmer began work on her next album, ''Ainsi soit je...'' (a play on the French expression ''ainsi soit-il'', meaning "so be it" or "amen"). This album, infused with a much darker atmosphere, is more sexually ambiguous than her previous one, featuring songs inspired by Mylène’s favourite authors, including the French romantic poet Charles Baudelaire and the American horror writer Edgar Allan Poe. The album sold 1.8 million copies on the back of the Nº2 hit "Sans contrefaçon" as well as the first Nº1 hit of her career, "Pourvu qu'elles soient douces". The other singles, "Sans logique" and title song were also hits in France, while the Juliette Gréco cover "Déshabillez-moi" became a fan favourite. ''Ainsi soit je...'' was the best-selling female album in France of the 1980s.

In spite of her drama courses, Farmer found it difficult to overcome shyness when in front of an audience. It was only after hesitation that she agreed to make a concert tour in 1989. After singing in a small venue in Saint-Étienne as a test, the singer came to Paris to perform at the Palais des Sports for a week in May. Following the positive response of the audience, she agreed for a full-scale 52-date tour through francophone Europe. A live album documenting the tour was released at the end of the year, titled ''En Concert'', also containing a new song, "A quoi je sers", in which she questions the future of her career. The costumes of the tour were designed by the French designer Thierry Mugler.

It was also during this period that it was noticed that Farmer rarely gave interviews or appeared in public, even if she is now even less inclined to public exposure than at the time.

''L'Autre...'' and "Désenchantée" (1990–1992)

By the turn of the decade Farmer was a full-blown superstar in France, but it wasn't until the release of her third album, ''L'Autre...'', and single "Désenchantée" that she became iconic. The album, released on 8 April 1991, displayed a new image to her audience: more mature, more confident, with very short hair and a more defiant attitude (as evidenced in the videos for "Désenchantée" and particularly "Je t'aime mélancolie", in which Farmer plays a professional boxer fighting a male opponent). The music had also evolved in comparison to her previous records. The lyrics now approached a larger scope of subjects such as religion ("Agnus Dei"), politics ("Désenchantée") and press criticism ("Je t'aime mélancolie").

"Désenchantée", the album's lead single, became a phenomenon in French pop music, striking a universal chord with its political lyrics. The song hit Nº1 in France, remaining 9 weeks atop of the chart. At the time, it went on to become the best selling French single of all time (both in country and around the globe), according to ''Guinness Book of World Records''. It also spent 6 weeks at Nº1 in Belgium, and made the Top 10 in Canada and the Top 20 in Austria and the Netherlands. It is considered by many to be Farmer's signature-song. It was accompanied by an epic video, in which Mylène plays a rebelling prisoner in a facility which resembles a concentration camp or gulag.

Following the phenomenal success of "Désenchantée", Farmer released three more very successful singles from the album: "Regrets", a gold-selling Nº3 duet performed with Jean-Louis Murat, "Je t'aime mélancolie" (Nº3) and "Beyond My Control" (Nº8), the latter having a blood-and-sex-charged video that was banned from airplay. The success of the singles helped its parent album sell close to 2 million copies in France alone, having been certified Diamond. It spent a then-record 20 weeks at the pole position of the French charts, as well as topping the chart in Belgium and making top 10 in Canada. It has become Farmer's best selling studio album.

Prior to the release of the album's third single, on 14 November 1991 a disturbed man who had been stalking Farmer entered the Polydor Records headquarters in Paris and held employees at gunpoint demanding to talk to her. The man had previously written the singer some fan mail, which she did not respond to. He killed the receptionist. Following this occurrence, Farmer shunned media attention and left France to live in Los Angeles for a few weeks.

In late 1992, she released the remix album ''Dance Remixes'', a two-disc set containing 14 remixes of the singer's greatest dance hits plus a new song : the single "Que mon cœur lâche". As usual, Farmer did not shy away from controversy; "Que mon cœur lâche", a song dealing with AIDS and sexual relations, is accompanied by a video directed by Luc Besson (the first time in the singer's career that a video wasn't directed by Boutonnat) in which Farmer plays an angel sent down to earth by God (who refuses to send Jesus again, stating that "last time it was a disaster") to save mankind from itself. The imagery in the clip references pop stars, condoms, prostitution, homosexuality and drug use. The single was also recorded in an English version, "My Soul Is Slashed".

Giorgino (1992–1994)

"Que mon cœur lâche" would be the last single released by Farmer in 3 years. In the meantime the singer would star in a movie, as her longtime collaborator had written a script he had wanted to direct for a long time. The result was the ill-fated ''Giorgino'' (1994). The film, shot in English, was a huge critical and commercial flop. Budgeted at 80 million Francs, it was seen by only 60 000 people and recovered only 1% of its budget. One of the main reasons for the film's flop was its 3-hour-plus length. According to Farmer herself, the bad reception of ''Giorgino'' was particularly hard on Boutonnat, who was directing his first feature film, something he would not do again for 13 years until the release of ''Jacquou le Croquant'' in 2007. Following the lukewarm reception of the film, Farmer decided to leave France to take a long break in the USA.

''Anamorphosée'' (1995–1997)

During her time in California, Farmer started to write her fourth studio album, ''Anamorphosée''. The album was launched by "XXL", a rock song with blasting electric guitars, and a video directed by Marcus Nispel featuring Mylène strapped to the front of a moving train. The single became her first to debut at Nº1. ''Anamorphosée'' debuted at Nº2 in the album charts and sold half a million copies in 3 months. The album continued to sell well with the release of "L'Instant X", "California" (a jazzy-pop ballad bolstered with bass guitar featuring a highly acclaimed video directed by Abel Ferrara), "Comme j'ai mal" and "Rêver", which helped the album reach Nº1 in January 1997 – 16 months after its release – becoming Diamond. The album is the first to contain music written by Farmer ("Tomber 7 fois...").

In summer 1996, Farmer embarked on her second concert tour which met with huge success. The corresponding live album, ''Live à Bercy'', is currently the best-selling French live album ever. During the tour, Farmer sang a Raï version of Michel Polnareff's La Poupée qui fait non with Khaled, which was released as a promotional single from the live album and became a Top 10 hit in France.

''Innamoramento'' and ''Mylènium'' (1998–2000)

Farmer returned in spring 1999 with her 5th studio album ''Innamoramento''. The lead single "L'Âme-stram-gram" was a futuristic up-tempo techno-ballad with erotic lyrics accompanied by a Chinese-themed video in which Farmer commits suicide to save her twin. Both the single and the album went straight to #2 on the charts. The album is certified Diamond in France.

The video for the second single, "Je te rends ton amour", sparked controversy because of its religious blasphemy being condemned by the Catholic Church and banned by many networks. Despite this, Farmer released a video single, which became the highest selling release of that kind in France.

In late 1999, Farmer embarked on her third concert tour, the ''Mylenium Tour'', which set the record of the highest grossing tour by a non-English speaking artist. The stage of the show featured a huge pharaonic statue at the center of the stage from which she emerged and flew before being carried down by the hand of this very statue. During the tour, Farmer released the album's third and fourth singles: "Souviens-toi du jour" and "Optimistique-moi".

After "Innamoramento", the last single of the album, she recorded "L'Histoire d'une fée, c'est..." for the animated film ''Rugrats in Paris: The Movie'', and released her third live album and DVD documenting the ''Mylènium Tour'' along with "Dessine-moi un mouton", the promotional single for the live CD of the show.

Alizée (2000–2004)

In 2000, Farmer and Boutonnat had assembled songs and video ideas they felt appropriate for a younger, new star. They began the search for a female singer to break into the French charts – they found Alizée, a contestant on the French television show ''Graines de stars''. They wrote and produced Alizée's albums ''Gourmandises'' and ''Mes courants électriques''. Alizée's biggest hit, "Moi... Lolita" reached the top of the charts and she became the most successful French singer that year. In 2001, ''Le Figaro'' announced Farmer as top earning French entertainer of the year thanks, in part, to her writing, recording, and producing credits of Alizée's music, which earned 10.4 million €.

Alizée's image was crafted by Farmer and Boutonnat; she was allowed a few interviews of no more than 20 minutes and a limited number of promotional appearances. In 2005, after two successful albums and a concert tour, Alizée amicably parted ways with the duo to meet different songwriters and producers.

''Les mots'' (2001–2003)

At the end of 2001, and seventeen years into her career, Universal issued Farmer's first greatest hits collection: ''Les Mots'' whose title track and lead single, a duet with Seal, became an enormous hit. The music video of the song was the first one directed by Boutonnat since "Beyond My Control", and borrowed many influences from art. ''Les Mots'' was the Nº1 selling album of 2001 and 2002, and remains the best selling greatest hits album in France with more than 1.5 million sold. The album also featured the new tracks and singles, including Top 10 hits "C'est une belle journée" and "Pardonne-moi".

''Avant que l'ombre...'' (2004–2006)

In December 2004, after a long period of silence, Farmer held a press conference announcing her new album, ''Avant que l'ombre...'', and the single "Fuck Them All" as well as a special 13-night concert engagement at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy in January 2006. This era featured no further promotion, and marked a new level of reclusivity for the star, who simply stated : "What I have to say is in my music". She also announced her new series of concerts in Paris-Bercy, a show designed by Mark Fisher. She explained that she could not tour due to the complex sets of the performances of the show, which featured two stages, a mobile bridge to link the two stages and a curtain of words written with water.

The album debuted and spent several weeks at Nº1, selling nearly a million copies and going multi-platinum, although its commercial success is considered inferior to her previous albums because she made little if no effort to promote it. Nonetheless, all five singles became Top 10 hits in France, while the single "L'amour n'est rien..." became a very big success in Russia.

As announced in her press conference, she returned to the stage in January 2006 for 13 dates in Paris-Bercy. A live album and concert DVD, ''Avant que l'ombre... à Bercy'' were released in December 2006. Within months, the DVD became the best-selling music DVD in France ever.

After her concerts in Bercy, electronic musician Moby invited her to record a duet with him. Choosing "Slipping Away", Farmer translated the lyrics herself to French, and the resulting single became a phenomenal success in French-speaking countries, becoming her 4th No.1 single in France.

In 2007, Farmer's long-time songwriting partner, Laurent Boutonnat, directed his second feature film, ''Jacquou le Croquant''. Farmer recorded the theme song of the film, "Devant soi", for the end credits. During that period, she also worked on the French version of Luc Besson's animated feature ''Arthur and the Minimoys'', lending her voice to Selenia, the character voiced by Madonna in the international version. The movie was a box-office hit.

''Point de Suture'' (2008–2010)

In March 2008, Universal confirmed Farmer would release her seventh studio album near the end of 2008, and embark on her fifth concert tour the following year, including two shows at the Stade de France. The record's lead single, "Dégénération", had a minimal electronic music while its video marked the singer's return to the scripted videos of the beginning of her career. The song became Farmer's 5th No.1 single.

The album, ''Point de Suture'', released in stores on 25 August, followed suit debuting at Nº1 with over 100 000 copies sold in its first week in France. The electronic-driven album continues in the vein of Farmer's previous work, featuring a mix of ballads and upbeat, synth-driven pop songs.

Farmer's next four singles from the album, "Appelle mon numéro", "Si j'avais au moins...", "C'est dans l'air" and "Sextonik", all became No.1 hits in France, Farmer beating her own record. Farmer then had a record of nine No.1 hits in France, more than any other artist in French music history. It is also the first time that all five singles from her album became No.1 hits.

Meanwhile, in 2008 Farmer announced a new protégée in the vein of Alizée: Lisa, Farmer's niece. Her lead single, "Drole de creepie", was released in September 2008, produced and written by Boutonnat and Farmer. The song accompanied the hit children's series, ''Growing Up Creepie'', and the video depicts Lisa dressed as Creepie Creecher. Unlike Farmer & Boutonnat's previous side-projects, Lisa is marketed primarily to children.

Farmer's sold-out tour began in May 2009 in Nice and ended in September 2009 in Brussels, gathering extremely positive response from the critics. She also gave two concerts at the Stade de France, as well as other concerts in Russia, Belgium and Switzerland. The show was designed by Mark Fisher.

A new live album documenting her 2009 tour, ''N°5 on Tour'', was released on 7 December 2009 and hit No.1 position in the charts, becoming double-platinum in its first week of release. A DVD of her Stade de France concerts followed on 12 April 2010, becoming instantly Diamond.

''Bleu Noir'' (2010 – present)

In the latter half of 2010, the media reported that Mylène Farmer would work with Line Renaud and Ben Harper in their respective new releases. After thirty years of absence, Line Renaud released her new album in November 2010, which contains "C'est pas l'heure," a duet with Farmer, written by Farmer and Boutonnat. Also in November, Australian band INXS released the album ''Original Sin'' as a tribute to the late Michael Hutchence. Farmer covered "Never Tear Us Apart" with Ben Harper, featuring new lyrics in French written by Farmer.

It was announced surprisingly on 27 September 2010 that Farmer would be releasing a new single "Oui mais... non" to lead her next album. Unlike all the previous musical works by Farmer, Boutonnat was not included in the production or composition. Instead Farmer hired RedOne, known for his work with Lady Gaga to produce and write the music for the single. "Oui mais... non" was released to digital downloading markets on 11 October and hit No.1 on the French charts. Considering the music market crisis, it's her most successful single since 2002. The following singles, "Bleu Noir" and "Lonely Lisa", hit the top of the charts too, expanding her record with twelve No.1 singles.

The album ''Bleu Noir'' was released on 6 December 2010, produced by Farmer, RedOne, Moby and Archive. It entered the French album chart at No.1 and remained at the top for three consecutive weeks. It topped the 9th position in the French 2010 charts, with more than 300,000 copies sold in three weeks. It has sold so far over 600,000 copies, reaching Diamond status, within three months of its release. It also broke the record for best debut in the Downloads Chart with 9,000 copies sold.

Filmography

''Giorgino'' (1994 by Laurent Boutonnat) (portrayed ''Catherine Degrâce'')

''Arthur et les Minimoys'' (Arthur and the Invisibles) (2006 by Luc Besson) (French voice of Princess Selenia)

''Arthur et la Vengeance de Maltazard'' (2009 by Luc Besson) (French voice of Princess Selenia)

''Arthur et la Guerre des Deux Mondes'' (2010 by Luc Besson) (French voice of Princess Selenia)

Discography

''Cendres de Lune'' (1986)

''Ainsi soit je...'' (1988)

''L'Autre...'' (1991)

''Anamorphosée'' (1995)

''Innamoramento'' (1999)

''Avant que l'ombre...'' (2005)

''Point de suture'' (2008)

''Bleu Noir'' (2010)

Bibliography

; By Mylène Farmer

''Lisa-Loup et le Conteur'' (2003) – Mylène Farmer – Anne Carrière Ed. – ISBN 2843372216 – A tale written and illustrated by Mylène Farmer

''Avant que l'ombre à Bercy – Paris 2006'' (2006) – Mylène Farmer – Anne Carrière Ed. – ISBN 2843374332

; About Mylène Farmer

''Mylène Farmer'' (1989) – Patrick Milo – Albin Michel Ed.

''Mylène Farmer, Ainsi soit-elle'' (1990) – Philippe Seguy – Taillandier Ed.

''L'album photo Mylène Farmer'' (1991) – Geda Ed.

''Mystérieuse Sylphide'' (2000) – David Marguet – Idoles de la Pop Ed.

''Picture Book Mylène Farmer'' (2001) – Collectif – Omega Ed.

''Mylène Farmer de A à Z'' (2002) – Florence Rajon – MusicBook Ed.

''La part d'ombre'' (2003) – Caroline Bee, Antoine Bioy & Benjamin Thiry – Archipel Ed.

''Au Cœur du Mythe'' (2003) – Jean-Claude Perrier – Bartillat Ed.

''L'Ange Rouge'' (2003) – Béatrice Nouveau – Michel Lafon Ed.

''Le Mystère Mylène Farmer'' (2003) – Mathias Goudeau – Prélude & Fugue Ed.

''L'ange blessé'' (2004) – Caroline Bee – Librio Musique Ed.

''Mylène Farmer, de chair et de sang'' (2004) – Annie et Bernard Reval – France Empire Ed.

''Mylène Farmer'' (2004) – Bernard Violet – Fayard Ed.

''Mylène Farmer'' (2005) – Fabien Lecœuvre – VadeRetro Ed.

''Mylène Farmer & Vous : Le Référentiel'' (2005) – Maxime Lemen – Ter Prod Ed.

''Les Années Sygma'' (2005) – Sylvain Sennefelder & Maxime Lemen – Tear Prod Ed.

''Le Dictionnaire des Chansons de Mylène Farmer'' (2006) – Benoît Cachin – Tournon Ed.

''Fou de Mylène Farmer, deux années à l'attendre'' (2006) – Christophe-Ange Papini – K&B; Ed.

''Belle de Scène'' (2006) – Julien Wagner – K&B; Ed.

''Dans la peau de Mylène Farmer'' (2006) – Line Grégory – Michel Lafon Ed.

''Mylène Farmer Influences'' (2006) – Benoît Cachin – Tournon Ed.

''Mylène Farmer Phénoménale'' (2006) – Erwan Chuberre – City Ed.

''Mylène Farmer, le culte'' (2007) – Sophie Khairallah – Why Not Ed.

''Le Référentiel Mylène Farmer 2008'' (2007) – Renan Cornetto – K&B; Ed.

''L'intégrale Mylène Farmer'' (2007) – Erwan Chuberre – City Ed.

''Mylène Farmer, la collection – L'ultime référentiel'' (2007) – Why Not Ed.

''Sainte Mylène, Priez pour Moi !'' (2007) – Erwan Chuberre – City Ed.

''Mais où est encore passée Mylène Farmer ?'' (2008) – Bioy/Beuh/Tudor – K&B; Ed.

''Amylène analgésique'' (2008) – Arno Mothra – Komakino Ed.

''Mylène Farmer : la libertine'' (2008) – Thierry Wolf – La Lagune Ed.

''Mylène'' (2008) – Hugues Royer – Flammarion Ed.

''Mylène Farmer : des mots sur nos désirs'' (2009) – Erwan Chuberre – City Ed.

''Mylène Farmer : La culture de l'inaccessibilité'' (2010) – Julien Rigal Premium ed

Farmer has never acknowledged any of the works listed above. "Everything that is said about me is false..." (''"Tout ce qui est dit sur moi est faux..."'')

Companies owned by Farmer

+List of companies owned by Mylène Farmer born Gautier	Name	Immatriculation	Legal status	Activity	Headquarters	Capital	! Trivia
	26 October 1989		Sound recording and music publishing	15 Rue de Douai, Paris	200 000 €	Co-directed by Laurent Boutonnat
	13 December 1993		Sound recording and music publishing	4 Rue de la Paix, Paris	100 000 €	Staffings : 5 (Mylène Gautier, Paul Van Parys...)
Innamoramento	12 December 1997		Institutional and advertising films production	4 Rue de la Paix, Paris	45 000 €
Dichotomie	29 November 2000		Sound recording and music publishing	4 Rue de la Paix, Paris	8000 €
Isiaka	27 February 2002		Sound recording and music publishing	15 Rue de Douai, Paris	8000 €	Co-directed by Laurent Boutonnat
SCI ML	19 February 2003	Civil society	Rental of lands and other properties	15 Rue de Douai, Paris	225 000 €	Co-directed by Laurent Boutonnat

Unofficial fanclub

The ''Mylène Farmer-International Fan Club'' (''MFIFC'') existed from 1995 to 2001. At its peak, it had over ten thousand subscribers in 37 countries. The club published subscriber-only fanzines, which included interviews with people who personally knew Mylène, including Khaled, Marcus Nispel, Abel Ferrara, H. R. Giger and Paco Rabanne. They also organised a fan tour in which several members attended concerts in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

See also

List of artists who reached number one on the French Singles Chart

References

External links

Listen to Mylène Farmer's discography

Mylene Farmer's photos, videos, songs (English)

Latin Mylene Farmer (Spanish and French)

Mylene Farmer's Concerts, Tourdates, Bio, Songs, Videos, Lyrics, Awards, Filmograpy, Videography and Discography (English)

Mylene Farmer Fan-Made French website and Forum (English/French)

Mylene Farmer`s Photos archive

Mylene Farmer México (Spanish)

Mylene Farmer Romania (Romanian)

Mylene Farmer Innamoramento.net Big Site (French)

Mylene Farmer Mylene-01.com Fans portal (French)

M.F. International: Mylène Farmer & General French Music Forum (English)

Category:1961 births Category:Living people Category:Canadian dance musicians Category:French-language singers Category:French children's writers Category:French dance musicians Category:French female singers Category:French pop singers Category:French singer-songwriters Category:People from Montreal Category:Canadian emigrants to France

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Name	Emmylou Harris
Background	solo_singer
Born	April 02, 1947Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.
Instrument	Voice, guitar
Genre	Folk, country rock, country, bluegrass, rock, pop, alt-country
Occupation	Singer-songwriter, musician
Years active	1970–present
Label	Jubilee, Reprise, Warner Bros., Elektra, Asylum, Rhino, Nonesuch
Associated acts	Ryan AdamsThe BandBright EyesJames BurtonBeth Neilsen ChapmanEarl Thomas ConleyElvis CostelloRodney CrowellIris DementJohn DenverDixie ChicksBob DylanSteve EarleVern GosdinPatty GriffinArlo GuthrieMark KnopflerAlbert LeeLittle FeatDave MatthewsKate and Anna McGarrigleWillie NelsonJuice NewtonRoy OrbisonGram ParsonsDolly PartonJohn PrineLinda RonstadtRicky SkaggsBruce SpringsteenDon WilliamsLucinda WilliamsNeil YoungWarren Zevon|website www.emmylouharris.com
Past members	}}

Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947 in Birmingham, Alabama) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. She has released many chart-topping albums and singles over the course of her career, and has has won 12 Grammys and numerous other awards.

In addition to her work as a solo artist and bandleader, both as an interpreter of other composers' works and as a singer-songwriter, she is a sought-after backing vocalist and duet partner, working with numerous other artists including Gram Parsons, The Band, Linda Ronstadt, Roy Orbison, Dolly Parton, Mark Knopfler, Guy Clark, Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, Rodney Crowell, and Neil Young.

Biography

Early years

Emmylou Harris is the daughter of a career military family, her father, Walter Harris, was a military officer and her mother, Eugenia was a wartime military wife. Her father, a member of the Marine Corps, was reported missing in action in Korea in 1952 and spent ten months as a prisoner of war. Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Emmylou Harris spent her childhood in North Carolina and Woodbridge, Virginia, where she graduated from Gar-Field Senior High School as class valedictorian. In high school she also won a drama scholarship to the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where she began to study music seriously, learning to play the songs of Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan and Joan Baez on guitar. Leaving college to pursue her musical aspirations, she moved to New York, working as a waitress to support herself while performing folk songs in Greenwich Village coffeehouses. She married fellow songwriter Tom Slocum in 1969 and in the following year recorded her first album, ''Gliding Bird''. Harris and Slocum soon divorced, and Harris and her newborn daughter Hallie moved in with her parents in the Maryland suburbs on the edge of Washington, D.C.

With Gram Parsons

Harris soon returned to performing as part of a trio with Gerry Mule and Tom Guidera. One night in 1971, members of the country rock group The Flying Burrito Brothers happened to be in the audience. Former Byrds member Chris Hillman, who had taken over the band after the departure of its founder Gram Parsons, was so impressed by Harris that he briefly considered asking her to join the band. Instead, Hillman ended up recommending her to Parsons, who was looking for a female vocalist to work with on his first solo album, ''GP''. Harris toured as a member of Parsons' band, The Fallen Angels, in 1973, and the couple shone during vocal harmonies and duets. Harris was quite pleased, and invested a lot emotionally in their relationship. Later that year, Parsons and Harris worked on a studio album, ''Grievous Angel''. Parsons died in his motel room near what is now Joshua Tree National Park on September 19, 1973, from an accidental overdose of drugs and alcohol. Parsons's ''Grievous Angel'' was released posthumously in 1974, and three more tracks from his last sessions with Harris were included on another posthumous Parsons album, ''Sleepless Nights'', in 1976. There was one more album of recorded material from that period of time that was packaged with the name, ''Live 1973'', but was not released until 1982.

The working relationship between Harris and Parsons is of great importance in country and country-rock music history. Parsons offered Harris a study in true country music, introducing her to artists like The Louvin Brothers, and provided her with a musical identity; Harris's harmony and duet vocals, on the other hand, were lauded by those who heard them, and helped inspire Parsons' performances. His death left her devastated at an emotional and musical crossroads. She eventually carried on with her own version of Parsons' musical vision, and was instrumental in bringing attention to his achievements. Harris's earliest signature song, and arguably her most personal one, "Boulder to Birmingham", written shortly after Gram's death, showed the depth of her shock and pain at losing Parsons. It was, according to her best friend Linda Ronstadt, the beginning of a "lifetime effort to process what had happened", and was just the first of many songs written and/or performed by Harris about her life with (and without) Parsons.

:I would rock my soul in the bosom of Abraham :I would hold my life in his saving grace. :I would walk all the way from Boulder to Birmingham :If I thought I could see, I could see your face. : :   —"Boulder to Birmingham" :   lyrics by Emmylou Harris

The Hot Band

Warner Brothers A&R; representative Mary Martin introduced Harris to Canadian producer Brian Ahern, who produced her major label debut album, ''Pieces of the Sky'', released in 1975 on Reprise Records. The album was surprisingly eclectic, especially by Nashville standards, including cover versions of The Beatles' "For No One", Merle Haggard's "Tonight the Bottle Let Me Down" and The Louvin Brothers' "If I Could Only Win Your Love". It also featured "Bluebird Wine", a composition by young Texas songwriter Rodney Crowell, who was the first in a long line of songwriters whose talents Harris has championed. The record was one of the most expensive country records produced at the time, featuring the talents of James Burton, Glen Hardin, Ron Tutt, Ray Pohlman, and Bill Payne, as well as two tracks ("Before Believing" and "Queen of the Silver Dollar") that were cut with the Angel Band. Two singles were released: "Too Far Gone", which initially charted at #73 (a 1979 reissue hit #13), and Harris's first big hit, "If I Could Only Win Your Love", a duet with Herb Pedersen (later a founding member of The Desert Rose Band), which peaked at #4.

Executives of Warner Bros. Records (Reprise Records's parent company) told Harris they would agree to record her if she would "get a hot band". Harris did so, enlisting guitarist James Burton and pianist Glen Hardin, both of whom had played with Elvis Presley as well as Parsons. Burton was a renowned guitarist, starting in Ricky Nelson's band in the 1950s, and Hardin had been a member of The Crickets. Other Hot Band members were drummer John Ware, pedal steel guitarist Hank DeVito, and bassist Emory Gordy, Jr., with whom Harris had worked while performing with Parsons. Singer-songwriter Crowell was enlisted as a rhythm guitarist and duet partner. Harris's first tour schedule originally dovetailed around Presley's, owing to Burton and Hardin's continuing commitments to Presley's band. The Hot Band lived up to its name, with most of the members moving on with fresh talent replacing them as they continued on to solo careers of their own.

''Elite Hotel'', released in December 1975, established that the buzz created by ''Pieces of the Sky'' was well-founded. Unusual for country albums at the time, which largely revolved around a hit single, Harris's albums borrowed their approach from the album-oriented rock market. In terms of quality and artistic merit, tracks like "Sin City", "Wheels", and "Till I Gain Control Again", which weren't singles, easily stood against tracks like "Together Again", "Sweet Dreams", and "One of These Days", which were. While ''Elite Hotel'' was a #1 country album, the album did sufficiently well as a crossover success with the rock audience. Harris appealed to those who normally disapproved of the country market's pull toward crossover pop singles ("Together Again" and "Sweet Dreams" both topped the country charts). ''Elite Hotel'' won a Grammy in 1976 for Best Country Vocal Performance, Female.

Harris' reputation for guest work continued. Aside from contributing to albums by Linda Ronstadt, Guy Clark and Neil Young, Harris was tapped by Bob Dylan to perform on his ''Desire'' album, but entirely uncredited. Harris also filmed one of the studio sequences, owing to her touring schedule, in The Band's ''The Last Waltz'', singing "Evangeline".

Burton left the Hot Band in 1976, choosing to remain with Elvis Presley's band, and was replaced by English guitarist Albert Lee. Harris's commercial apex was ''Luxury Liner'', released in 1977, which remains one of her definitive records. On ''Luxury Liner'', Harris's mix of songs from Chuck Berry ("(You Never Can Tell) C'est La Vie"), Gram Parsons (the title track and "She"), The Carter Family ("Hello Stranger") and Kitty Wells ("Making Believe") illustrate a continuity and artistic merit to country music often overlooked at the time. Despite Top Ten singles with "C'est La Vie" and "Making Believe", the album's best known track is the first recorded cover of Townes Van Zandt's classic "Pancho & Lefty", which would be a #1 hit for Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard in 1983. At the end of 1977, Crowell left the Hot Band to pursue a solo career; his replacement was bluegrass multi-instrumentalist and singer Ricky Skaggs.

''Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town'' signaled a slight change of direction from Harris's previous three albums. Rather than mixing classic and contemporary, the album is made up largely of recently written songs, though from a wide variety of writers. "Two More Bottles of Wine", written by Delbert McClinton, became Harris's third #1 single, "To Daddy", written by Dolly Parton, went to #3, and a third single, "Easy From Now On", went Top Twenty. The album included two songs apiece from Crowell ("I Ain't Living Long Like This" and "Leaving Louisiana In The Broad Daylight") and songwriter Jesse Winchester ("Defying Gravity" and "My Songbird"), and Utah Phillips' "Green Rolling Hills".

The Roots Records

In 1977 (January), Harris married Brian Ahern. Their (Harris' second) daughter, Meghann, was born in 1979. During this time, Harris cut three studio albums that reflected a shift toward traditional country (the industry, on the other hand, was about to embrace ''Urban Cowboy''). The first key to the change in direction was her Grammy Award-winning 1979 album ''Blue Kentucky Girl''. Apart from a cover of The Drifters' "Save The Last Dance For Me", the album was largely made up of classic-styled country material in the vein of Loretta Lynn and Kitty Wells. One of her best-loved albums, the record includes songs ranging from The Louvin Brothers' "Everytime You Leave" to Willie Nelson's "Sister's Coming Home" to Gram Parson's signature "Hickory Wind". Wesley Rose took special interest in Harris' recording of "Beneath Still Waters", which became a #1 smash.

A Christmas album, ''Light of the Stable'', was released in 1979; its title track featured backing vocals by Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt and Neil Young, all three of whom Harris had been working with sporadically since the mid-1970s, and would continue to collaborate with through the 2000s. (Harris, Parton and Ronstadt began working on a planned trio album during this time, though it would remain unfinished for nearly a decade; a few of the tracks recorded for the project surfaced on the women's respective solo albums in the interim.) The album is largely acoustic, featuring readings of traditional fare such as "Silent Night", "O Little Town of Bethlehem" and "The First Noel".

In the 1980s, Harris pursued country music's history even further with the bluegrass-oriented recording of ''Roses in the Snow'', featuring Ricky Skaggs, Tony Rice, Albert Lee, Emory Gordy Jr. and Jerry Douglas. Harris's versions of the traditional "Wayfaring Stranger" and Paul Simon's "The Boxer" were strong singles.

In 1980, Harris recorded "That Lovin' You Feelin' Again" with Roy Orbison. The duet was a Top 10 hit on both the Country and Adult Contemporary charts. They would win the Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group. She would also be featured on Paul Kennerley's concept album ''The Legend of Jesse James'', which also featured Levon Helm of The Band and Johnny Cash.

Pop-chart success, songwriting

In 1981, Harris reached the Top 40 on the Billboard pop chart with a cover of "Mister Sandman"—again Top 10 Country as well as Adult Contemporary—from her ''Evangeline'' album. (The album version of the song was a track from the ill-fated ''Trio'' sessions with Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt, but neither Parton's nor Ronstadt's record companies would allow their artists' vocals to be used on the single, so Harris re-recorded the song, singing all three parts.)

Harris moved to Nashville in 1982. ''White Shoes'' in 1983 included an eclectic pairing of the rockish reading of "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" with a remake of the Donna Summer hit "On the Radio", as well as tracks from a diverse group of songwriters such as Hot Band member Crowell, Sandy Denny and T-Bone Burnett and was her last album produced by Brian Ahern until ''All I Intended to Be'' in 2008.

Harris's major-label releases thus far had included few self-penned songs, but in 1985 her songwriting skills were much in evidence with the release of a concept album ''The Ballad of Sally Rose'', for which she co-wrote all of the songs. The album was semi-autobiographical in theme, based loosely on her relationship with Parsons. Harris described it as a "country opera", and a "huge commercial disaster". Her co-writer and producer on the album was English songwriter and musician Paul Kennerley, writer of the hit singles "Born to Run" (on Harris's 1981 ''Cimarron'' album) and "In My Dreams" (on ''White Shoes''). Kennerley also produced her next album, ''Thirteen''. They were married in 1985 and divorced in 1993.

In 1987, nearly a full decade after they'd first attempted to do so, Harris teamed up with Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt for their long-promised and much-anticipated ''Trio'' disc. The album was the biggest commercial success of Harris's career, spending five weeks at #1 on Billboard's Country Albums chart (also quickly reaching the Top 10 on the Pop Albums chart), sold several million copies and produced four Top 10 Country hits, including "To Know Him Is To Love Him", which hit #1. The disc was nominated for the coveted Album Of The Year Grammy award (given to U2 that year for ''The Joshua Tree'') and the three women won the statuette for Best Country Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal; the album's Linda Thompson-penned track "Telling Me Lies" reached #3 Country, #25 Adult Contemporary, and was also nominated for a Grammy as 1987's Best Country Song.

Harris also found time in 1987 to release a solo album, ''Angel Band'', featuring traditional gospel songs, on which she worked with, among others, rising country star Vince Gill.

In 1989, she recorded two songs with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band on their album, ''Will the Circle Be Unbroken: Volume II''. In a snippet of studio chatter included on one of the tracks, she talked during the recording session about her beginnings and how music had changed:

Around 1991, she dissolved The Hot Band and formed a new band of acoustic musicians—Sam Bush on fiddle, mandolin and vocals, Roy Huskey, Jr. on bass and vocals, Larry Atamanuik on drums, Al Perkins on banjo, guitar, Dobro guitar and vocals, and Jon Randall on guitar, mandolin and vocals—which she named The Nash Ramblers. They recorded a Grammy Award-winning live album in 1992 at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee, which led to the $8 million restoration of the facility into a premium concert and event venue. It was her last album with Reprise Records.

New directions

By the 1990s, Harris started receiving less airplay as mainstream country stations began shifting their focus to the youth-oriented "new country" format. Harris's albums ''Bluebird'' and ''Brand New Dance'' (1989 and 1990, respectively) received ample critical acclaim and sold reasonably well, yet her chart success was on the wane. 1993's ''Cowgirl's Prayer''—the first album since her switch to Elektra Records—was critically praised but received very little airplay, and its lead single, "High Powered Love" charted very low, peaking at #63, prompting her to shift her career in a new direction.

In 1995, Harris released one of the most critically acclaimed albums of the decade, ''Wrecking Ball'', produced by Daniel Lanois, best known for his work with U2, Peter Gabriel and Bob Dylan. An experimental album for Harris, the record included Harris's rendition of the Neil Young-penned title track (Young himself provided guest vocals on two of the album's songs), Steve Earle's "Goodbye", Julie Miller's "All My Tears", Jimi Hendrix's "May This Be Love", Kate and Anna McGarrigle's "Goin' Back to Harlan" and Gillian Welch's "Orphan Girl". U2's Larry Mullen, Jr. showed up to play drums for the project. The album received virtually no country airplay whatsoever, but did bring Harris to the attention of alternative rock listeners, many of whom had never listened to her music before.

Harris then took her ''Wrecking Ball'' material on the road, releasing the live ''Spyboy'' in 1998, backed with a power trio comprising Nashville producer, songwriter and guitarist Buddy Miller and New Orleans musicians, drummer Brady Blade and bassist-vocalist-percussionist Daryl Johnson. In addition to performing songs from ''Wrecking Ball'', the album updated many of Harris's career hits, including "Boulder to Birmingham".

Also in 1998, she appeared prominently on Willie Nelson's moody, instrumentally sparse ''Teatro'' album, produced by ''Wrecking Ball'' producer Lanois.

During the summer of 1997 and 1998, Harris joined Sarah McLachlan's all-woman musical touring festival, the Lilith Fair, where new artists like Patty Griffin could share new experiences and ideas with seasoned musicians like Harris and Bonnie Raitt.

In January 1999, Harris released ''Trio 2'' with Parton and Ronstadt. Much of the album had actually been recorded in 1994, but remained unreleased for nearly five years because of record label and personnel disputes, conflicting schedules, and career priorities of the three artists. ''Trio 2'' was much more contemporary-sounding than its predecessor and was certified Gold. It included their version of Neil Young's classic "After The Gold Rush", which became a popular music video and won another Grammy—this one for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals. Harris and Ronstadt then released a duet album, ''Western Wall: The Tucson Sessions'', later the same year. The two superstars toured together during the fall months in support of the disc. Both albums made the Top 10 of Billboard's Country Albums chart and did well on the pop side as well.

Also in 1999, Harris paid tribute to her former singing partner Gram Parsons by co-executive producing ''Return of the Grievous Angel: A Tribute to Gram Parsons'', an album that gathered together more than a dozen artists. Harris performed duets with Beck, Sheryl Crow and The Pretenders on this album's tracks.

In 2000, Harris released her solo follow-up to ''Wrecking Ball'', ''Red Dirt Girl'', produced by Lanois protégé Malcolm Burn. For the first time since ''The Ballad of Sally Rose'', the album contained a number of Harris's own compositions. Like ''Wrecking Ball'', the album's sound leaned more toward alternative rock than country. Nevertheless it reached #5 on Billboard's Country Albums chart as well as a healthy #54 on the pop side. It also won Harris another of her 12 Grammy awards, in the category of Best Contemporary Folk Album.

Harris also accompanied on alternative country singer Ryan Adams' solo debut ''Heartbreaker'' and on Tracy Chapman's fifth album ''Telling Stories''.

Also in 2000, Harris joined an all-star group of traditional country, folk and blues artists for the T-Bone Burnett-produced soundtrack to the Coen Brothers film, ''O Brother, Where Art Thou?'' The soundtrack won multiple CMA, ACM and Grammy awards. A documentary/concert film, ''Down from the Mountain'', featured the artists performing music from the film and other songs at the Ryman Auditorium. Harris and many of the same artists took their show on the road for the Down from the Mountain Tour in 2002. In 2003, Harris supplied the finishing touches in harmonizing with the Dixie Chicks on a song they were recording in the studio, "Godspeed".

Recent work

Harris released ''Stumble into Grace'', her follow-up to ''Red Dirt Girl'', in 2003. Like its predecessor, it contained mostly self-penned material. In 2004, Harris led the Sweet Harmony Traveling Revue tour with Gillian Welch, David Rawlings, Buddy Miller and Patty Griffin. They performed singly and together and swapped instruments.

On September 9, 2005, Harris participated in "Shelter from the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast", a series of concerts simulcast by most American television stations to raise money for victims of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita. She performed with Beth Neilsen Chapman and the Dixie Chicks, harmonizing on Patty Griffin's song, "Mary".

In 2005, Harris worked with Conor Oberst on Bright Eyes' release, ''I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning'', performing backup vocals on three tracks. In July, she joined Elvis Costello on several dates of his US tour, performing alongside Costello and his band on several numbers each night. Harris and Costello recorded a version of Costello's song, "The Scarlet Tide", from the soundtrack of the movie ''Cold Mountain''. July also saw the release of ''The Very Best of Emmylou Harris: Heartaches & Highways'', a single-disc retrospective of Harris's career, on the Rhino Entertainment label. This same year, Harris appeared as a guest vocalist on Neil Young's widely acclaimed ''Prairie Wind''. She also appeared in the Jonathan Demme documentary-concert film ''Neil Young: Heart of Gold'', released in 2006. ''All the Roadrunning'', an album of collaborations with former Dire Straits frontman Mark Knopfler, was released in April 2006 and supported by a tour of Europe and the US. The album was a commercial success, reaching #8 in the UK and #17 in the US. Selections recorded during the ''All the Roadrunning'' tour performance at the Gibson Amphitheatre were released as a CD/DVD package titled ''Real Live Roadrunning'' in November 2006. In addition to several of the compositions that Harris and Knopfler recorded together in the studio, ''Real Live Roadrunning'' features solo hits from both members of the duo, as well as a few classic tracks from Knopfler's days with Dire Straits.

Harris is featured on ''A Tribute To Joni Mitchell'', released on April 24, 2007. Harris covered the song "The Magdalene Laundries" (originally on Mitchell's 1994 album, ''Turbulent Indigo''). She sang "Another Pot O' Tea" with Anne Murray on Murray's album ''Anne Murray Duets: Friends and Legends'', released November 13, 2007, in Canada and January 15, 2008, in the U.S.

Harris wrote a song called "In Rodanthe" for the 2008 film ''Nights In Rodanthe''.

A solo album, ''All I Intended to Be'', was released on June 10, 2008, to critical acclaim. Contributors include Buddy Miller, the McGarrigle sisters, Vince Gill, Phil Madeira, and Dolly Parton. She toured with an ensemble she dubbed the Red Dirt Boys, featuring Phil Madeira on accordion, guitar, and keyboards, Colin Linden on guitar and banjo, Rickie Simpkins on mandolin and fiddle, Chris Donohue on bass, and Bryan Owings on drums. It did not include Miller, who was touring with Robert Plant, Alison Krauss and T Bone Burnett at the time. In 2009, Harris toured with Patty Griffin, Shawn Colvin, and Miller as "Three Girls and Their Buddy". Madeira, Simpkins, and Donohue performed with her in late 2008, and in 2009, appearing on "A Prairie Home Companion" and at MerleFest and the Telluride Bluegrass Festival. In September 2009, Owings rejoined the Red Dirt Boys with Miller for the remainder of 2009.

In April 2009 Harris became a grandmother. Her daughter gave birth to a daughter, Prudence.

In 2010, Harris regrouped with the latest version of the Red Dirt Boys—Madeira, Owings, Donohue, and Simpkins—for Lilith Fair summer dates and a scheduled US autumn tour.

According to an interview with Bonnie Tyler by Digital Spy, Emmylou Harris will be teaming up with her on Tyler's upcoming album. Harris will do backing vocals on a song, written and produced by Wayne Warner. A new solo album, ''Hard Bargain'', was released on the Nonesuch label on April 26, 2011.

PBS host Tavis Smiley interviewed Harris in a program that aired on April 20, 2011. In the interview Harris spoke of being a straight-A student in high school, which led her to being selected as valedictorian, and recounted learning to play guitar by memorizing three chords on a Taylor 310CE.

Activism

In 1997 and 1998, Harris performed in Sarah McLachlan's Lilith Fair, promoting feminism in music. Since 1999, Harris has been organizing an annual benefit tour called Concerts for a Landmine Free World. All proceeds from the tours support the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation's (VVAF) efforts to assist innocent victims of conflicts around the world. The tour also benefits the VVAF's work to raise America's awareness of the global landmine problem. Artists that have joined Harris on the road for these dates include Mary Chapin Carpenter, Bruce Cockburn, Sheryl Crow, Steve Earle, Joan Baez, Patty Griffin, Nanci Griffith, Willie Nelson, and Lucinda Williams. Harris is a supporter of animal rights and an active member of PETA. She founded, and in her spare time assists at, an animal shelter in Nashville.

She became a member of the newly formed Commission on the Humanities and Social Sciences of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2011.

Awards and other honors

Grammy Awards

2005 Best Female Country Vocal Performance ("The Connection")

2001 Album of the Year (''O Brother, Where Art Thou?'')

2000 Best Contemporary Folk Album (''Red Dirt Girl'')

1999 Best Country Collaboration with Vocals ("After The Gold Rush", with Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt)

1998 Best Country Collaboration with Vocals ("Same Old Train", with Alison Krauss, Clint Black, Dwight Yoakam, Earl Scruggs, Joe Diffie, Marty Stuart, Merle Haggard, Pam Tillis, Patty Loveless, Randy Travis, Ricky Skaggs & Travis Tritt)

1995 Best Contemporary Folk Album (''Wrecking Ball'')

1992 Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal (''Emmylou Harris & The Nash Ramblers At the Ryman'', as Emmylou Harris & The Nash Ramblers)

1987 Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal (''Trio'', with Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt)

1984 Best Country Vocal Performance, Female ("In My Dreams")

1980 Best Country Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group ("That Lovin' You Feelin' Again", with Roy Orbison)

1979 Best Country Vocal Performance, Female (''Blue Kentucky Girl'')

1976 Best Country Vocal Performance, Female (''Elite Hotel'')

Country Music Association Awards

2001 Album of the Year (''O Brother, Where Art Thou?'')

1980 Female Vocalist Of The Year

1988 Vocal Event of the Year (''Trio'', with Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt)

Other honors

VH1's 100 Most Influential Women in Rock and Roll (1998) - Number 22 out of 100

Billboard's Century Award recipient (1999) - inducted by Sarah McLachlan

''CMT's 40 Greatest Women of Country Music'' - #5 ranking (2002)

Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame on February 12, 2008

Inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2009.

Awarded an honorary doctorate of music from Berklee College of Music in 2009.

Discography

Collaborations and other appearances

References

Sources

''In the Country of Country: A Journey to the Roots of American Music,'' Nicholas Dawidoff, Vintage Books, 1998. ISBN 0-679-41567-X

''Emmylou Harris: Angel in Disguise,'' Jim Brown, Fox Music Books, 2004. ISBN 1-894997-03-4

Fong-Torres, Ben. (1998). "Emmylou Harris". In ''The Encyclopedia of Country Music''. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 230.

External links

Official Site (requires Flash player)

Emmylou Harris Comprehensive former official site

Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

Emmylou Harris Questionnaire (June 2008)

Pitchfork article

Gibson interview

Interview

Category:American acoustic guitarists Category:American country singers Category:American country singer-songwriters Category:American female singers Category:American female guitarists Category:American singer-songwriters Category:American vegetarians Category:Asylum Records artists Category:Nonesuch Records artists Category:Grand Ole Opry members Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Country Music Hall of Fame inductees Category:Jubilee Records artists Category:Musicians from Alabama Category:Military brats Category:Musicians from North Carolina Category:Musicians from Virginia Category:People from Birmingham, Alabama Category:People from Woodbridge, Virginia Category:1947 births Category:Living people Category:Slide guitarists

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