By BLUEGRASS JOHNSON
Rural Route Music 

BITTER SWEET, Ky. — If you are a child of the 1960s and grew up with a love for the folk-type music that spread into both rock and country genres, then you likely have heard of Emmylou Harris.

And if you’ve heard of her, you most likely really like her music.

It’s hard not to. First and foremost she has a truly great voice that is as comfortable singing bluegrass and she is the blues.

In addition to her trademark voice, she is an incredible writer.

Her songs seem to flow naturally whether she’s singing about hard times or true love.

I get the sense that when she sings, she’s singing about something that comes from within her; as if she has lived that situation even when she is covering another artist’s material – songs like Blue Kentucky Girl, a Loretta Lynn song and Credence Clearwater Revival’s Bad Moon Rising.

Harris’ diversity in the songs she picks is indicative of her career.

As a beginner back in the early 1970s, she performed with artist like Lowell George of the rock/blues band Little Feat, Gram Parsons and Delbert McClinton.

Harris has performed with many big-time performers since those early days including Dolly Parton, Neil Young and Roy Orbison. Her collaborating continues to this day.

Harris’ latest album is a collaboration with long-time friend Rodney Crowell called The Traveling Kind.

This marks a second album the two have released. Old Yellow Moon won the pair a Grammy for best Americana Album in 2013.

The two seem to have a magical blend although I think that is the case with all of her duets.

Harris makes the good great and the great spectacular.

My favorite Emmylou album goes back to 1978. Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town has so many great songs on it that, for me, really set the stage for Harris and the music she has continued to make through the years.

Two More Bottles of Wine, Easy From Now On and To Daddy are just a sample of the great diversity that is included in this offering.

This latest effort is just a continuation of what she has done musically.

There is one thing you can say about Harris and that is she has stayed true to her style.

She may have taken turns in genres, but it was always Emmylou.

For this and such great music through the years, Emmylou Harris gets a big A in my classroom.

Bluegrass Johnson comes from a long line of country music performers and enjoys a passion for the rhythm and melody. From the hills of Kentucky, he will offer his opinions on a variety of new country music each week.

Readers with questions or comments may write to Johnson in care of this publication.