“Most of my career,” says Emmylou Harris, “I’ve been a finder of songs, a gatherer of songs, so this showcases, in part, that side of what I do.”<br /><br />All I Intended To Be, its simple but evocative title borrowed from the lyric of a Billy Joe Shaver song, does far more than that. Her first solo album since 2003’s Stumble Into Grace, it is indeed a catalogue of Harris’s many gifts—as an interpreter, as an eloquent composer herself, as an inveterate musical explorer who’s been able to discover, rescue, and/or give new life to many a beautiful but overlooked country, bluegrass or folk tune. But the album also offers a living portrait of Harris, a recounting of her extraordinary history, through the many musicians and fellow singers she has collaborated with since the start of her solo career, so many of whom make appearances on these tracks. The all-star cast includes Dolly Parton, Vince Gill, the McGarrigle sisters, old friends from the Seldom Scene, Glenn D. Hardin of her legendary Hot Band, as well as some of the most versatile studio players around. It’s produced by Brian Ahern and engineered by Donivan Cowart, both of whom collaborated with Harris on such groundbreaking albums as Elite Hotel, Luxury Liner, and Blue Kentucky Girl.<br /><br />Harris admits she had to grab studio time in between all of her other projects and commitments—hitting the road with Neil Young and Elvis Costello, cutting All the Roadrunning and performing live with Mark Knopfler, assembling her Songbird boxed set of rarities, and going out with Patty Griffin, Shawn Colvin, and Buddy Miller for their Three Girls and a Buddy Tour. Yet All I Intended To Be, recorded in Nashville and Los Angeles between October 2005 and March 2008, manages to have a seamless quality. Harris says, “I’d have to credit Brian and Donivan, their sense of sound, their integrity and their ability to keep all those pieces together—things that were recorded in Canada, overdubbed in L.A., and brought back to Nashville, stuff done one guitar and vocal at a time, all the different layers, all the different charts. They know what they’re doing and know how to make things sound good without smoke and mirrors.”<br /><br />Perhaps it’s also because Harris has chosen songs that, no matter how disparate their sources, illustrate similar themes of perseverance, faith, and fortitude. They range in tone from the intimate to the anthemic, united by Harris’s ability to channel the emotions of so many compelling characters. There’s grit, sadness, and just a touch of regret in tracks like Mark Germino’s “Broken Man’s Lament” and Merle Haggard’s “Kern River” that’s balanced by strength, wisdom and a healthy amount of hindsight on Tracy Chapman’s “All That You Have Is Your Soul” and Jude Johnson’s “Hold On.” Harris’s own “Take That Ride” is a forthright conversation with a God who may or may not be listening. By the time All I Intended To Be reaches a wistful but uplifting conclusion with “Beyond the Great Divide,” it’s tugging the soul as deeply as the heart, and the title that Harris chose reveals an even deeper, more personal, and spiritual meaning.<br /><br />The album really began to take shape, Harris explains, with “Shores of White Sands,” a Jack Wesley Routh song about carrying on in the face of dashed romantic hopes. Harris had admired it when Warner Bros. Nashville artist Karen Brooks first cut the tune in 1982. How the song made it onto Harris’s album today, employing the original instrumental track from Brooks’ version, illustrates the feeling of collegiality and the air of serendipity that epitomize the entire process. Harris dedicates it to the memory of Doobie Brothers/Southern Pacific drummer Keith Knudsen, and that’s where the story begins.<br /><br />As she explains, “Brian (Ahern) produced Karen’s record, Walk On, in the early 80s, and I always loved that track. I thought it was one of the most stunning things Brian ever did, and that’s saying a lot. I loved the song and thought at some point I might try my hand at it, and it just never came about. A few years ago I was doing a benefit for [St. Louis Cardinals manager] Tony LaRussa’s Animal Rescue Foundation in Walnut Creek, California. Keith was there with his band, and I hadn’t seen him in years. He had toured with me and played on some of my stuff. It wasn’t too long after that Keith died from cancer and I started thinking about that song again. I approached Brian and said, ‘Do you think that in honor of Keith we could use his original drum track for “Shores of White Sand” and build up a track of our own?’ We started asking around and with the blessing of Warners and Karen, we got her entire original track. We added a few things, but basically it’s that beautiful track I’m singing on and I’m so grateful to have it.”<br /><br />Brooks herself came on board to add harmony vocals. Says Harris, “Karen has such a distinctive voice, a wonderful low sound, it’s not like anyone else. It’s really effective on ‘Broken Man’s Lament, where she duets with me.” Harris found the right pairings of friends and fellow artists throughout: “That was what was great, to put together these different pieces from different people who are so important to me. Working with John Starling, Mike Auldrege and Tom Gray from the original Seldom Scene—that goes all the way back to the early 70s when I was living in DC. What I’ve discovered over the years is all the different, incredible people I’ve gotten to work with, and this showcases a little bit of them.” She pauses, then, laughing, adds,” I’d have to do a whole boxed set to showcase everyone—and I already did that, didn’t I?” She knew Dolly Parton would be perfect for the harmony on Harris’s self-penned “Gold”: “It’s got this little trill thing in it on the melody and nobody can do that like Dolly. I thought it would be wonderful to get her in. She had to keep canceling for various reasons, she was out in L.A., but she so wanted to do it, she actually got on a tour bus and drove all the way out from L.A. She got into Nashville that night and the next morning she came in and sang on the record. She was a real champ.”<br /><br />To work with the McGarrigles, Harris traveled north to Saint-Sauver des Monts, near Montreal, where the sisters live and record. Says Harris, “I was trying to keep up with my writing and I always enjoy being around those girls, so it was a good excuse to go try and write. We wrote ‘How She Could Sing the Wildwood Flower’ and ‘Sailing Round the Room’ and went to a little studio there in Saint Sauver and laid down a demo with a click track and put their harmonies on it. So the heart of those two songs is from those original demos. Of course we added a lot of stuff but Kate’s guitar playing is still the centerpiece. And getting their vocals, of course, was the real treasure.”<br /><br />Each one of these tracks has a story behind it; just about every credit reveals a fascinating connection. Harris has created a touchstone to her fertile past to help define an even richer present. While she may be taking stock of where she’s been, she’s by no means summing up. As Harris, who’s been a recording artist for nearly 40 years, says, “I’m still trying to expand my listening horizons, to find the kind of music that resonates for what we know to be true at this point in our lives. When you get to be 60, it’s not like you stop living. In fact, I think you live more and do have something to say.”<br /><br />-Michael Hill http://www.imeem.com/emmylouharris Delta 0 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Emmylou Harris http://www.imeem.com/emmylouharris/video/gJbtAHZE/emmylou-harris-not-enough-shortfilm-video/ Fri, 20 Jun 2008 21:47:37 -0000 <div><a href="http://www.imeem.com/emmylouharris/video/gJbtAHZE/emmylou-harris-not-enough-shortfilm-video/"><img width="100" height="75" border="0" src="http://srv0204-06.sjc3.imeem.com/g/v/36443a5df20bd341c54732bdaab5e426_00010.jpg" title="Click to play this video"/></a></div> 1dRPwXaNco Emmylou Harris http://www.imeem.com/emmylouharris/music/Gx5tMtyH/emmylou-harris-shores-of-white-sand/ Fri, 20 Jun 2008 21:07:19 -0000 <div><a href="http://www.imeem.com/emmylouharris/music/Gx5tMtyH/emmylou-harris-shores-of-white-sand/"><img border="0" src="http://icons-p1.imeem.com/Gx5tMtyH.jpg" title="Click to play this song"/></a></div> h4W5BnZYJO Emmylou Harris http://www.imeem.com/emmylouharris/music/6ILqAEGs/emmylou-harris-shores-of-white-sand/ Fri, 20 Jun 2008 20:56:21 -0000 <div><a href="http://www.imeem.com/emmylouharris/music/6ILqAEGs/emmylou-harris-shores-of-white-sand/"><img border="0" src="http://icons-p3.imeem.com/6ILqAEGs.jpg" title="Click to play this song"/></a></div> mgPdla5022 Emmylou Harris will be performing selections from her new album "All I Intended To Be" and signing CDs on the following dates:<br /><br />TONIGHT, 6/12/08, 7 pm Barnes & Noble<br />Union Square<br />33 East 17th Street<br />New York, NY 10003<br />212-253-0810<br /><br />SUNDAY, 6/22/08, 1 pm Borders <br />8027 Leesburg Pike<br />Suite 100<br />Vienna, VA 22182<br />Phone: 703.556.7766<br /><br /> Emmylou Harris Emmylou Harris In-Store http://www.imeem.com/emmylouharris/blogs/2008/06/12/eRcbULdO/upcoming-in-stores-meet-emmylou Thu, 12 Jun 2008 21:25:00 -0000 kMqhPbPoEi In celebration of Emmylou Harris’ new album All I Intended to Be on June 10, Epiphone and Nonesuch Records are teaming up to give you an opportunity to win a beautiful Epiphone EJ-200 acoustic guitar and a copy of her new CD. This is Harris’ third release on Nonesuch and her first solo effort since 2003’s Stumble Into Grace. Of the selected material, Harris explains, “I’ve always seen myself as a relentless song-finder, a singer of other people’s work whom I admire greatly, and an occasional songwriter.” A North American summer tour in support of the record begins May 23 in California with more dates to be announced shortly. <br /><br />Recorded over a four-year span primarily at producer Brian Ahern’s Easter Island Surround in Nashville, for the first time in 25 years, this album returns Harris to the producer she worked with for her first 11 albums. Taking its title from a line in the featured Harris-John Starling duet “Old Five and Dimers Like Me” (Billy Joe Shaver), the record includes both original material as well as some of Harris’ favorite songs. As Fader magazine notes, “Harris’ records are distinguished by an almost curatorial respect for the artifacts...” Longtime friends Kate and Anna McGarrigle co-wrote and sing on two tracks, “How She Could Sing the Wildwood Flower” and “Sailing Round the Room,” while Dolly Parton, Vince Gill and Buddy Miller also contribute vocals on the album. <br /><br />A twelve-time Grammy winner and Billboard Century Award recipient, Emmylou Harris’ contribution as a singer and songwriter spans 40 years. She has recorded more than 25 albums and has lent her talents to countless fellow artists’ recordings. In recognition of her remarkable career, Harris was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame on April 27. Of Harris, Tammy Genovese, CMA Chief Executive Officer says, “(Emmylou) possesses the voice of an angel. She is one of the most revered song interpreters on the planet, and has been instrumental in preserving country music’s past while expanding country music’s horizons throughout her career.” New York’s WFUV also honors Harris this spring, recognizing the singer with the Sound and Vision Award at its annual spring gala at Sotheby’s on April 29.<br /><br /><br /><br /> <br />Pre-Order your copy Today! <br />Listen to "Hold On" <br /><br /> <br /> <br /> Harris operates an animal rescue/fostering organization, Bonaparte’s Retreat, which saves “unadoptable” dogs from the Nashville Humane Association and dogs who have run out of time at Metro Nashville Animal Control. “We don’t take puppies, we take the big black dogs and yellow dogs that to some people might seem ordinary—but those of us who know dogs know there’s no such thing as an ordinary dog,” says Harris.<br /><br />“We just encourage people, spay and neuter your pets,” she emphasizes. “And if you’re looking for a pet, please go to the shelters first. And I always feel dogs and cats are happier when they have a companion, so one is not enough!”<br /><br />For information on being a foster parent, please contact kate@emmylou.net <br /><br /> <br /> <br />ALL I INTENDED TO BE TRACKLIST: <br />1. Shores of White Sand (Jack Wesley Routh)<br />2. Hold On (Jude Johnstone)<br />3. Moon Song (Patty Griffin)<br />4. Broken Man’s Lament (Mark Germino)<br />5. Gold (Emmylou Harris)<br />6. How She Could Sing the Wildwood Flower (Emmylou Harris, Kate and Anna McGarrigle)<br />7. All That You Have is Your Soul (Tracy Chapman)<br />8. Take That Ride (Emmylou Harris)<br />9. Old Five and Dimers Like Me (Billy Joe Shaver) <br />10. Kern River (Merle Haggard) <br />11. Not Enough (Emmylou Harris)<br />12. Sailing Round the Room (Emmylou Harris, Kate and Anna McGarrigle)<br />13. Beyond the Great Divide (J.C. Crowley and Jack Wesley Routh)<br /><br />Check her out on tour this summer:<br />June 6 Red Rocks Amphitheatre Denver, CO<br />June 8 Wakarusa Festival Lawrence, KS<br />June 14 Morton Arboretum Chicago, IL<br />June 16 Massey Hall Toronto, ONT<br />June 18 & 19 Town Hall New York, NY<br />June 20 The Planting Fields Arboretum Oyster Bay, NY<br />June 22 Wolf Trap Filene Center Vienna, VA<br />June 23 Charlottesville Pavilion Charlottesville, VA<br />June 25 North Carolina Museum of Art Raleigh, NC<br />June 26 Florida Theater Jacksonville, FL<br />June 27 Chastain Park Amphitheatre Atlanta, GA<br />July 17 Vilar Center for the Arts Avon, CO<br />July 19 Grand Targhee Americana Festival Alta, WY<br />July 20 Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre Salt Lake City, UT<br />July 22 Oregon Zoo Amphitheatre Portland, OR<br />July 23 Orpheum Theater Vancouver, BC<br />July 24 Woodland Park Zoo Amphitheatre Seattle, WA<br />July 26 Nob Hill Masonic Center San Francisco, CA<br />July 27 The Mountain Winery Saratoga, CA<br />July 29 The OC Fair Costa Mesa, CA<br />July 30 Granada Santa Barbara, CA<br />July 31 Humphrey’s Concerts by the Bay San Diego, CA<br />(More tour dates to come)<br /><br />For more information and videos go here, www.nonesuch.com/emmylouharris/<br /> Emmylou Harris Contest http://www.imeem.com/emmylouharris/blogs/2008/06/12/BQB4RPpv/enter-to-win-one-epiphone-ej-200-natural-and-one-of-ten-copies-of-the-new-cd-by-emmylou-harris-entit Thu, 12 Jun 2008 16:44:09 -0000 rRxe7ann6J Emmylou Harris All I Intended To Be http://www.imeem.com/emmylouharris/playlist/Gcq3r6h2/all-i-intended-to-be-video-playlist/ Thu, 12 Jun 2008 16:38:21 -0000 7QGoSYVhmk Emmylou Harris All I Intended To Be http://www.imeem.com/emmylouharris/playlist/mUQggnSr/all-i-intended-to-be-music-playlist/ Thu, 12 Jun 2008 16:36:55 -0000 4q6XFNaM89 Emmylou Harris http://www.imeem.com/emmylouharris/video/gIYpXrvN/reunited-interview-shortfilm-video/ Tue, 10 Jun 2008 22:26:54 -0000 <div><a href="http://www.imeem.com/emmylouharris/video/gIYpXrvN/reunited-interview-shortfilm-video/"><img width="100" height="56" border="0" src="http://srv0204-06.sjc3.imeem.com/g/v/98a60c6239565daf7a2a44c5a5a7ea74_00010.jpg" title="Click to play this video"/></a></div> bQg1VWb6iw Emmylou Harris http://www.imeem.com/emmylouharris/video/Sryjv3xs/gold-dolly-parton-collaboration-interview-shortfilm-video/ Tue, 10 Jun 2008 22:19:29 -0000 <div><a href="http://www.imeem.com/emmylouharris/video/Sryjv3xs/gold-dolly-parton-collaboration-interview-shortfilm-video/"><img width="100" height="56" border="0" src="http://srv0204-01.sjc3.imeem.com/g/v/9ae566f4580f11794c33d645b6a8b530_00010.jpg" title="Click to play this video"/></a></div> oCQTK5hKZN Emmylou Harris http://www.imeem.com/emmylouharris/video/sKf-Jy01/sailing-interview-shortfilm-video/ Tue, 10 Jun 2008 22:17:23 -0000 <div><a href="http://www.imeem.com/emmylouharris/video/sKf-Jy01/sailing-interview-shortfilm-video/"><img width="100" height="56" border="0" src="http://srv0204-03.sjc3.imeem.com/g/v/d8784db3e83e59880463d060f796ded9_00010.jpg" title="Click to play this video"/></a></div> qVTqFtV8Rs