The voice that changed it all
By Teppei, Contributor
From that moment on, my never-ending journey through country music started, reshaping pretty much all that I am
I still remember quite clearly the day I listened to Emmylou Harrisâ voice for the first time. In early 2005, my favorite band Bright Eyes had recently released a new album entitled Iâm Wide Awake, Itâs Morning. My friend and bandmate had been kind enough to download the albums or songs that I would request weekly and hand me a burnt cd after band rehearsal. I was completely unaware of the sudden turn my musical journey was about to take thanks to Harrisâ background vocals on three of the albumâs songs.
Despite music being yet another male dominated industry, I was not completely unfamiliar with female singers. My parents would play ABBA, Tina Turner, Whitney Houston, Tracy Chapman, Louise Tucker, amongst others while I was growing up. Nevertheless, none of those artistâs voices had ever strummed a chord as deep as Harrisâ did.
The song âLand Locked Blues,âstarts with a very bare, stripped sound consisting of just an acoustic guitar and Conor Oberstâs (Bright Eyesâlead singer) voice for the first two verses. Harrisâ crystal-like timbre and perfectly crafted and polished harmonies link with Oberstâs raw singing style on the third verse, accompanying him until the end. Listening to Oberstâs usual crude lyrics, sugar-coated by Emmylouâs voice completely rattled me and redefined the way I perceived music. It was as if I had boarded a train that night to her home state of Alabama.
I immediately felt that I needed to listen to more of her music, so I looked up on Soulseek (an old P2P file-sharing software) and left my computer on all night downloading two of her albums: Elite Hotel and Luxury Liner.
As soon as I woke up the morning after, I ran to my computer and found those new mp3 files. The first song I listened to was âAmarillo,â the first song off her album released in 1975. Instantly, this false nostalgia permeated my insides. As cheesy as it may sound, I swear I could even smell the fresh coffee and wood mixed with the stench of manure of a country morning all from within my room in a four-million-person metropolis. From that moment on, my never-ending journey through country music started, reshaping pretty much all that I am.
You know that saying âYou are what you eatâ? Well, I believe you are what you listen to. For over a decade, I have been listening to Emmylou Harris at least once a day (even on statutory holidays and weekends). I will be forever thankful to Harris for igniting this unceasing pursuit of the female voices that country music has to offer. I have fallen in love with many other country singers, with voices equally as beautiful and powerful, such as Tammy Wynette, Loretta Lynn, Lucinda Williams, Gillian Welch, to mention a few, but Harris will always have that special place in my heart for being my first country love.
