WFUV at SXSW: Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell

There’s some deep history behind all this. In 1975, Emmylou Harris (@SoEmmylouHarris) released her major-label debut, Pieces of the Sky, and Warner Bros. Records said they’d record her if she’d "get a hot band." Emmylou had already done one of Rodney Crowell's songs, and she asked him to go out on the road; thus they formed the duet partnership at the center of The Hot Band.

That lasted until Rodney Crowell (@RodneyJCrowell) released his debut in 1978, and they’ve each since enjoyed stellar careers in the alt-country world.  In 2007, Emmylou wrote, "we've been talking for 34 years about doing a duet record, and I swear we're going to do it.” If it worked once, can it work again?

Yep. Old Yellow Moon is the album.

Emmylou is probably the most sought-after duet partner on the planet. Many of us first heard her voice as part of a duet team with a male voice. If that’s your thing, you’ll find joy and comfort in this collection of tunes — new ones, except for that original song that brought them together.

Watch Emmylou and Rodney at the Public Radio Rocks Day Stage at SXSW 2013, with the Kris Kristofferson song "Chase the Feeling," and listen to the whole set below.

Related Links:

WFUV and Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell:
• Words and Music performance and interview, 2013

WFUV and Emmylou Harris:
• First-ever WFUV Artist of the Year at our 2008 Annual Gala (apparently the highlight for her was getting to meet sportscaster Vin Scully)
• Words and Music, 2011
• Words and Music, 2008
• Words and Music, 2007
• With Daniel Lanois - Words and Music, 2007

WFUV and Rodney Crowell:
• With (poet and author) Mary Karr - Words and Music, 2012
• Words and Music, 2011
• The WFUV Pop Quiz: Rodney Crowell

WFUV's South by Southwest 2013 music coverage is graciously supported by TuneIn.
Funding for WFUV’s ongoing coverage of live concerts and festivals comes from The Agnes Varis Trust, supporting affordable access to the arts, education and healthcare.