Maps of Music

Cimarron (1981)

Where the lyrics of Cimarron take you, and where it was really made.

Built from leftover outtakes and called choppy by critics at the time, the album still put three singles into the U.S. country top ten.

Place unknown

Do you know where this album was recorded, or where its cover was shot? Tell us and we will add it to the map.

Like Evangeline, mostly outtakes from other recording sessions that did not fit any of Harris' other albums
Harris' album list places Cimarron after Evangeline and before Last Date (1982)
Out of print from the late 1980s until the 2000 CD reissue

Brian Ahern credited as producer and engineer
Donivan Cowart and Stuart Taylor credited as engineers
Don Williams and Garth Fundis also credited as producers
Duet partners: Don Williams on "If I Needed You"; Fayssoux Starling on "Spanish Is a Loving Tongue"
Ricky Skaggs plays banjo and fiddle; James Burton plays electric guitar; Albert Lee plays mandolin

Born April 2, 1947 in Birmingham, Alabama; American singer, songwriter, musician, bandleader and activist.
Regarded as a leading artist of the country rock genre in the 1970s and of Americana in the 1990s.
Began in the Greenwich Village folk scene in the late 1960s; first album Gliding Bird (1970) under the name "Emmy Lou Harris".
Discovered by Gram Parsons in 1971; sang harmony on his GP (1973) and worked with him on Grievous Angel before his death in 1973.
Breakthrough with Pieces of the Sky (1975); five US country number-one singles by 1980.
Trio (1987) with Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt became her best-selling album; At the Ryman (1992) renewed interest in the Ryman Auditorium.
Wrecking Ball (1995), produced by Daniel Lanois, is seen as a turning point toward Americana.
Estimated over 15 million records sold; 13 Grammy Awards; inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2008.
Founded the dog rescue Bonaparte's Retreat in Nashville; organizes the Concerts for a Landmine-Free World benefit tour since 1999.

Critics at the time complained that the album was "choppy" and lacked a unifying sound
The complaint came because the songs were outtakes gathered from other sessions
Despite the criticism, the album did well on the U.S. country charts
Three singles reached the country top ten: "Born to Run", "If I Needed You" (with Don Williams), and "Tennessee Rose"

U.S. country charts: did well, with three top-ten country singles
Nominated for a Grammy in 1982 for Best Country Vocal Performance, Female
Out of print from the late 1980s
Eminent Records issued it on CD for the first time in 2000, with new liner notes and a bonus track

"Born to Run" is not the Bruce Springsteen song of the same name, but another Springsteen song, "The Price You Pay", also appears on the album
"Tennessee Rose" was written by Karen Brooks and Hank DeVito, and DeVito also plays pedal steel on the album
"If I Needed You" was written by Townes Van Zandt and recorded as a duet with Don Williams
The album includes a version of "Tennessee Waltz" credited to Redd Stewart and Pee Wee King
The 2000 CD reissue added "Colors of Your Heart" as its only extra track