Maps of Music

Red Dirt Girl (2000)

Where the lyrics of Red Dirt Girl take you, and where it was really made.

A singer known for covering other songwriters made this album with eleven of its twelve tracks written or co-written by herself.

Key places

Where Red Dirt Girl was recorded (2000)

Recording site Mobile studio, 1305 Soniat Street — The album was recorded and mixed here from March to April 2000. This point is placed at the city centre of New Orleans, not the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Red Dirt Girl: nineteenth studio album by American country artist Emmylou Harris
• Released September 12, 2000 by Nonesuch Records
• Eleven of the twelve tracks written or co-written by Harris
• Harris's most self-written record up to this point, a major departure for her

Background

• Before this album, Harris was best known for covering other songwriters' work
• Only two earlier LPs had more than two of her own compositions: Gliding Bird (1969) and The Ballad of Sally Rose (1985)
• Her next album, Stumble into Grace, was also written by Harris
• The album includes "Bang the Drum Slowly", written with Guy Clark as an elegy for her father
• "Tragedy" is a duet with Patti Scialfa, with harmony vocals by Bruce Springsteen
• "My Antonia" is a duet with Dave Matthews

Recording

• Recorded and mixed March to April 2000 at Clouet Street Studio, New Orleans, LA
• Mastered at OceanView Digital Mastering, Los Angeles, CA
• Recorded by Jim Watts; mixed by Jim Watts and Malcolm Burn
• Personnel include Malcolm Burn, Ethan Johns, Daryl Johnson, Buddy Miller, and Kate McGarrigle (accordion on "J'Ai Fait Tout")

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Career

• 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.

Reception

At release

• The Guardian declared the album "spellbinding", calling its reception very positive
• The New York Times wrote that Miss Harris has found herself

Reappraisal

• The album is included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
• The book describes drum loops and Middle Eastern melodies sitting next to warm guitar work and Harris's gently wavering voice
• The book calls it a big departure from her rootsy 1970s releases

Records

• Peaked at number 3 on the Billboard country album charts
• Won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album in 2001

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Guy Clark helped Harris write "Bang the Drum Slowly" as an elegy for her father
• Bruce Springsteen sings harmony vocals on "Tragedy", a duet with Patti Scialfa
• Dave Matthews sings a duet on "My Antonia"
• Kate McGarrigle plays accordion on "J'Ai Fait Tout"

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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