Maps of Music

Trio (1987)

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

Three singers who first tried to record together in the mid-1970s only released this album in 1987, after scheduling conflicts and label differences had kept it shelved.

Key places

Where the album was recorded (1987)

Recording site Motown Recording Studios — The album was recorded at The Complex in West Los Angeles between January and November 1986. The point marks the city centre because the building position is not confirmed. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Additional recording in Nashville (1987)

Recording site Nashville — Additional recording for the album took place at Woodland Studios in Nashville. The point marks the city centre because the building position is not confirmed. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Trio: collaborative album by Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, and Emmylou Harris
• Released March 2, 1987 by Warner Bros. Records
• Produced by George Massenburg
• Platinum certification in the U.S. for sales of one million copies
• Total worldwide sales around four million
• A second collaboration, Trio II, was released in 1999

Background

• The three singers were longtime friends and admirers of one another
• They first tried to record an album together in the mid-1970s
• Scheduling conflicts and other difficulties, including that all three recorded for different labels, kept that album unreleased
• Some material from the unreleased 1970s sessions later appeared on their solo albums
• Harris's album Evangeline and Parton's Ronstadt-recorded track on Get Closer both carried these fruits
• Ronstadt and Harris covered several Parton compositions on their own solo albums in the mid- to late 1970s
• The collaboration was finally brought to completion with Massenburg as producer

Recording

• Recorded at The Complex, West Los Angeles, January to November 1986
• Additional recording at Woodland Studios, Nashville, and Ocean Way Recording, Hollywood
• Credits list Sharon Rice as engineer assistant
• Mastering by Doug Sax at The Mastering Lab
• Session players include Ry Cooder, Albert Lee, David Lindley, Mark O'Connor, Bill Payne, and Leland Sklar

Sources: fr.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Career

• Born July 15, 1946 in Tucson, Arizona; American singer across rock, folk, pop, country, and soul.
• In the mid-1960s joined the folk-rock trio the Stone Poneys as lead singer, releasing three albums in 1967–68.
• Solo debut Hand Sown ... Home Grown (1969), described as the first alternative country record by a female recording artist.
• Became the first female "arena class" rock star; top-grossing concert artist of the decade.
• Voted Top Female Pop Singer of the 1970s; "You're No Good" reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
• Worked with producer Nelson Riddle on the Great American Songbook trilogy What's New, Lush Life, and For Sentimental Reasons.
• Recorded Canciones de Mi Padre (1987), the best-selling non-English-language album in US music history.
• Retired in 2011 after losing the ability to sing; later diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy.
• Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014; Kennedy Center Honoree in 2019.

Formation

• At age 14 formed a folk trio with her brother Peter and sister Gretchen.
• Moved to Los Angeles in 1964 to form a band with Bobby Kimmel.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Billboard reviewed the album in its March 14, 1987 issue and praised it as stunningly beautiful on every cut
• Billboard also said crossover success was likely, helped by Ronstadt's duet with James Ingram on 'Somewhere Out There'
• Cashbox reviewed the album in its March 14, 1987 issue and called the collaboration an unqualified success
• Cashbox praised the near-perfect song selection and the seamless harmony of the three voices

Reappraisal

• Won the Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
• Nominated for Album of the Year at the Grammys, alongside Michael Jackson, U2, Prince, and Whitney Houston
• 'Telling Me Lies' was nominated for Best Country Song
• Won Album of the Year at the 1987 Academy of Country Music Awards
• Won Vocal Event of the Year at the Country Music Association Awards at the 1988 ceremony
• Inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in December 2020
• Listed in Robert Dimery's reference book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

Records

• Peaked at number six on the main U.S. Billboard 200 Album chart
• Peaked at number one on the U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums chart for five weeks
• Peaked at number four on the RPM Top Albums chart in Canada
• Peaked at number 29 on the Sverigetopplistan Albums Top 60 chart in Sweden
• Peaked at number 60 on the Official Charts Company UK Albums Chart
• First single 'To Know Him Is to Love Him' released January 1987, peaked at number one on the U.S. Hot Country Singles chart
• Second single 'Telling Me Lies' released May 1987, peaked at number three on the U.S. Hot Country Singles chart
• Third single 'Those Memories of You' released August 1987, peaked at number five on the U.S. Hot Country Singles chart
• Fourth single 'Wildflowers' released March 1988, peaked at number six on the U.S. Hot Country Singles chart
• Platinum in the U.S. for sales of one million copies

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The album spawned four hit singles, including a remake of Phil Spector's 1958 hit by the Teddy Bears, 'To Know Him Is to Love Him'
• The vinyl LP included a 12x12 insert with cutout paper dolls
• Recording at The Complex in West Los Angeles ran from January to November 1986
• Unreleased 1970s sessions left material that later turned up on the singers' solo albums
• The album's Grammy win came in the Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal category

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

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