Emmylou Harris anyone?

We are having a rather large bluegrass festival this weekend in Portland and I have been picked to be Emmylou Harris' "personal escort" for tomorrow.

www.rivercitybluegrass.com

I got picked because I was the least likely to act like a slobering fan when around her since I didn't really know much about her...

My understanding is that she is travelling with some killer musicians and it should be fun. I get to manage one of the two stages when not being her lap doggie...

Sometimes this music biz can be fun....

Full report on Monday..

I wish I were in your place as her escort and you had a feather up your butt. We'd both be tickled.

I love Emmylou Harris and if there is one thing I would like to do in my lifetime is meet her and do a duet with her.

Yes, her musicians have always been killer players.

Thats great! She is wonderful and just did a great album with Mark knopfler.

Mark, you are the luckiest SOB I have met this decade...I have made it perfectly clear to the wife and every group I have ever played with...if Emmylou ever called for a gig, I'm there - regardless...

Send her my warmest regards from West Texas, please...and protect her as you would protect any irreplacable national treasure.

Wow

That's so cool! "Wrecking Ball" is easily one of my favorite CDs ever. She seems like she would be cool to hang out with. Have fun!

How did you land that gig ? Or who's ass did you suck up to to work with a legend.

If she's working w/Spyboy, prepare to have your ass handed to you by Mr. Buddy Miller...

MG

You're a lucky man but it was probably foolish of you to post this -- at least if you're going to come back and read OP's comments. Emmylou has a big ol' bunch of fans.

I loved her stuff with Gram Parsons in the 70s and later as well and she's continued to do great stuff.

I was just listening to a slug of Emmylou with and w/o Gram just two days ago...

Wow. I wouldn't be a good candidate for a non-gaga escort, for sure.

PS... Phil's right... Elite Hotel is a great album for any era.

PPS... in fact... just thinking about it I had to put it on... Man. Together Again... yow.

Check out this credit list from this, her FIRST real album (there was folk thing we back in '68 but the label went bankrupt a few weeks after it was released)... so this is testimony, I think to how cherished she already was from her work with Parsons...

Brian Ahern Guitar (Acoustic), Bass, Guitar, Producer, Engineer

Mike Auldridge Guitar

Byron Berline Mandolin

Dianne Brooks Vocals

James Burton Guitar, Guitar (Electric)

Rodney Crowell Guitar, Vocals

Rick Cunha Guitar

Hank DeVito Pedal Steel, Guitar (Steel)

John Edwards Vocals

Amos Garrett Guitar

Emory Gordy Bass

Glen D. Hardin Piano, Keyboards

Emmylou Harris Guitar, Vocals

Ben Keith Guitar (Steel)

Bernie Leadon Banjo, Guitar, Vocals

Bill Payne Keyboards

Herb Pedersen Banjo, Guitar, Vocals

Mickey Rafael Harmonica

Mickey Raphael Harmonica

Linda Ronstadt Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)

Fayssoux Starling Vocals

John Starling Vocals

Ron Tutt Drums

John Ware Drums

I mean, geez...

Think she was pregnant...singing like a angel on stage .. performing with Tony Rice--last time I saw her...

Well here it is Monday... Full report as promised.

First off, the reasoning of the festival promoters in putting me into the personal escort duties was a wise one. The place was filled to capacity with fans. The volunteer's at the festival were begging to be picked....many for the reasons most of you mention.

They were big fans of Emmy Lou. They wanted to chat. They wanted to discuss her career, her experiences, etc.

I didn't. No offense to Emmy Lou. I also spent a half hour with Ray Benson from Asleep at the Wheel and all we talked about was our shared experiences playing with Van Morrison and some other musical luminaries over the years.

Now, Emmy Lou.

First off, she is "handled". She gets escorted everywhere. I met her at the back door, escorted her via golf cart to her motor home dressing room and then went back to the main stage where her band Carolina Star, was doing a set without her. John Starling, Mike Audridge (who I already knew), etc.

I brought Emmy from her motor home to the main stage and we didn't speak at all other than to comment on how cold the access tunnel was.

She got on stage, sang one song and came back down for the return trip to her motor home. In the access tunnel was the governor of Oregon and his security detail and local camera crews. As we got into the golf cart one of the governors handlers asked me if "this is the star of the show?"... I said "well, this is Emmy Lou Harris".. And he said "well the governor is here to meet with Miss Harris".. All while the governor is standing about two feet away.

Emmy Lou looked at him and said "well he will just have to wait, I have to get changed for the next show"... We drove off.

We stopped at the food buffet and I I helped her get some fruit, I offered my services if she needed anything and told her we needed to leave in fifteen minutes.. She said "thank you so much, Mark" and hit the motor home.

Fifteen minutes later she came out, we walked over to the golf cart and drove back to the main stage. Right past the governor...still waiting..and his security folks AND the camera crew. Emmy Lou and I got out, I opened the stage door for her and she went back stage to work out an arrangement with John Starling.

Five minutes later her manager got her, brought her to the governor, they chatted about two minutes, she got ready to go on stage, the governor went up and announced her and he left.

After the show...which was twenty minutes short, her manager told me to get Emmy Lou back to the motor home, we got in the golf cart and sat their while the manager came out and got her in ear monitor, told her that he probably should have made the set longer "considering what they are paying us", and Emmy Lou said "well, I was having fun, I would have loved to keep playing"..and we drove off.

On the cart ride back she was complaining about playing one song in the wrong key all the way through and about missing a modulation in another and being in the wrong key for half the song. I told her that mistakes will happen and the audience had no clue (they didn't, her guitar was barely audible). I thanked her for a good show, she walked into her motor home and that was it.

She didn't sign autographs, had no pictures taken and was mostly directed to make every move.

A couple of years ago I had dinner with Maria Muldaur and Linda Rhonstadt.. They were almost identical in behavior to Emmy Lou.

I don't want to hazard a guess as to what they are going through but in reality, being around some of those folks makes me sad.

In the meantime David Grisman was lucid, active, involved and a hoot to be around, as was Ray Benson from Asleep At The Wheel.. really, my most fun conversation with a "big" of the weekend.

I report, you decide.

Say Mark,

I love Emmy Lou, but considering your experience, maybe you could tell some Ray Benson stories?

Thanks for the report, Mark! I don't think I'd want to be that famous either (not that I have anything to worry about ). When fame gets to be that invasive, it just doesn't seem enjoyable.

That is the one thing that strikes me as strange at some of these shows. Many of the stars seem just like normal people and really don't have "handlers", but then other times, like with Maria Muldaur and Linda, AND Emmy Lou, they seem to be treated like trained sheep.. Very strange.

I mean in the bluegrass world folks like Rhonda Vincent, JD Crowe, Tony Rice, etc. are about as big as it gets and Rhonda was just a treat to be around. Friendly, shopping at the merchants booths, signing autographs..etc. All of them very approachable. JD and Tony walk right through the crowd after their shows saying high to everyone. Peter Rowan went over and got a foot message..

Not Emmy Lou, she seemed, I don't know.. confused or dazed or just not interested.

Very strange. Anyway, a fun weekend. Next month I get to check in Jerry Douglas, Doyle Lawson, Chris Thile, Mike Marshall and others at a festival up north..

I do an awful lot of bluegrass for a rock and roll sax player...huh?

awesome(!) you're a lucky oregonian. wrecking ball is tops.

/jonny

Originally posted by Phil O'Keefe Tony Rice, as famous as he is and as wonderful a player as he is, doesn't have nearly the same amount of broad ranging "name recognition" as someone Like Linda or Emmylou...

You are correct. It's funny, but when I first "married" into the bluegrass community nearly ten years ago, my first major bluegrass festival included Tony Rice.

A friend that was sort of my bluegrass tour guide said we simply had to catch Tony's set because he was a "guitar god"..

I had to admit I had never heard of Tony Rice. His is worshipped in bluegrass circles and he is a great player, but I have yet to place him in the "guitar god" category.

I will say he is one of the nicest gentlemen I have had the pleasure to meet. Just a great guy and he is suffering from multiple health problems now which is a shame.

Hey, Mark... in your bluegrass travels have you run across Pat Cloud (once known as the "Jimi Hendrix of banjo")?

I used to hang out with him (he was going out with one of my neighbors) and he was a pretty amazing guy in a lot of ways.

I'll never forget when he was invited to play at one of the first Hemet banjo & fiddle contests (I THINK they might still have them). He wasn't invited to compete because he'd just won some top prize three years in a row or something...

I remember looking around at the bewildered crowd as he said (something like), "This next tune is a little ditty mostly associated with sax great John Coltrane"...

No, I have not heard of him, but again, I am not up to speed on all the great bluegrass musicians out there.

We have a local mandolin wizard who is now doing some recording with David Grisman. A couple years ago my little semi-bluegrass-with-a-sax band played and he and I got on stage during the finale and started trading fours.. It brought the place down.

About four months later I ran into him and he said he was buying every Coltrane record he could find to help improve his chops.

Originally posted by Phil O'Keefe I will say he is one of the nicest gentlemen I have had the pleasure to meet. Just a great guy and he is suffering from multiple health problems now which is a shame. I'm very sorry to hear that. My best wishes to Mr Rice; here's hoping for a speedy and full recovery.

In addition to having throat cancer and now being unable to sing or even talk normally, this last weekend he had tendonitis in his picking hand so bad he had to rosen his fingers to keep from dropping the pick. My understanding is he has suffered with that for several months.

He still played an amazing guitar in his set with Peter Rowan.