{"id":108524,"date":"2025-08-25T09:24:12","date_gmt":"2025-08-25T09:24:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/108524\/"},"modified":"2025-08-25T09:24:12","modified_gmt":"2025-08-25T09:24:12","slug":"on-this-day-in-1999-linda-ronstadt-and-emmylou-harris-made-their-duo-debut-branching-off-from-dolly-parton","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/108524\/","title":{"rendered":"On This Day in 1999, Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris Made Their Duo Debut\u2014Branching off From Dolly Parton"},"content":{"rendered":"

As the story goes, Linda Ronstadt met Emmylou Harris in the early \u201970s and immediately quizzed each other on their favorite singer<\/a>. In unison, the women both said, \u201cDolly Parton.\u201d Turns out, Parton was also a fan of both women. Together, the three women struck a formidable presence, releasing the platinum-selling Trio in 1987 and its counterpart, Trio II, a dozen years later.<\/p>\n

Six months after Trio II, Ronstadt and Harris broke off to release a duet album of their own. On Aug. 24, 1999, Western Wall: The Tucson Sessions officially hit the airwaves.<\/p>\n

This Linda Ronstadt-Emmylou Harris Collab Was a Long Time Coming<\/p>\n

On Western Wall, Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris departed from the traditional three-part harmonies they so excelled on with Dolly Parton. Sans Dolly, however, the two women were free to get a little weird with it \u2014 and the result was the more rock-oriented Western Wall: The Tucson Sessions<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen it\u2019s just Linda and I, we can do weird and a little more left-field things,\u201d Harris told Entertainment Weekly<\/a> in 1999. The \u201cTogether Again\u201d songstress added, \u201cLinda and I, we live in left field, man. We set up camp there years ago, and we\u2019re not moving. We\u2019re squatters.\u201d<\/p>\n

The pair put their spin on works from an A-list roster of songwriters, including Jackson Browne (\u201cFor a Dancer\u201d), Rosanne Cash (the title track), and Sinead O\u2019Connor (\u201cThis Is to Mother You.\u201d) One particular standout is a cover of Leonard Cohen\u2019s 1967 song \u201cSisters of Mercy,\u201d on which Ronstadt took the lead. <\/p>\n

While Dolly is certainly Dolly, Western Wall showcased how Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris were musical forces in their own right. The record hit No. 6 on Billboard\u2019s Top Country Albums chart and snagged several Grammy nominations.<\/p>\n

[RELATED: The Story Behind Dolly Parton, Emmy Lou Harris, and Linda Ronstadt\u2019s Cover of \u201cBury Me Beneath The Willow\u201d]<\/a><\/p>\n

Linda Ronstadt Hated All Her Albums<\/p>\n

Outside of her work with Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt has done just fine on her own. Unfortunately, the 11-time Grammy winner can\u2019t bear to listen to any of it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I listen to all my old stuff, I tend to be horrified,\u201d Ronstadt, now 79, said in a 2017 interview<\/a> with The Guardian.<\/p>\n

She added, \u201cThere are moments on some records that I like. The one with Nelson Riddle; the Trio records\u00a0I did with Dolly Parton and\u00a0Emmylou Harris\u2026 I feel as if I really started learning how to sing in around 1980.\u201d<\/p>\n

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