Live in 1978

This release is a compilation comprising two superb broadcasts made by Emmylou Harris during 1978. The first is a major live appearance on the PBS Soundstage, broadcast by Chicago's WXRT in October and featuring Emmylou regulars The Hot Band, bolstered here by Country vocal group, The Whites - Buck, Sharon and Cheryl. The final half-dozen tracks are from a KFAT broadcast from Santa Cruz, California in June. This was an unusual performance as it featured a trio format consisting of Emmylou with bluegrass multi-instrumentalist Ricky Skaggs and upright bassist Roy Huskey Jr. Emmylou had released her debut, 'Gliding Bird' in 1970 and subsequently worked on Gram Parsons' two groundbreaking solo Country rock albums, 'G.P.' and 'Grievous Angel' (both recorded in 1973). She also sang and played guitar in his touring band, The Fallen Angels, until Gram's untimely death from an overdose of morphine and alcohol, in September of the same year. Though deeply affected by Parsons' sudden passing, Emmylou resurrected her dormant solo career, and was signed by the Reprise label, who issued her next album 'Pieces Of The Sky' in February 1975. The record was a major success and reached number 7 on Billboard's Country Music chart. Her follow-up, 'Elite Hotel' (December 1975) did even better, and landed Harris the coveted Number 1 spot. Released little over a year later, in January 1977, 'Luxury Liner' replicated the success of the previous album as it too reached the top spot, whilst Chuck Berry's (You Never Can Tell) C'est la Vie and country standard Making Believe hit the upper echelons of the Country Singles' chart. Willie Nelson reckons there are only two types of people in the world; those who love Emmylou and those who have never met her. While, sadly, the majority of us who enjoy these recordings may be in the latter category, more than a little of that love will surely be felt via the emotion in her voice and the passion of her delivery.