European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 18, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse Country music s dream team by John Rockwell Mew York times Armony singing runs deep in american Folk culture primarily As something of do but also As something to listen to to be moved by. And within the realm of commercial american popular music no singers have been More deeply devoted to the practice privately and publicly than Dolly Parlon Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt. Now at Long last they have formalized heir Mutual affection both personal and musical and released a record of country and West am songs entitled Trio. It 3 a connoisseur s Delight and a huge popular Success As Well. This record is actually a second Effort and a Good Deal has happened in these women s individual careers and to lha course of country music in Between attempts. When they started out separately in the Lata 1960s, Parton was a pure Nashville based country songwriter and Singer with a gift she still retains for delicate ornamentation of he vocal line. Harris Sang country Folk in the Washington area and later in los angelas. And Ronstadt who Halls from Tucson helped Pioneer los angelas country Rock along with the Byrds Buffalo Springfield and lha eagles who emerged from one of her backup bands. Al they pursued their Solo careers they also served happily As backup singers Lor other artists or employed younger sing Are usually women to work with hem. In particular they Sang on one another s records and made music together privately for the pure pleasure of it. As a recorded Trio Ronstadt and Parton appeared along with Neil Young behind hams in a Christmas song Light of the stable in 1975. Three years later a three women finally got together in los angelas to record n iric album. After several songs had been recorded however the project foundered. Alt three singers were at a commercial Peak and the pressures of their Soto careers made getting together to work out a stylistically convincing Conan oration difficult. Several cuts from those sessions did Lurn up on subsequent Harris and Ronstadt records. There was even cowgirls her he blues on Harris slue Kentucky girl album Evangeline and or. Sandman on her Evangeline and. Most Beautiful of ail my Blue tears on Ronstadt s gel closer in the years from 1978 to 1936 when this new album was recorded Harris career has slaved on a fairly steady stylistic course although she has never really moved beyond the country College circuit in terms of sales Success. Parton has tried to Cross Over from country to a kind of Las vegas Glitz pop but her records did t sell Alt that Well she has now signed with a new Label Columbia and her image As perhaps the most talented composer and Singer of either sex to emerge irom country music suffered grievously. Ronstadt whose Platinum Rock albums of the 1970s were already wildly diverse Aslo style has spent the 80s largely dirt of the top to spotlight exploring still other musical idioms. She Sang in the pirates of Penzance and la Bonsmer she made three albums of pre Rock pop standards with Nelson Riddle and she is now working on an album of mexican mariachi music. She also has her first hit single of the decade right now in the schlock but tuneful somewhere out there duet with James Ingram overt a Tamo eight year period country music which will provide the initial Market for the Trio album even though it will surely Appeal to pop fans As Well has turned Back in Many respects toward the simpler More traditional idiom celebrated in the 1976 and 198�i Trio sessions. Whereas the typical Nashville record was once awash in syrupy strings out of the same drive for Urban slickness that prompted Parton to go Hollywood Many of the mos popular country singers Are now reverting to Homespun traditional arrangements and for up Lompo numbers twanging rockabilly. There Are several successful new female Harmony groups recording in a Moe or less traditional country style a Whites actually a father and his two daughter the girls next door the sweethearts of the Rodeo first Rale the forester Sisters and above All the judds a Mother and daughter. Dreaming the same dream by Jeff Wilson associated press he musical Union of Dolly Parton Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris is finally in Harmony alter bickering managers Busy schedules and other pressures stalled the collaboration for a decade. Few albums have been As eagerly awaited by fans As Trio a delicately balanced blend of three of the most popular artists in both pop and country music circles. The Warner Bros. Up was in billboard Magazine s top �0 Afler three weeks of release. The three singing stars recently talked about their careers and the 11 song up in an interview Wilh the associated press. To was there any arguing about who would sing Lead Parton we just knew what songs we should do and 99 percent of the Lime a were in total agreement on what we should and should t do. The fact that we Are and Strong willed was really Good because we All agreed on the music. Tha music was the Boss. We did t lot our personalities or our egos. Get in the Way. Harris we Vegol real similar tastes when it comes to this kind of music we decided we wanted to do an acoustic album. As Lar As singing Lead the Only problem we had was convincing Linda that she had to sing Lead on move than one song. We talked Ner into it. Ronstadt we All wanted to do exactly tial to pleased and we were All pleased to do the same thing. We were dreaming the same dream. It was actually Dolly that sort of insisted finally that we sort of Divide it up because she Felt that it would be perceived As one o us hogging it Over the other one. O tha Trio idea has bean knocking around for 10 years reportedly due to infighting among the three record companies representing each of you. What took colons Parton thai was part of it and managers bickering on who was a Jig lobe Able to work the s out. But the big part of it was we Drin l have the Lime to do u property. When we said we were going to do this project everybody got so excited. It put so much pressure on us it scared us to death it is just perfect now our careers Are in a slight Lull right now,., Linda s last two albums weren t As great As the ones before and Emmylou Ain t really settin the Woods on fire and i Damn sure aint As far As record sales. Harris it would be real hard to say what the have reason was because t think time was the biggest enemy. We did t have a locus at that time. We were so exiled. You have to understand that when we heard each other sing Logel Herit was like anew toy ii look us awl Ivle to decide we needed to focus on one particular kind of music. Ronstadt h was t really any of those things. Our lives weren t very Well organized. Mine and emmy s lives were bouncing off the Moon. A three of us with careers that seemed to have taken Trieff own lives so we just decided we would t be inane Tryand we would t feel any pressure from anybody or anything. Q your fans consider you legends. Is that hard to live up to Parton i Don i hint any of us realize that Weare. I think it s Nice to be recognized and it is certainly Nice of be appreciated. 1 Don i think anybody real a realizes wha they mean to the Public. I know i be accomplished a lot and i be got a Tot of fans and it makes me feel real Good but i never think of Mysell As a legend. Ronstadt i have no thoughts on i. It is totally superfluous to what my existence is or wha my goals As a person Are you know i con t think of Ayseh As a legend or a Star. I left Tucson wish one thought in mind i want to be a Singer. And i want to be a better Sirj a. Harris lung a legend whatever that Means is in someone else s mind not realty in your own. I think thai being a legend is nothing More than surviving being tort Unale enough to be Able to do what you feel instinctively and in your heart is the right thing. 0 in the video of to know him is Tolono him Harris sings while looking at a photograph of her husband Ronstadt looks at a picture t 1 her Boyfriend filmmaker George Lucas and Parton looks at a picture of Fronstadt s fatties Gilbert. What la the Story behind that Ronstadt it s his High school graduation picture and it happened to a Eady be in thai antique Frame. Dolly has always been very private about her marriage. So i loaned her my daddy. She would have loaned me her daddy i know. Parton i did t have a picture of my husband and i did t eel it was appropriate to use one of my boyfriends so i asked if i could use Linda s daddy because he was a Good looking Guy and besides my husband would t have wanted me to use his picture because he Vales it when i put him in the spotlight. Ufi photo is howl Tracy Baker Dolly Parton top. Uada Konat Adl Middle and Emmylou Harrott Bottom Hava joined 00x9 on an album of country tune. Monday May 18, 1987 the stars and stripes Page 17
