Emmylou Harris is a distinctive icon in an industry filled to capacity with undistinctive voices. From her luscious mane of flowing gray hair to her singular voice with its seraph-like tendrils that reach into your soul, Emmylou captivates like no other.
   Principally considered a country music performer, Emmylou's influence reaches beyond the confines of a single genre. She has recorded with musical luminaries as divergent as Elvis Costello, Neil Young, The Band, Willie Nelson and George Jones.
   Emmylou's transcendental career was birthed in the folk scene of the '60's, nurtured capaciously by the illustrious Gram Parsons (the Byrds, Flying Burrito Brothers), then a thirty year, 31 album trek that racked up eleven Grammy awards. Somewhere along that path Emmylou crossed the line and became an icon.
   Though her star is well established now, she was just another folk singer playing the clubs around Washington, DC and Greenwich Village of New York during the waning years of the 1960's. In 1971 Chris Hillman (the Byrds, Desert Rose Band) introduced Emmylou to Parsons and subsequently she joined him on the west coast to work on his solo album GP . Though her work with Parsons was cut short by his death in 1973, his affect on Emmylou was so substantial that his name would forever be linked to hers.
   Closing in on almost 40 years of performing, Emmylou has attained a level of supremacy in her craft yet she still continues to reach out and grow as an artist. 1987's album Trio , with Linda Rondstadt and Dolly Parton was the first of two Trio albums, both of which won Grammy's (Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group and Best Country Collaboration With Vocals respectively). In 1996 Emmylou released what is considered by many to be her masterpiece - Wrecking Ball , a twelve-song album that not only put the singer at the forefront of country music but also garnered her another Grammy. With 2000's Red Dirt Girl and 2003's Stumble Into Grace Emmylou ventures out again into unfamiliar territory, this time with her songwriting skills, and bringing home another Grammy for the former.
   Part of Emmylou's allure is her ability to juggle an astonishing performing career with a stint as the President of the Country Music Foundation (1992) and several social (Campaign for a Landmine Free World) and charitable causes. Her appearance in Chattanooga for the Siskin Children's Insititute is exemplary of the charitable events Emmylou endorses. "StarNight," this year featuring Emmylou and special guest Buddy Miller, is the Institute's largest annual fundraising events.
   StarNight 2005 featuring Emmylou Harris and special guest Buddy Miller will be at the Chattanooga Convention Center on September 10. Call (423) 648-1707 for tickets.

-Wynn Hayden*