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emmyLou 220x220 - EmmyLou Harris

EmmyLou Harris

Grammy Award Winning Artist & Celebrity Ambassador for the Jesuit Refugee Service

Bio Current as of August 10, 2016

Emmylou Harris is a true American music icon of the highest order, wining 13 Grammys over a solo career spanning more than four decades. As a performer Ms. Harris’s earnest and captivating interpretations of traditional songs, her collaborations with an endless array of musical legends and her own innovative, highly personal original compositions have won the love and respect of fans and critics worldwide. She was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2008 and into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2009. Named of VH1’s 100 Most Influential Women of Rock and Roll, in 2015 Emmylou was awarded Sweden’s Polar Music Prize, often referred to as the “Nobel Prize” of music. 

Emmylou’s insatiable musical curiosity has lead her over the years to push the envelope and explore genres beyond mainstream country music. She has shared the stage and recording studio with artists from pop to rock to rap to bluegrass to alternative country. Her open-minded and pioneering spirit has helped draw younger generations to an appreciation of Americana music.

She has been active in humanitarian and social causes benefiting innocent civilian victims of war and the ethical treatment of animals. In the late 1990s and early 2000s she advocated on behalf of a ban on antipersonnel landmines and organized a series of benefit tours with her musical friends to help raise awareness of the global landmine problem.  Proceeds from “Concerts for a Landmine Free World” supported Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation’s efforts to assist victims of armed conflicts around the world. In 1997, she was recognized for her advocacy and invited to perform at the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony in Oslo.

In October 2016, Emmylou is spearheading, Lampedusa, an eleven city concert tour in the U.S. to raise awareness and funds to support Jesuit Refugee Service’s Global Education Initiative.