Emmylou Harris puts faith in her music
By PETER COOPER
Staff Writer
''My main church is my music,'' said Emmylou Harris. ''Somebody once sent me a little plaque that said 'Singing is Praying Twice.' I'm not sure exactly what that means, but it sounds good to me.' ''
By that definition, Harris has done a lot of praying in her time. Over the past quarter-century, her singing and personal influence have transformed Nashville music, bringing to light songs like Boulder to Birmingham, Til I Gain Control Again and All My Tears and musicians including Rodney Crowell, Ricky Skaggs and Buddy Miller.
Tonight and tomorrow, Harris will work in conjunction with Miller (and wife/singer-songwriter Julie Miller), performing concerts designed to raise money and attention for downtown's Holy Trinity Episcopal Church. Holy Trinity is celebrating its 150th anniversary, and Harris — while out of town too much to be in regular attendance — has grown to appreciate the church's history, architecture and congregation.
''For one thing, it's an architectural treasure, sitting downtown like an oasis in the desert,'' Harris said. ''I think we don't appreciate our beautiful buildings enough in this country. We demolish them to build parking lots or put up ugly buildings in their place. But this church has survived, and (these concerts) are a homage to that survival.
''And my mother, who has been living with me since about 1993, has started going to this church,'' Harris continued. ''She's comfortable with the size of the church and the church family, and I've come to realize that there's something very special about this place. When we came up with the idea to do these shows, I requested that we do them in the church itself, because I love this building.''
Harris' albums often turn on spiritual themes. She's sung traditional hymns (We Shall Rise, If I Be Lifted Up), covered contemporary writers' melodic treatises on Christianity (David Olney's Jerusalem Tomorrow, Bob Dylan's Every Grain Of Sand) and written several songs that capture a seeker's struggles and hopes.
''The rock of ages I have known/ Is a weariness down in the bone,'' she wrote in Prayer in Open D, a song she often performs in concert.
''Life is suffering, and no religion tells you that's not the case,'' Harris said. ''And if you're human, you're going to go through periods where you shut down. Religion doesn't always offer you answers, but it helps you deal with the questions. And that song, Prayer in Open D, is not overt, but it's about the nature of faith and putting one foot in front of the other.''
For her part, Harris' faith in traditional American roots music forms recently has been rewarded. She recently returned from a tour with other performers who contributed to the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack, and she was present in Los Angeles to witness O Brother's Grammy night haul (and to add to her own formidable trophy collection). In the week after the Grammys, O Brother sold more than 200,000 albums.
''I don't think Ralph Stanley's music is for everybody,'' she said, referring to the bluegrass legend who performed on the show and took home a Grammy for best male country vocal performance. ''No music is for everybody. But let's face it, there are some things that make our shockers vibrate. And where else are people going to hear it? Not on the radio.
''I've . . . oh, I've been on the tour bus, and occasionally you can't avoid running into some of these country videos. I have to say that I'm astounded by some of the mediocrity I see. What is this? I don't know what Nashville is thinking, or what they're doing. But ultimately, this (O Brother) album has sold four million copies, so somebody's listening. Eventually, hopefully, everyone who has given their lives and souls to this music will find people to hear it. And then that's going to change the lives of the people who discover it. I know how music changed me.''