Trio (album)

Trio was a collaboration album by three of the most successful American female singers of the 1970s and 1980s, Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris. The 1987 release sold over 4 million copies and also received several Grammy nominations and other awards.

History

Longtime friends and admirers of one another, Parton, Ronstadt and Harris first attempted to record an album together in the mid-1970s, but scheduling conflicts and other difficulties (including the fact that the three women all recorded for different record labels) prevented its release. Some of the fruits of those aborted 1970s recording sessions did make it onto the women's respective solo recordings. "Mister Sandman" and "Evangeline" appeared on Emmylou's album Evangeline and Dolly's "My Blue Tears" was included on Linda's 1982 album Get Closer. Rodney Crowell's "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues" was on Emmylou's Blue Kentucky Girl album. Parton and Ronstadt also recorded a version of the traditional ballad "I Never Will Marry", which appeared on Ronstadt's 1977 Simple Dreams album, though that was recorded separately from these sessions.

Finally a collaboration effort went to full fruition, being produced by George Massenburg. When Trio was released in early 1987, it spawned four huge Country hit singles - including the Country #1 remake of Phil Spector's 1958 hit by The Teddy Bears, "To Know Him Is To Love Him". The album hit #1 on the US Country album chart - where it held for five consecutive weeks - and #6 on the main Billboard album chart. It won Grammy Awards for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal and Best Country Collaboration with Vocals. It was also nominated for the Album of the Year Grammy alongside Michael Jackson, U2, Prince and Whitney Houston. It was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.^[3] "Palms of Victory," another track from the aborted 1970s sessions, was included on the 2007 Emmylou Harris boxset Songbird: Rare Tracks and Forgotten Gems.

Track listing

1. "The Pain of Loving You" (Dolly Parton, Porter Wagoner) – 2:32
2. "Making Plans" (Johnny Russell, Voni Morrison) – 3:36
3. "To Know Him Is to Love Him" (Phil Spector) – 3:48
4. "Hobo's Meditation" (Jimmie Rodgers) – 3:17
5. "Wildflowers" (Dolly Parton) – 3:33
6. "Telling Me Lies" (Linda Thompson, Betsy Cook) – 4:26
7. "My Dear Companion" (trad., arranged by Jean Ritchie) – 2:55
8. "Those Memories of You" (Alan O'Bryant) – 3:58
9. "I've Had Enough" (Kate McGarrigle) – 3:30
10. "Rosewood Casket" (trad., arranged by Avie Lee Parton) – 2:59
11. "Farther Along" (trad., arranged by John Starling, Emmylou Harris) – 4:10

Personnel

• Linda Ronstadt - vocals
• Emmylou Harris - vocals, acoustic guitar (1,5,7)
• Dolly Parton - vocals

• Ry Cooder - tremolo guitar (3)
• Kenny Edwards - electric bass (6), acoustic bass (1,2,3,5,7,8,10)
• Steve Fishell - dobro (4), pedal steel (1,6), Hawaiian guitar (8)
• Russ Kunkel - drums (1,2,3,5,6,8)
• Albert Lee - acoustic guitar (1,2,3,6,8,10,11), mandolin (5,7)
• David Lindley - acoustic guitar (6), mandolin (1,2,3,8), Autoharp (5,7), Harpolek (5), Hawaiian guitar (3), dulcimer (10)
• Mark O'Connor - acoustic guitar (5,7), viola (1,2,5,7), fiddle (2,8), mandolin (10)
• Bill Payne - acoustic piano (6,9,11), electric piano (6), harmonium (11), Hammond organ (11)
• Herb Pedersen - banjo (4), vocal arrangement (4,6)
• Leland Sklar - acoustic bass (4)
• John Starling - acoustic guitar (4,8), musical consultant
• David Campbell - orchestration & conducting (6,9)
• Charles Veal - concertmaster (6)
• Dennis Karmazyn - cello soloist (9)
• Jodi Burnett - cello (9)
• Marty Krystall - clarinet (9)
• Brice Martin - flute (9)
• Ilene "Novi" Novog - viola (9)

Production

• Recorded, Produced & Engineered By George Massenburg
• Sharon Rice: Assistant Engineer
• Doug Sax: Mastering

Chart performance

References

External links

• Trio at Dolly Parton On-Line