Blue Kentucky Girl

Blue Kentucky Girl continued the series of successful Harris records of the 1970s ^[1] . Although all of them were originally inspired by country to one degree or another, in this work this was manifested most strongly ^[2] . At that time, a number of critics associated the success of the singer with the fact that she does not play pure country, but dilutes it with pop influences like The Beatles songs ^[3] . In addition, some purists regarded her previous album Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town (1978) as deliberately aiming for success on the charts ^[4] . Meanwhile, Harris considered herself a real country artist and decided to answer the press call ^[3] . In addition, the singer was not satisfied with the mixing of the last release and the next she wanted to make more musical ^[5] . Thus, on Blue Kentucky Girl, she moved towards the bluegrass and traditional country ^[6] . The disc still could not be called exemplary traditional, but the selection of songs was such to a large extent ^[3] . According to Harris's idea, the project should not have had the slightest chance of becoming a successful country / pop crossover, although her label after the release of the Elite Hotel (1975) and Luxury Liner (1976) records saw such a potential in the singer ^[7] .

Nevertheless, in general, Blue Kentucky Girl retained the typical Harris approach, combining country standards with the works of modern authors and pop classics ^[8] . The source of material for the recording was a special notebook with a list of songs and annotations, which she, as an interpreter, kept on an ongoing basis ^[5] . A selection of tracks on the record included “Everytime You Leave” by The Louvin Brothers , “Beneath Still Waters” by Dallas Fraser , and “Sorrow in the Wind” by Jane Ritchie ^[4] . They complemented the picture “They'll Never Take His Love From Me” by Leon Payne , known by Hank Williams and became one of the most noticeable on the album “Even Cowgirls Get The Blues” by Rodney Crowell ^[3] . The latter was written about Harris herself and her friend Suzanne Clark , named after the book of the same name by Tom Robbins ^[9] . Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt sang along on this track, with whom the song was recorded initially for the delayed Trio project ^[9] . In addition, the artist managed to adapt the vintage pop song “ Save The Last Dance For Me ” from The Drifters repertoire, Willy Nelson ’s drive “Sister's Coming Home” and one of Graham Parsons ’s most sentimental songs - “Hickory Wind” to adapt to a more traditional and acoustic sound. ^[3] . Despite completely different authors, the material on the album was combined with natural metaphors , themes of passion and parting ^[8] .

Like her past work, Blue Kentucky Girl recorded on the Enactron Truck mobile trailer studio , connected to an old rented mansion in Beverly Hills , which now became the home of Harris and her husband and producer Brian Ahern ^[4] . This time, the singer’s accompanying group called The Hot Band combined the bluegrass traditions of violinist and mandolinist Ricky Skaggs , guitar work by Albert Lee and James Burton , as well as piano by Glen Hardin ^[4] . The game of the latter was supplemented by a new pianist - Tony Brown ^[8] . The rhythm section of the group was composed by bassist Emory Gordy and drummer John Weir ^[10] . Harris herself as a musician this time was involved in the project more than usual, playing the acoustic guitar in all songs from the album, with the exception of two ^[5] . Among other things, vocal harmonies were especially distinguished in this work ^[8] . In addition to Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt, together with Harris sang Don Everly here in the song "Everytime You Leave"; Ricky Scaggs and Face Starling in "They'll Never Take His Love From Me"; Sisters Cheryl and Sharon White from The Whites family trio in “Sorrow in the Wind” and other performers ^[10] . After recording the album, The Whites went on tour with Harris and her ensemble - as a result, Sharon White and Ricky Skaggs got married, and the singer herself was even more inspired by the bluegrass, which was manifested in her next works ^[11] . In 2004, Blue Kentucky Girl was re-released on CD with two previously unreleased bonus tracks: “Cheatin 'Is” and “I Know an Ending When it Comes”, the first of which is also a vocal collaboration - a duet with Glen Campbell .

The song “Beneath Still Waters” became Harris's fourth single No. 1 in Hot Country Songs ^[12] . The song “ Save The Last Dance For Me ” reached No. 4, and “Blue Kentucky Girl” reached No. 6 ^[3] . The album itself rose to No. 3 on Top Country Albums and No. 43 on the Billboard 200 ^[13] . At first it was sold poorly, and Warner Bros Records could not decide how to position it on the market ^[3] . At first, the release was promoted as traditional, sending advertising to stores in the form of a large cardboard installation that reproduced the cover of the plate, where Harris stands in the middle of the stage with a guitar against the background of a picture from the life of an old gambling den ^[14] . However, the label subsequently changed its mind and recalled these materials ^[14] . The situation changed for the better when the album received a Grammy Award for " Best Female Vocal Country Performance " ^[15] . It was ultimately certified as gold ^[16] . However, critics considered that the record differs little from Harris’s past works ^[3] . The singer and her producer responded with an even more traditional project by releasing a bluegrass album Roses in the Snow (1980) ^[17] .

Bonus Tracks for 2004 Reissue:

1. “Cheatin 'Is” (with Glen Campbell ) (Rafe VanHoy) - 2:28
2. “I Know an Ending When it Comes” ( Hank Cochrane ) - 2:52

• Brian Ahern - Producer, Sound Engineer
• Donivan Cowart - Sound Engineer
• Bradley Hartman - Sound Engineer
• Stuart Taylor - Sound Engineer

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