The Ballad of Sally Rose is the eleventh studio album by American singer Emmylou Harris released in February 1985. It marked a significant departure for Harris for two reasons. First, all the songs were written by her and her then-husband Paul Kennerley, while her previous albums had consisted mostly of others' material. Secondly, it is a concept album, loosely based on Harris' relationship with Gram Parsons. The album tells the story of a character named Sally Rose, a singer whose lover and mentor, a hard-living, hard-drinking musician, is killed while on the road.[1] Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt and Gail Davies sing harmony on several of the songs. Many of the songs flow into one another to create a continuous momentum.
Prior to this album, only Harris' 1969 debut Gliding Bird had more than two of her own compositions, a feat she would not repeat until Red Dirt Girl in 2000. Harris has described the album as a "country opera".
All tracks composed by Emmylou Harris and Paul Kennerley; except where indicated[4]
Title | Writer(s) |
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1. | "The Ballad of Sally Rose" | | 2:48 |
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2. | "Rhythm Guitar" | | 3:18 |
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3. | "I Think I Love Him" / Instrumental: "You Are My Flower" | Harris / A.P. Carter | 1:07 |
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4. | "Heart to Heart" | | 2:31 |
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5. | "Woman Walk the Line" | | 4:08 |
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6. | "Bad News" | | 1:46 |
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7. | "Timberline" | | 2:51 |
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8. | "Long Tall Sally Rose" | | 1:32 |
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9. | "White Line" | | 3:46 |
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10. | "Diamond in My Crown" | | 2:55 |
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11. | "The Sweetheart of the Rodeo" | | 3:41 |
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12. | "K-S-O-S"/instrumental medley: "Ring of Fire"/"Wildwood Flower"/"Six Days on the Road" | Harris, Kennerley; June Carter, Merle Kilgore, A.P. Carter, Earl Greene, Carl Montgomery | 2:50 |
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13. | "Sweet Chariot" | | 2:58 |
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- Steve Cash - Harmonica
- Barbara Cowart - Backing Vocals
- Gail Davies - Backing Vocals
- Hank DeVito - Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Pedal Steel, Dobro
- Philip Donnelly - Electric Slide Guitar
- Bessyl Duhon - Accordion
- Ray Flacke - Electric Guitar
- Vince Gill - Electric Guitar, Backing Vocals
- Emory Gordy Jr. - Acoustic Guitar, Bass, String Arrangements
- Emmylou Harris - Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Backing Vocals
- John Jarvis - Keyboards
- Waylon Jennings - Electric Guitar
- Shane Keister - Keyboards
- Paul Kennerley - Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar
- Russ Kunkel - Drums
- Albert Lee - Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Mandolin
- Larrie Londin - Drums, Percussion
- Dolly Parton - Backing Vocals
- Tom Roady - Percussion
- Linda Ronstadt - Backing Vocals
- Gary Scruggs - Harmonica
- Buddy Spicher - Fiddle
- Barry Tashian - Acoustic Guitar
- Bobby Thompson - Acoustic Guitar, Banjo
- Donivan Cowart - Engineer
- Tom Harding - Second Engineer
- Emmylou Harris - Producer
- Paul Kennerley - Producer
- Keith Odle - Second Engineer