On Thursday night, Wolf Trap hosted a couple of legendary figures in Emmylou Harris and Graham Nash, musicians whose long careers have done much to shape the musical landscape we live in today.
Harris took the stage first, and her set showed off her estimable skills as both an interpreter and writer of songs, and the stylistic diversity of her music. I could hardly have asked for a better set, as she hit on many of my favorites from her extensive catalog.
Though the Queen of Americana has lived in Nashville for 42 years, Emmylou was born in Birmingham, Alabama — “78 years ago,” she proudly declared (I’d be proud, too) — and grew up in our area and still considers it home on some level. Introducing “Bang the Drum Slowly” on July 31, she talked about her father, who spent 30 years in the Marine Corps, leaving his veterinary studies at the University of Virginia to enlist after Pearl Harbor. He was captured during the Korean conflict and held prisoner for 16 months, during which, because he was an officer, he was tortured. He passed in 1993; to write the song; Emmylou worked Guy Clark, who she said was Nashville’s top song doctor then.
Harris’s career is tied up with Guy Clark and his circle of songwriters. Guy was best friends with Townes Van Zandt, the brilliant but troubled songwriter she first helped bring to greater attention when she covered “Pancho & Lefty” (which later became a major hit for Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard). Early in her career, she brought one of Guy’s proteges, Rodney Crowell, on the road with her in her band and recorded many of his songs, including “Leaving Louisiana in the Broad Daylight.” (Crowell will be at the Lincoln Theater in October, and I can’t recommend going strongly enough.)
Watch young Emmylou Harris perform “Leaving Louisiana in the Broad Daylight” by Rodney Crowell on TopPop via YouTube:
Despite the traumas her father went through, Harris said she grew up in a healthy family, where “everybody loved each other.” To write her sad songs, she had to turn to other sources, or just make things. The heartbreaking “Red Dirt Girl” is a work of fiction, while “My Name Is Emmett Till” was inspired by an NPR story about a Black boy who was brutally murdered in the South during Jim Crow. “I just started channeling,” she said about the process. “Love and Happiness” and “All the Roadrunning” were collaborations with Mark Knopfler.
Harris did songs a by several other writers. The gospel piece “Get Up John” was originally an instrumental by bluegrass pioneer Bill Monroe, and Marty Stuart added lyrics. When she recorded “Orphan Girl,” Emmylou was one of the first people to recognize Gillian Welch’s talent. “Luxury Liner” was written by mentor and country-rock godfather Gram Parsons. “Gulf Coast Highway” is by Nanci Griffith, who was her neighbor for many years. Introducing “Abraham, Martin and John,” she said, “Our heroes are gone. We have to be the heroes now, to fight and not let them take it away from us.” Though it shares the title with the Boss’s hit, the “Born to Run” she sang is a different song written by Paul Kennerley. Her cover of Neil Young’s “Birds” was especially appropriate as a duet with Nash, who worked alongside Neil in Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and it reminded me what an incredible song it is.
I found it interesting she chose to open with “Roses in The Snow,” given that we are in the dog days of summer. She finished with “The Pearl.”
Graham Nash first came on the music scene during the British Invasion in the ’60s a member of the Hollies. Their biggest hit, “Bus Stop,” was written by teenage prodigy Graham Gulman, who Nash had intended to humor as a favor to a friend. “Better Days” was dedicated to Rita Coolidge, while “Our House” was written for Joni Mitchell after they broke up; later in the set, he covered Joni’s “Woodstock.”
Graham wrote “Immigration Man” after he was refused entry back into the United States after touring in Canada, while “Just A Song Before I Go” came about when someone bet he couldn’t write a song in 10 minutes. He covered his former bandmate Stephen Stills’s “Love the One You’re With.”
Watch Graham Nash perform “Just a Song Before I Go” live for Masterclass RTL on YouTube:
Introducing “Military Madness,” Nash told the audience that, if we love our friends and family, we’ll make it through the next three-and-a-half years. His set included a slew of additional classics: “Wasted on the Way,” “Marrakech Express,” “I Used to be a King,” “Simple Man,” “Teach Your Children,” and “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes.”
When Nash came out with a cane, I was concerned, but it turned out he broke his knee and in an accident and should recover fully. As I’m about to enter middle age, it’s encouraging to see these two still out there making music, still strong and vibrant, their voices as wonderful as they’ve ever been. Emmylou Harris has been one of my favorites since my teens, and seeing her live reminds me exactly why.
Here are some photos of Emmylou Harris performing live at Wolf Trap on July 31, 2025. All photos copyright and courtesy of Steve Satzberg.
Here are some photos of Graham Nash performing live at Wolf Trap on July 31, 2025. All photos copyright and courtesy of Steve Satzberg.
