Ten Favorite Linda Ronstadt Guest Appearances: Evangeline (#5)

Tweet

Back around Christmastime @JohnRoberts began posting a series of vintage Linda Ronstadt video clips from early (1967-71) in her career. That inspired me to look at another aspect of Ronstadt’s storied career: her backing vocal appearances. She’s made some great albums on her own, and she’s appeared on some great albums, too. Here’s another one of my favorite Ronstadt guest appearances. #5: Evangeline - Emmylou Harris It was no surprise at all that superstars Linda Ronstadt, Dolly Parton, and Emmylou Harris would team up for an album (1987’s Trio). The only real “surprise” is that it took so long. But there were lawyers and things: “Mister Sandman” was originally recorded by the threesome on Harris’ 1981 Evangeline album, but Parton’s and Ronstadt’s record labels wouldn’t let “their artist” appear (and the comical aside to that is that, at the time, Harris was on Warner Brothers, which was the parent company of Ronstadt’s label, Asylum!!), so Emmylou had to re-record the song for a single release. Oy. Anyway, Ronstadt and Parton also sang backup on the title song, a Robbie Robertson tune that was featured (with Harris making more of a cameo than actually “singing” the song) in The Band’s farewell concert The Last Waltz. Here the three ladies tear into this song about lost love and revenge with everything they have. This rendition is spine-tingling. Evangeline Written by Robbie Robertson Recorded by Emmylou Harris From Evangeline, 1981 She stands in the lightning and thunder: