Because I came late to the non-rock music game, artists such as Emmylou Harris didn't really exist for me. Harris was country. Country wasn't rock. Case closed. Okay, not really closed. I'll admit that as a teen growing up in the late 1970s, we'd rationalize the bejeebers out of things. Songs like "The Weight" by The Band were surely closer to country than rock. This was kind of too bad because a ton of great music was ignored. All those great Emmylou Harris records. Heck, even that sweet photo of Tanya Tucker on T.N.T. wasn't enough to get me to buy it. What the hell would my friends think?!
Mark Knopfler required no rationalization. "Sultans of Swing" hit the airwaves with such authority (helping to clear away the last dregs of Disco), we all knew it was something special. While Dire Straits didn't smack you over the head with power chords, the music had an undeniable inertia and uniqueness. I remember first hearing that song on the radio and thinking, "What the hell was that?!" As Knopfler's band went on to attain massive success in the MTV-era, the legend of his guitar and songwriting prowess grew and grew.
During the intervening years, a few things changed. Firstly, I got over my fear of "non-rock." Jazz, blues, experimental, country; there's something of interest to be heard everywhere. When I finally got to see Emmylou Harris in a live setting (one night during the final Lillith Fair tour), I was completely blown away. Backed by a muscular young band and country guitar veteran Buddy Miller, Harris pinned me back in my seat and caused a permanent smile to form on my face. By the time she played the slow-burning "The Maker," I was determined to head to the store and pick up every Emmylou Harris album to be found.
Second, Mark Knopfler's career moved away from Dire Straits. Though there was a successful reunion tour, Knopfler spent more and more time working on solo recordings and film music — much of it displaying Knopfler's rootsy and homespun ideas. Honestly, he's so good at working with Americana that I've never really thought of him as being from England.
Article comments
1 - Mary K. Williams
Great review Mark. Love the history you always bring. If "Love and Happiness" is any indication - the the rest of this will be wonderful.