The band that gave Dolly Parton the greatest high: “Like you’ve never felt”
Dolly Parton has spoken about the joy of forming The Trio with Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris, describing the experience of singing together as giving her "a high like you've never felt". After years of success as a solo artist, having stepped out from under the shadow of former musical partner Porter Wagoner, Parton found in the trio the kind of close musical companionship she had been missing.
Parton likened the blend of the three voices to "injectin' some kind of serum into your veins", saying nothing else compared to the sensation of singing alongside Ronstadt and Harris. Their early recordings together, including a version of "Bury Me Beneath the Weeping Willow" made before they formally became a group, showcased a natural harmony that fans and critics alike found deeply moving, and despite occasional disagreements over the years, the trio's chemistry kept drawing them back to record and perform together.
- Dolly Parton said singing with The Trio gave her an unmatched high
- The Trio comprised Parton, Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris
- Their harmonies stood out even before they officially recorded albums together
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Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris are three of the biggest names in American country and folk music, each with a hugely successful solo career spanning decades. In the 1970s and 80s they began singing together informally, drawn by an unusually close vocal blend, before eventually recording as a trio.
Their collaboration, released under the name Trio, produced acclaimed harmony recordings and is remembered as one of country music's standout partnerships. It came after Parton had already built her solo reputation, having earlier worked alongside musician Porter Wagoner before striking out on her own.
The trio's work is significant because it brought together three major solo artists as equals, rather than as a backing act or one-off duet, and their combined voices were widely praised for a natural, distinctive harmony that set the collaboration apart from typical group recordings.