4 Country Harmonies That Give Me Instant Goosebumps Every Time
An American Songwriter columnist shares four country songs from across the decades whose vocal harmonies they find especially powerful, citing the genre's acoustic, stripped-back arrangements as ideal for showcasing tight vocal blends. The piece is a personal, opinion-led selection rather than a definitive ranking, spanning collaborations between legendary artists and duos through to a modern folk-country pairing.
Highlights include Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt's rendition of "Those Memories Of You"; The Eagles' "Seven Bridges Road" with its five-part harmony; The Glaser Brothers backing Marty Robbins on "Cool Water"; and Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings' "The Way The Whole Thing Ends" from their album The Harrow And The Harvest.
– Personal, subjective list of four favourite country harmony tracks
– Featured acts: Parton/Harris/Ronstadt, The Eagles, The Glaser Brothers, Welch & Rawlings
– Spans roughly seven decades of country and country-adjacent music
- Writer picks four favourite country songs for their standout vocal harmonies
- Includes Parton/Harris/Ronstadt, The Eagles, Glaser Brothers, Welch & Rawlings
- A subjective, opinion piece rather than a formal ranking