In 1968, Emmylou Harris travelled to Greenwich Village to try and make it. Months later, she was opening for her hero
In 1968, 21-year-old Emmylou Harris left university and moved to New York to pursue music, settling in Greenwich Village without knowing anyone there. Her performances in the folk scene led to a breakthrough: within months, she was opening for her musical hero, Townes Van Zandt.
Harris supported herself as a waitress and bookstore cashier while building an audience, eventually performing six nights a week at Gerde’s Folk City. She later said Van Zandt’s distinctive songwriting had a profound influence on her, and credited him and Guy Clark with helping to establish Americana music.
In short
- Harris moved to Greenwich Village in 1968 to pursue music.
- She performed six nights a week at Gerde’s Folk City.
- Opening for Townes Van Zandt shaped her musical path.
Explained simply
Greenwich Village in New York was a centre of the American folk music scene in the 1960s, with clubs where emerging singers could perform and build an audience. Gerde’s Folk City was one of those venues, hosting both new acts and established musicians.
Emmylou Harris was a young singer and songwriter who moved there to pursue a music career. Townes Van Zandt, whose songs she admired, was an established songwriter; Guy Clark was another influential songwriter. Their work later became associated with Americana, a broad style drawing on folk, country and related American music.
Harris’s story shows how a local music scene could help a newcomer find regular work and reach a wider audience. Her connection to Van Zandt and Clark also gives context to her later role in the development of Americana.