Rewind: Emmylou Harris & Lorrie Morgan on Christmas Traditions, Country History, and Meaning Beyond the Songs

0:00 [SPEAKER_00]: It's easy to hear your favorite artist on WFPK from wherever you are. [SPEAKER_00]: Listen on your smart speaker, live stream from our website at WFPK.org from Louisville Public Media. [SPEAKER_02]: And welcome to another edition of Kyle Meredith with hits the interview series presented by WFPK a WFPK dot org Consequence and the consequence podcast network Thanks for making your way here for checking out the episode.

0:39 [SPEAKER_02]: Please do hit that subscribe button while you're hanging around You're gonna get new interviews just like this once into you every single week [SPEAKER_02]: From Spotify, Apple Podcast, NPR, WFPK.org, consequence, YouTube for the video versions, or anywhere you get your podcast from, you can subscribe to Kyle Meredith with, and please give this series a rating and leave a review while you're at it.

1:01 [SPEAKER_02]: We have had some great guests drop him by lately that include Ayanna Lee who starred in the latest Spike Lee movie. [SPEAKER_02]: Hi, it's the Lewis. [SPEAKER_02]: We talked with director Paul Figue about the house made starring Sidney Sweeney and Amanda Seafreed. [SPEAKER_02]: The run around, you've seen that show on Prime Video, Darcy Kardon, she's a [SPEAKER_02]: She's starring in the third season of Loot on Apple TV, Julianna Hadfield was here to talk about her 20th record, Lightning Might Strike, Lou Graham, rock and roll Hall of Famer, and lead singer of For Honor.

1:31 [SPEAKER_02]: We talk with Gobo, Fraggle, of Fraggle Rock. [SPEAKER_02]: Sarah Barrellis, Gaden Mottarazzo, from Stranger Things, Felicity Jones, and Kerry Condon, just an example of what you get when you subscribe to the Kyle Meredith with the podcast. [SPEAKER_02]: And that's me Kyle Mere. [SPEAKER_02]: Today, it's a special rewind episode with the holidays in mind.

1:49 [SPEAKER_02]: I'm looking back at two Christmas conversations I had with two absolute legends of country music. [SPEAKER_02]: We'll start with Amy Lou Harris. [SPEAKER_02]: One of those voices that flowed it around the house, whether you knew her name or not, part harmony, part [SPEAKER_02]: Compass should be country feel literary and restless and generous from grandparents to to wrecking ball.

2:13 [SPEAKER_02]: I mean, she never stayed put. [SPEAKER_02]: She never kept showing up at other people's songs and making them feel true. [SPEAKER_02]: She's the connective tissue of American music. [SPEAKER_02]: Whether Nashville wants to admit it or not. [SPEAKER_02]: And then there's Laurie Morgan who came at it from a very different angle.

2:27 [SPEAKER_02]: She was born into it. [SPEAKER_02]: She was raised backstage. [SPEAKER_02]: Absolute fearless about leaning into heartbreak with a full orchestra of feeling behind her. [SPEAKER_02]: Stirn classic country themes into something sharp and lived in with a voice that could sound defiant and vulnerable at the same time.

2:45 [SPEAKER_02]: If Emilew is the guide, Laurie was the survivor. [SPEAKER_02]: I am so lucky to get to talk to both of them separately about some of their Christmas music, some of their more recent Christmas performances and looking all the way back, especially for Amy Liu all the way back to the 70s for one of the great [SPEAKER_02]: country Christmas albums.

3:06 [SPEAKER_02]: So we're going to start with Emilew Harris. [SPEAKER_02]: Now, this is a conversation we recorded back in 2017. [SPEAKER_02]: She was part at that time of GetTV's a Nashville Christmas singing a dolly part in classic and a duet with Wyknowna Judd. [SPEAKER_02]: We got to talk about some of her favorite Christmas show memories and her work with getting animals adopted [SPEAKER_02]: and a whole lot more so this is part one of this week's special rewind episode it's Kyle Meredith with him elu Harris i kind of i'm fine well let's see we i know we got a couple things to talk about today one of those being uh... christmas special that you're a part of what's coming up in a era and uh... December 7th the national christmas um... how did uh... how did you get involved in this what's the story here um... it was my good friend bunny garners was involved with

3:58 [SPEAKER_03]: you know area show that they started doing lots of interesting shows and she called me about being involved in a Christmas wrestle and so I said why not? [SPEAKER_02]: I know there's I mean you've probably been a part of many of these you know throughout your career and I don't know it always conjures a lot of different memories for me do you have any favorites of the Christmas specials because that seemed like especially through the you know 60s 70s and 80s like every artist ended up being a part of one of these [SPEAKER_03]: Well, you know, I have a particular attachment to Kate and Adam McGregor and every few years they would do a Christmas special in different cities.

4:37 [SPEAKER_03]: We did some at Carnegie Hall, we did some, you know, they're Canadian and we did one in Montreal and different places and we did one in Nashville a couple of years ago and they really go all out and it's always an interesting musical experience as well as being around [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, so this one was my first, well, not my first one because we did one in Nashville as I say last year, but I don't know.

5:01 [SPEAKER_03]: It may not just go a chance to get together and sing those Christmas songs that you've known all your life. [SPEAKER_02]: Always a good time for a duet at Christmas song. [SPEAKER_02]: I hear Rita here. [SPEAKER_02]: You do a dolly's coat of mini colors. [SPEAKER_02]: Is that right? [SPEAKER_03]: Yes, and that was the result of doing the Magaragal Christmas shows.

5:20 [SPEAKER_03]: You know, Ruth, as Wayne Wright, is Kate Magaragal's son. [SPEAKER_03]: And at one of these Christmas shows we did a few years ago, he said, I wanted to cut him. [SPEAKER_03]: And he colors because that to me is a Christmas song. [SPEAKER_03]: You know, it talks about the spirit of Christmas.

5:35 [SPEAKER_03]: So when we were looking for songs to do, because everybody, you know, has their own favorite Christmas songs. [SPEAKER_03]: But this was I thought was would be in a different one. [SPEAKER_03]: And of course, being a dolly partner song, I think it speaks to Nashville and country music. [SPEAKER_02]: And you know, it all seems like sort of, I mean, I know you've got a lot of history with dolly, but you had back to the Christmas album that you did in 79, light at the stable and she's singing back up on that one, right?

6:02 [SPEAKER_03]: Right, it's actually dolly and Linda and Neil Young. [SPEAKER_02]: because you can. [SPEAKER_03]: Because you can. [SPEAKER_03]: Why not? [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, so it's kind of a day. [SPEAKER_02]: Well, like, and that's a beautiful record. [SPEAKER_02]: Still a beautiful record. [SPEAKER_02]: I just revisit it right before this interview to kind of, because you know, I haven't gone back to Christmas music yet.

6:23 [SPEAKER_02]: And you only did one of those with that one. [SPEAKER_02]: Did you ever consider doing any more of those through the years? [SPEAKER_03]: I don't. [SPEAKER_03]: I think one is enough and it was a very special one. [SPEAKER_03]: Not exactly, it didn't exactly top the charts. [SPEAKER_03]: In fact, we joke that it was one of the best kept secrets or in music, but it's been discovered by people.

6:48 [SPEAKER_02]: Because the good record's a good record. [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, good record is that's true. [SPEAKER_03]: That's all you really should set up to do. [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, and we'll be right back right after this. [SPEAKER_02]: Welcome back. [SPEAKER_02]: It's Kyle Meredith with Emie Lou Harris.

7:01 [SPEAKER_02]: I don't know. [SPEAKER_02]: I know Christmas songs. [SPEAKER_02]: I mean, they're different. [SPEAKER_02]: I don't know. [SPEAKER_02]: I assume they're different than writing than the usual buncher. [SPEAKER_02]: Are they? [SPEAKER_02]: Is it different to write a Christmas song? [SPEAKER_02]: And what you would normally do?

7:11 [SPEAKER_03]: Do we have a little bit of a Christmas song? [SPEAKER_02]: Oh, I actually thought the the title track was yours. [SPEAKER_02]: That was my battle. [SPEAKER_03]: I know. [SPEAKER_03]: That was a friend of my den husband and producer, brother. [SPEAKER_03]: It's always named Stephen Rimer from Nova Scotia.

7:25 [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, yeah, yeah. [SPEAKER_02]: Well, it still seems like that would be so much harder to write, even though it's so specific to get that. [SPEAKER_02]: I mean, I don't know, I think I feel like the dream is, you know, to write the one Greek Christmas song, and then you can retire if you want to, because it just, those royalties will come in every single year.

7:39 [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, Jingle bells, the guy ever had to. [SPEAKER_03]: You never had to work another day in his life. [SPEAKER_02]: Right. [SPEAKER_02]: I know we also need to talk about the National Shelter and Animal Rescue Week. [SPEAKER_02]: Is that this week? [SPEAKER_03]: I believe it's this month.

7:54 [SPEAKER_03]: I think it's a month sort of dedicated to that or maybe not. [SPEAKER_03]: I'm just glad for any kind of publicity that cheds the light on the pride of all these homeless animals. [SPEAKER_03]: I mean there are millions of them that are put down every year for a lack of a place for them to go.

8:11 [SPEAKER_03]: perfectly healthy animals. [SPEAKER_03]: There's really a movement on this country as people realize this and also understand the importance of staying in the pet so that we don't have so many, so many of them are coming into shelters. [SPEAKER_03]: So I think this is really important. [SPEAKER_03]: There's a big movement called, you know, adopt, don't shop.

8:32 [SPEAKER_03]: Now though in the other hand, you know, you have a lot of animals in a terrible state from the puppy knows, which is something I hope will eventually be shut down. [SPEAKER_02]: We're really close to all of that here at WFPK. [SPEAKER_02]: We team up with the Kentucky Humane Society every single week they bring in rescue animals and we put them on the ear and every single week they're adopted.

8:50 [SPEAKER_02]: So it was you know I've always really respected what you're doing out there and and you're you work a lot with it It's called Bonaparte's Retreat. [SPEAKER_03]: Well, it's my shelter. [SPEAKER_03]: It's in my it's in my yard In my backyard. [SPEAKER_03]: It's a small shelter, but we take we partner with metronium will control and when we first started in 2004 the use of Asian rake was [SPEAKER_03]: incredibly high, especially during the foreclosure crisis.

9:16 [SPEAKER_03]: A lot of people were just abandoning their animals and the youth in Asia, right? [SPEAKER_03]: Well, it went up and the 80s for some high 80s. [SPEAKER_03]: And now, with the smaller shelters, independent shelters like Bonavart, you know, taking animals and putting them in a no-kill situation.

9:32 [SPEAKER_03]: They're way, way down. [SPEAKER_03]: Of course, what we want to become is a no-kill city. [SPEAKER_03]: And I really believe that we can achieve that. [SPEAKER_02]: Well, like I said, I love that you're working out there and fighting that good fight on that when we really love hearing about all the good work you do with the animals, so thank you for that.

9:51 [SPEAKER_02]: And I'd love to hear what you're up to now. [SPEAKER_02]: I mean, you're pretty consistent with an album every two or three years, so we're about to get Mark. [SPEAKER_03]: No, I don't think that's going to happen for a while. [SPEAKER_03]: What's happening is they're really releasing other religiously undiscovered projects in mind.

10:08 [SPEAKER_03]: I think in February, Rhino is going to release the Battle of Sally Rose, which was originally released in 87, perhaps it's hard for me to remember, but it's going to be released with the original demos that we did, which was basically just me. [SPEAKER_03]: and a guitar and me doing all the harmonies.

10:29 [SPEAKER_03]: So I think it will be an interesting approach for people who are fans of mine. [SPEAKER_03]: I'm at the point right now where I don't mean I'm flying down. [SPEAKER_03]: I still do a lot of touring, but I'm working on a memoir. [SPEAKER_03]: And I find it really hard to do more than one thing at once.

10:46 [SPEAKER_03]: So... [SPEAKER_03]: I'm putting my attention to that. [SPEAKER_02]: Well, I'm really excited to hear that. [SPEAKER_02]: I mean, you've got so much music out there that we can always enjoy it at any point. [SPEAKER_02]: So if it means a break for something else, then it's not worth it. [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.

10:58 [SPEAKER_02]: All right, Emily, it was such a pleasure to talk to you. [SPEAKER_02]: Thank you so much. [SPEAKER_03]: Thank you. [SPEAKER_03]: Thank you very much. [SPEAKER_03]: I know. [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, and we'll be right back right after this. [SPEAKER_02]: All right, welcome back. [SPEAKER_02]: It's Kyle Meredith.

11:10 [SPEAKER_02]: Now time for part two of this special rewind episode. [SPEAKER_02]: Not only was this interview with Laurie Morgan, also taped in 2017, but for the very same TV special, get TVs and Nashville Christmas. [SPEAKER_02]: We also got to talk about her just release at that point, Doets record with her buddy Pam Tillis, called Come See Me and come lonely.

11:31 [SPEAKER_02]: All that a more part two of this special rewind episode, [SPEAKER_04]: Hey, Kyle, how are you doing? [SPEAKER_02]: I'm well, how are you? [SPEAKER_02]: I'm great, thank you. [SPEAKER_02]: Kind of roll right into this. [SPEAKER_02]: I think we should probably do the Christmas stuff first.

11:44 [SPEAKER_02]: I hear your part of get TVs and Nashville Christmas, right? [SPEAKER_02]: I am. [SPEAKER_02]: I certainly am. [SPEAKER_02]: And then we were talking with Amy Lou Harris the other day about this too. [SPEAKER_02]: It's sort of a variety show. [SPEAKER_02]: Is it in the old tradition? [SPEAKER_04]: It's very traditional songs.

11:58 [SPEAKER_04]: It really is. [SPEAKER_04]: It's in spawning, you know, how everybody picked their traditional songs and everybody picked something different. [SPEAKER_04]: So if it was just like, it was fun. [SPEAKER_04]: It was fun sitting in the audience and listening to everybody saying, and it was really nice.

12:12 [SPEAKER_02]: Which songs are you doing on this one? [SPEAKER_02]: Is it just one song? [SPEAKER_02]: Are you doing a few? [SPEAKER_04]: Ah, Galilei, let me think order. [SPEAKER_04]: I did favorite things. [SPEAKER_04]: I did the Christmas song, Chestnut, you know, roasting by an open fire. [SPEAKER_04]: I did another one and I can't remember what it was.

12:30 [SPEAKER_04]: Oh yes, I did grown up Christmas list. [SPEAKER_02]: And just, I mean, was those just the ones that kind of spoke to you that day? [SPEAKER_02]: Is there any reason? [SPEAKER_04]: Well, they're my favorites. [SPEAKER_04]: You know, they're on love, grown up Christmas list. [SPEAKER_04]: I think it's a very, one of my favorite Christmas songs that's been written over the last few years.

12:47 [SPEAKER_04]: My favorite thing is on my Merry Christmas from London TD, which is a holiday favorite around our house, and then Wally Wilson, the producer of the show asked me to sing the Christmas song. [SPEAKER_04]: So that's why I did those. [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I mean, there's something, I don't know.

13:05 [SPEAKER_02]: I know there's something sort of extra special about Christmas songs. [SPEAKER_02]: They seem to resonate, especially with people, maybe it's because we only get to hear them sort of once a year. [SPEAKER_02]: So we don't have to get tired of it. [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, right. [SPEAKER_04]: I think they get back to a better time too.

13:20 [SPEAKER_02]: Have you written many of them yourself? [SPEAKER_02]: Because I feel like it's a little bit harder to write a Christmas song. [SPEAKER_02]: Then it would be just, I don't know, regular love song maybe. [SPEAKER_04]: I have. [SPEAKER_04]: I've written two or three Christmas songs. [SPEAKER_04]: And they're actually pretty easy to write.

13:33 [SPEAKER_04]: All you gotta do is think sad. [SPEAKER_04]: I don't write many, many up tempo, happy song, but I wrote a song years ago for my kids and then I wrote one with Kelly Lang called Near Christmas to me. [SPEAKER_02]: You know, I know Pam Tillis is also on the special now. [SPEAKER_02]: The two of you just released a new album together.

13:54 [SPEAKER_02]: This is your second time together, right? [SPEAKER_04]: It is. [SPEAKER_04]: We recorded a novel called Cymie and come lonely and it is our second album was produced by my producer, the who produced something in red and watch me and except for Monday and so it was great getting back in the studio with him and just a great album.

14:13 [SPEAKER_04]: went back in the archives of country music and got, you know, songs we, we loved since we were little girls and songs we grew up, you know, fallen in London with country music. [SPEAKER_04]: So it's, it was, it's a special album. [SPEAKER_04]: It's really, really a great album. [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, now the two of you guys at any time there's a press release on this and always brings out that you're You know, you're part of the musical heritage country music offspring and all that.

14:37 [SPEAKER_02]: I was sort of wondering was that ever actually part of your friendship in the early days. [SPEAKER_02]: Did that give you guys a level with each other? [SPEAKER_04]: You know, I'm going to be honest. [SPEAKER_04]: Pam and I were not friends years ago. [SPEAKER_04]: We never really ran into each other.

14:49 [SPEAKER_04]: until 19, now she'll tell probably to say in 1994, but I'm gonna say 96, I don't know, somewhere between there. [SPEAKER_04]: When we got together and did the craft macaroni and chick tour with Carling Carter, and that's kind of how Pam and I started getting to know each other, and that was just barely, because we all three had our own buses and crews and stuff like that, and we just kind [SPEAKER_04]: So we really weren't great friends, but I wouldn't call us best buddies or anything, but then a couple of years ago, I ran into Pam at the Opera and she brought up, let's get together and do this at Travis Acoustic Show.

15:33 [SPEAKER_04]: And of course, I'd always been a big fan of Pam, singin' and you know, love for daddy and everything. [SPEAKER_04]: and so we got together and now we've been together six years and we have become very best friends and found that we have so much in common. [SPEAKER_04]: We share the same bus, we share the same band.

15:52 [SPEAKER_02]: I did notice on here one of the songs and it's the title track come see me and come lonely it might be complete coincidence but if I'm right that was released 1978 which was also the year of your very first single right. [SPEAKER_04]: Wow, I don't know, you know, more history than I do.

16:06 [SPEAKER_02]: I think that's what I read to everything. [SPEAKER_02]: And I thought, well, well, that's kind of cool. [SPEAKER_02]: You know, the title track and, you know, just from that year, which is not the year you actually started, but, you know, the year you're first sitting next. [SPEAKER_04]: That was the year it was on a four-star record.

16:20 [SPEAKER_04]: I'd like to know what the name of the single was. [SPEAKER_02]: But as I look, I mean, that's, you know, next year is the 40th anniversary of all that, which would be the 40th anniversary of your very first, your very first big single there. [SPEAKER_02]: I didn't know if you were, [SPEAKER_02]: Ow, that means I'm getting old.

16:33 [SPEAKER_02]: No, it doesn't at all, it means you're just getting better every single time. [SPEAKER_02]: Oh, no. [SPEAKER_02]: Do you do any celebrating with those with the with the big anniversary? [SPEAKER_02]: Do you plan anything? [SPEAKER_04]: Oh, I'm not planning on doing a big celebration. [SPEAKER_04]: They all celebrate not just like when we have the, uh, the opera, you know, when the opera is my, uh, like a couple years ago, it was my 30, 30th anniversary to be a member of the opera, and I'm sure I'll do something on my 35th and then my 40th.

17:02 [SPEAKER_04]: Um, either the first person I know that has told me that, you know, I'm coming up on 40 years of my first single. [SPEAKER_04]: So, who knows, I'm not planning a huge party. [SPEAKER_02]: Well, let me be the first to say congratulations, then. [SPEAKER_02]: Thank you. [SPEAKER_02]: Well, the other songs on here, too.

17:18 [SPEAKER_02]: I didn't know the song itself or, but as I was listening, and I had it on, and as I'm typing on the computer and everything, I suddenly, I wonder right from the beginning, if that was a Roy Orbison song, and it turns out it is, and I thought, man, y'all nailed that one. [SPEAKER_04]: Well, that was a tough one.

17:35 [SPEAKER_04]: We, we, we were really undecided whether we wanted to even tackle that song because that was the Richard's idea. [SPEAKER_04]: And we both looked at each other when it wasn't, you know, he's been singing and went, um, I don't know if we can do this on just an, of course, Richard's [SPEAKER_04]: Richard is a pusher and he pushed us to do it and we worked really hard on that song and and finally felt good enough to say okay go on and make it but you know Roy Orbison was Roy Orbison.

18:04 [SPEAKER_04]: It's hard to copy a Roy Orbison make you know. [SPEAKER_02]: Well, it was amazing. [SPEAKER_02]: You guys did that and there's so many good moments on this. [SPEAKER_02]: I thought Sandra is very lame. [SPEAKER_02]: I mean, that's a heck of a deep track right there and and I definitely thought you liked that.

18:18 [SPEAKER_04]: That's thank you. [SPEAKER_04]: That was one of my idols with semi-smith and [SPEAKER_04]: And when I heard that record years and years ago, I said, oh my god, and I know exactly this song was written about and where it was and so it really meant a lot to me, a lot, to be able to record it and when Richard heard it and loved it, I was like, [SPEAKER_04]: Thank you, you know, here we go.

18:44 [SPEAKER_02]: You made a fan out of me of that one and this whole record. [SPEAKER_04]: Well, thank you. [SPEAKER_02]: I love hearing you guys together. [SPEAKER_02]: And thank you for the conversation. [SPEAKER_02]: And look forward to seeing the Christmas special too. [SPEAKER_02]: You're welcome. [SPEAKER_02]: Thank you so much.

18:56 [SPEAKER_02]: All right. [SPEAKER_02]: Take care, Lori. [SPEAKER_02]: Bye. [SPEAKER_02]: And there you go, Lori Morgan, Emilu Harris, to complete absolute legends. [SPEAKER_02]: Thanks to you for checking out the episode, hit that subscribe button before you get out of here that way you can keep up with all the interviews that I put out every single week at Spotify, Apple Podcast, NPR, WFPK.org, consequence, YouTube for the video versions or anywhere you get your podcast from, you can subscribe to Kyle Meredith with, and please do give this series a rating [SPEAKER_02]: After that, you can head over to www.fpk.org, right to show Monday through Friday, starting 6 p.m. Eastern, 4 hours of classics from the 80s and 90s, you get the best in new music and bonus interviews, lots of music news as well.

19:41 [SPEAKER_02]: One of my recent shows featured some classics and favorites from Buffalo Springfield, Tom Waitz, Jonny Mitchell, Bjork, Lucius, Amesley, [SPEAKER_02]: Billy Strings and my interviews with Paul Rogers of bad company Michael McDonald cheap trick and Chicago That's what you can get when you tune in weeknights six p.m. Eastern WFPK dot org Consequence has your music and film news.

20:07 [SPEAKER_02]: You can also find me on any of the social media sites The address is always at Kyle Meredith. [SPEAKER_02]: Please do like follow along That does it for another edition. [SPEAKER_02]: I'm Kyle Meredith. [SPEAKER_02]: I'll see you next time [SPEAKER_00]: Consequence Podcast Network.