The Ballad of Sally Rose

The Ballad of Sally Rose is an album by Emmylou Harris released in February 1985. It marked a significant departure for Harris for two reasons. First, all the songs were written by her and her then-husband Paul Kennerley, while her previous albums had consisted mostly of others' material. Secondly, it is a concept album, loosely based on Harris's relationship with Gram Parsons. The album tells the story of a character named Sally Rose, a singer whose lover and mentor, a hard-living, hard-drinking musician, is killed while on the road. Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt and Gail Davies sing harmony on several of the songs. Many of the songs flow into one another to create a continuous momentum.

Prior to this album, only Harris' 1969 debut Gliding Bird had more than two of her own compositions, a feat she would not repeat until Red Dirt Girl in 2000. Harris has described the album as a "country opera".

Reception
In a BBC Radio 2 programme recounting her career in 2006, Harris related how the album was a commercial "disaster" upon its release, its relative failure meaning she had to work "for money" again. Two singles from the album performed disappointingly by Harris' standards, although the single "White Line" was a reasonable success, reaching No. 14 on the country charts.

The Ballad of Sally Rose was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance.

Track listing
All tracks composed by Emmylou Harris and Paul Kennerley; except where indicated

Personnel

 * Steve Cash - Harmonica
 * Barbara Cowart - Backing Vocals
 * Gail Davies - Backing Vocals
 * Hank DeVito - Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Pedal Steel, Dobro
 * Phillip Donelly - Electric Slide Guitar
 * Bessyl Duhon - Accordion
 * Ray Flacke - Electric Guitar
 * Vince Gill - Electric Guitar, Backing Vocals
 * Emory Gordy, Jr. - Acoustic Guitar, Bass, String Arrangements
 * Emmylou Harris - Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Backing Vocals
 * John Jarvis - Keyboards
 * Waylon Jennings - Electric Guitar
 * Shane Keister - Keyboards
 * Paul Kennerley - Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar
 * Russ Kunkel - Drums
 * Albert Lee - Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Mandolin
 * Larrie Londin - Drums, Percussion
 * Dolly Parton - Backing Vocals
 * Tom Roady - Percussion
 * Linda Ronstadt - Backing Vocals
 * Gary Scruggs - Harmonica
 * Buddy Spicher - Fiddle
 * Barry Tashian - Acoustic Guitar
 * Bobby Thompson - Acoustic Guitar, Banjo

Technical personnel

 * Donivan Cowart - Engineer
 * Tom Harding - Second Engineer
 * Emmylou Harris - Producer
 * Paul Kennerley - Producer
 * Keith Odle - Second Engineer