Album dossier / 1987

Trio

Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt & Emmylou Harris · Country/Folk

Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris had wanted to record together since aborted sessions in the mid-1970s (some of that unreleased material later surfaced piecemeal on their solo LPs), but conflicting labels and schedules kept blocking a full album until producer George Massenburg -- then working with Ronstadt and previously known for his work with James Taylor and Little Feat -- finally brought them into The Complex and Ocean Way in Los Angeles and Woodland in Nashville across January-November 1986. Ronstadt later described Massenburg's light touch as 'carrying out our whims': the musical direction came entirely from the three singers, with Massenburg keeping their ideas from scattering in nine directions. The sessions drew top-tier session players including Albert Lee, David Lindley, Ry Cooder, Herb Pedersen and Russ Kunkel, though of the three headliners only Harris plays an instrument (acoustic guitar on three tracks); Parton was the only one of the three to contribute original songwriting, with 'Wildflowers' and the opening track 'The Pain of Loving You' (co-written with Porter Wagoner). Released March 2, 1987, Trio topped Billboard's Country Albums chart, won a Grammy, and has sold roughly four million copies worldwide.