The Ballad of Sally Rose

1985 studio album by Emmylou Harris

Studio album by

Emmylou Harris

Released

February 25, 1985

Recorded

1984

Studio

Treasure Isle Recorders, Nashville, Tennessee

Genre

Country

Length

36:12

Label

Warner Bros. Nashville

Producer

Paul Kennerley

Emmylou Harris chronology

White Shoes
(1983)

The Ballad of Sally Rose
(1985)

Thirteen
(1986)

Singles from The Ballad of Sally Rose

"White Line"
Released: February 1985
"Rhythm Guitar""
Released: June 1985
"Timberline""
Released: October 1985

The Ballad of Sally Rose is the eleventh studio album by American singer 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' 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.^[1] 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

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	^[2]

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 that she would have 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.^[2]

The Ballad of Sally Rose was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance.^[3]

Track listing

All tracks composed by Emmylou Harris and Paul Kennerley; except where indicated^[4]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"The Ballad of Sally Rose"		2:48
2.	"Rhythm Guitar"		3:18
3.	"I Think I Love Him" / Instrumental: "You Are My Flower"	Harris / A.P. Carter	1:07
4.	"Heart to Heart"		2:31
5.	"Woman Walk the Line"		4:08
6.	"Bad News"		1:46
7.	"Timberline"		2:51
8.	"Long Tall Sally Rose"		1:32
9.	"White Line"		3:46
10.	"Diamond in My Crown"		2:55
11.	"The Sweetheart of the Rodeo"		3:41
12.	"K-S-O-S"/instrumental medley: "Ring of Fire"/"Wildwood Flower"/"Six Days on the Road"	Harris, Kennerley; June Carter, Merle Kilgore, A.P. Carter, Earl Greene, Carl Montgomery	2:50
13.	"Sweet Chariot"		2:58

Personnel

Steve Cash - Harmonica
Barbara Cowart - Backing Vocals
Gail Davies - Backing Vocals
Hank DeVito - Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Pedal Steel, Dobro
Philip Donnelly - 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

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1985)	Peak position
US Billboard 200^[5]	171
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)^[6]	8

Year-end charts

Chart (1985)	Position
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)^[7]	24

Release history

Release history and formats for *The Ballad of Sally Rose*
Region	Date	Format	Label	Ref.
North America	February 25, 1985	LP CD cassette	Warner Bros. Records	^[8]

References

^ Hurst, Jack (March 10, 1985). "More Than A Hint Emmylou Harris Comes Out In 'Ballad Of Sally Rose'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 11, 2011.
^ ^a ^b Allmusic review
^ Rock on the Net: 26th Annual Grammy Awards
^ Emmylou Harris The Ballad of Sally Rose liner notes
^ "Emmylou Harris Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
^ "Emmylou Harris Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1985". Billboard. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
^ Harris, Emmylou (February 25, 1985). "The Ballad of Sally Rose (Liner Notes)". Warner Bros. Records. 1-25205 (LP); 9-25205-2 (CD); 9-25205-4 (Cassette).