"Boulder to Birmingham" is a song written by

Emmylou Harris Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter and musician. She has released dozens of albums and singles over the course of her career and has won 14 Grammys, the Polar Music Prize, and numerous other honors, including ...

and Bill Danoff which first appeared on Harris's 1975 album '' Pieces of the Sky.'' It has served as something of a signature tune for the artist and recounts her feelings of grief in the years following the death of country rock star and mentor Gram Parsons. Early in her career, Harris toured with Gram Parsons and sang on his two solo albums '' GP'' and the posthumously released ''

Grievous Angel ''Grievous Angel'' is the second and final solo studio album by Gram Parsons, compiled from summer 1973 sessions and released four months after Death of Gram Parsons, his death from a morphine and alcohol overdose in September 1973. Prominently ...

''. The song is known for its chorus "I would rock my soul in the bosom of Abraham/I would hold my life in his saving grace/I would walk all the way from Boulder to Birmingham/If I thought I could see, I could see your face." Harris did not write again about Parsons' death in such a direct way until "The Road", a track from her 2011 album '' Hard Bargain'', although "Michelangelo" from Red Dirt Girl certainly appears to be about Parsons too. Bill Danoff recorded the song with his group, the

Starland Vocal Band Starland Vocal Band was an American pop band, known for " Afternoon Delight", one of the biggest-selling singles of 1976. Career The group began as Fat City, a husband/wife duo of Bill Danoff and Taffy Nivert. Danoff and Nivert co-wrote the s ...

, on their self-titled debut album. A version of the song was a hit in New Zealand for The Hollies, reaching number ten there, and later appeared on their album '' A Crazy Steal''. A version was recorded in 1975 by Scott Walker and The Walker Brothers on their ''No Regrets'' album. In 2012, American alternative rock band, The Fray, released a cover of the song featuring Harris as a bonus track on their record, '' Scars & Stories''.

Cover versions

Dolly Parton included a cover on the song on her 1976 '' All I Can Do'' album. Joan Baez cut a live version of the song and it originally appeared on her 1976 live album ''

From Every Stage ''From Every Stage'' is a double live album recorded by Joan Baez on tour in the summer of 1975. The first half of the album was acoustic, with Baez accompanying herself on her guitar, while the second half features electric backup. Baez' record ...

''; the track later appeared in the compilation ''Joan Baez: The Complete A&M Recordings'' (released September 23, 2003). The song also appeared in a 1984 episode of '' The Dukes of Hazzard'' titled "Play It Again, Luke" in which it was sung by actor Tom Wopat as Luke and guest star Roberta Leighton as country singer and a former flame of Luke's named Candy Dix. Jim Horn recorded a version of the song on his 2012 album ''Children of the Universe'' featuring Renee Armand on vocals. For their 2012 album '' Scars & Stories'', American rock band The Fray recorded a version of the song, and Harris appears on the track as a featured artist. Aoife O'Donovan included a live version of the song on her album ''Man in a Neon Coat (Live from Cambridge)''. The Wailin' Jennys covered the song on their 2017 album '' Fifteen''. In 2019 the song appeared in the film '' Wild Rose'' sung by Jessie Buckley.

References

External links

* Emmylou Harri
Official Site

Emmylou Harris: The Sweetheart of the Rodeo
– An excellent biography by Bill DeYoung containing a background to the song. * http://www.juno.co.uk/products/boulder-to-birmingham/406383-01/ {{authority control 1975 songs 1976 singles Emmylou Harris songs The Walker Brothers songs The Hollies songs Country ballads Vehicle wreck ballads Songs written by Bill Danoff