Perhaps the most influential woman artist in country music over the last three decades, Emmylou Harris has made a career of pushing boundaries in the genre while still staying true to her purist fan base. Getting her start as a folk singer during the '60s, Harris made her first forays into the style as a harmony singer for country-rock legend Gram Parsons, a job she held until Parsons untimely death in 1973.

Harris soon started recording her own albums for Reprise, eventually racking up over 20 chart hits over the next decade. Harris became known for not only drawing on unusual material (she recorded songs by such varied writers as T-Bone Burnett and R&B singer Johnny Ace) but also for featuring prodigeously talented musicians in her top-flight backing band. Both Ricky Skaggs and Vince Gill put in time with Harris before going on to stardom in their own right.

Her commercial peak seemed passed by the '90s, but much like fellow iconoclasts Willie Nelson and the late Johnny Cash, Harris experienced something of a renaissance as a younger generation discovered her remarkable talent through CD reissues of her classic material and bold new efforts like 1995's Wrecking Ball (which featured guest spots from Neil Young, Steve Earle and members of U2). Harris comes to the Mountain Winery in Saratoga for a career-spanning evening of music spotlighting old favorites and songs from her latest acclaimed album Hard Bargain.

Emmylou Harris
Thursday, Sept. 29, 7:30 p.m. $40.50-$80.50
Mountain Winery