In-Law Country: How Emmylou Harris, Rosanne Cash, and Their Circle Fashioned a New Kind of Country Music, 1968-1985

by Geoffrey Himes

Genres: Music, Biography, History

384 pages, Paperback

Published December 10, 2024

Reviews

[Gary Anderson]

In-Law Country is the name given by music critic Geoffrey Himes to the movement that deconstructed country music of the 1940s and 1950s, pulled out the most consequential threads, and reconstructed a new kind of country music. Himes’s thesis is that this new brand of country music largely abandoned the honky-tonk themes of cheatin’ and drinkin’ and turned to more mature issues involving marriage, art, and aging.
The fascinating dimension of all this, and the reason for the title, is that many of the pioneers and practitioners of In-Law Country were related to, married to, or lived in the same house with each other. Himes organizes the chapters around significant In-Law Country songs and the situations that created them, and the same people keep walking through each chapter’s scenes.

For example, The Carter Family is justifiably credited with being the first country music stars, along with Jimmie Rodgers. Maybelle Carter’s daughter June was first married to country star Carl Smith. Their daughter Carlene Carter became a musician whose version of country music was produced by her rocker husband Nick Lowe. June Carter later married country legend Johnny Cash. Rosanne Cash, his daughter from his first marriage, became one of the most important artists of In-Law Country. Rosanne’s producer husband Rodney Crowell had made his claim to fame as a band leader and harmony singer for Emmylou Harris before becoming an important country artist in his own right. Other members of Emmylou’s band at various times included Ricky Skaggs, who first found success as a duet partner with Keith Whitley (who married singer Lorrie Morgan, daughter of 1950s country star George Morgan) and later enjoyed his own solo success when he figured out how to synthesize bluegrass and radio-friendly country music; Emory Gordy, who married and produced Patty Loveless; and James Burton, the legendary guitar player from Elvis Presley’s touring band who had also played on early Ricky Nelson hits. These connections just go on and on. Wrapped around all of it is the pervasive influence of Guy Clark and Gram Parsons.

I maybe just made this sound like People magazine or even the National Enquirer, but In-Law Country: How Emmylou Harris, Rosanne Cash, and Their Circle Fashioned a New Kind of Country Music, 1968-1985 reads more like literate criticism as Himes dissects the relevant songs and albums that expanded the In-Law Country movement while giving readers plenty to ponder about the musicians’ personal and professional lives.

[Chip Rickard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very enjoyable book about the country music style that emerged in the late 60s not from Nashville but southern California. The book focused on several artists that shaped and advanced this music. The godmother of the style is Emmylou Harris who began her career as a folk singer then gravitated toward the new style popularized by her mentor Gram Parsons. The other artists profiled are Rodney Crowell, Guy Clark, Rosanne Cash, Townes Van Zandt and Ricky Skaggs. Himes did a great job with this material. The only nit I had was his tendency to slip into music lingo that a layman has difficulty comprehending. I understand this is the first of a multi-volume set. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in this series.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Podcast interview with Geoffrey Himes talking about his book In-Law Country

[Scott Koelsch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read for country music buffs