40 Great Americana Duets
People singing together – whether it’s a mass choir at Westminster Abbey or old folks on an Appalachian porch – is quintessential to music.
Indeed, when the first electric recordings of music were issued to the public in the 1920’s, it would be a trio of voices – known to all as The Carter Family – which would prove most popular. In fact, Sara, Maybelle and A.P. Carter would sell 300,000 records in the United States alone from 1927-30.
As the recording industry boomed and various genres of music flourished, it became something of a rarity for a recorded song not to include a harmony of voices. In fact, backing singers became an industry in themselves, personified by the Academy Award-winning film documentary Twenty Feet from Stardom which looked at the lives of a host of background singers.
Perhaps the most common feature of multiple voices in music is the duet i.e. a couple - either mixed or single gender - singing together.
And not surprisingly, the Americana genre, where acoustic instruments are often preferred, lends itself to the art of harmonising. Duets abound in Americana and hardly a big-name soloist has not released a specific song which is a duet, while many have indeed produced albums totally dedicated to duets.
Crossroads has compiled what is modestly labelled as 40 Great Americana Duets. The original task was to find 20 songs which could be considered “great.” But that proved unfair, given the vast the number of contenders and so that the list ballooned out to 40.
You won’t find the two songs considered the finest, and most popular, duets in modern music: Elton John and Kiki Dee’s “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” and “Islands in the Stream” by Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers. “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” would top the charts in the U.K. for six weeks in 1976 and “Islands in the Stream” reached #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Chart in 1983. They are considered too “pop” for an Americana List!
Each pairing is restricted to one entry on the 40 Great Americana Duets list, while each artist from such a duet is eligible for one other listing with another artist.
1.
Love Hurts
Gram Parsons & Emmylou Harris
1974
There probably would not be an Emmylou Harris, as the music industry knows her today, if had not been for Gram Parsons. Harris was largely unknown when she was recommended to Parsons after he put word out that he was looking for a “chick singer” to kick-start his career as a solo artist. And it was this duet of “Love Hurts” – a song written for the Everly Brothers in the early ‘60’s – which probably did more than anything to propel Harris into the musical limelight. It was on Gram’s second and last solo studio album Grievous Angel – released shortly after his sudden death in 1974. Parsons and Harris are simply sensational as they duet perfectly word-for-word through this glorious love lament. Harris has since re-recorded the song twice.
2.
Dimming of the Day Live
Richard & Linda Thompson
2010
Richard and Linda Thompson, who were married 1972-82, were living in a mystical Islamic commune in Southern England when they released their third album Pour Down Like Silver in 1975. The story goes the pair were told by the cult Sheikh that “they could make music as long as it was to God.” And the album’s finest song, “Dimming of the Day,” was certainly heaven sent! Written by Richard, it must rank as one of the most beautiful popular songs ever recorded and would be covered by countless artists, from Bonnie Raitt and Alison Krauss to the Blind Boys of Alabama. This live version did not surface until 2010 when it was included on an extended reissue of Shoot Out The Lights. Linda is simply superb as she delivers each verse, while Richard is especially strident when he joins her in the refrains. There are various studio versions of this contemplative song, with the original morphing into a guitar solo of “Dargai.” And Richard, of course, has continued to include it in his solo repertoire. The Thompsons were a musical pairing that ended far too soon, though they have reunited in concert on special occasions.
3.
The Water is Wide
Bob Dylan & Joan Baez
2002
It was of some surprise, but much delight to fans, when Joan Baez turned up on stage with Bob Dylan during his now legendary Rolling Thunder Review tour of the U.S. in 1975 & 76.
Their personal relationship, which included several years of performing together, had ended a decade back and given the acrimonious parting, few wondered if they would ever sing together again. But sing they did, largely because Joan has repeatedly stated how much she loved singing with Bob. And there is no better record of this than on the 2002 release The Bootleg Series Vol 5: Bob Dylan Live 1975, The Rolling Thunder Review. Baez duets with Dylan on four songs, all recorded in Massachusetts in November 1975. Three are Dylan compositions – “Blowing in the Wind,” ”Mama You Been on My Mind” and “I Shall Be Released.” But it is on the traditional “The Water is Wide” that the pair excel. Dylan’s voice had matured somewhat from the Newport Folk Festival era, and it integrates beautifully with the legendary soprano on this particular track.
4.
Forever Has Come to an End
Buddy & Julie Miller
2001
Seemingly, everyone in Nashville has worked with Buddy Miller, whether it be an unsung session musician or as a collaborative star. And you can add Buddy’s singer-songwriter wife Julie to this list. Buddy and Julie had appeared on each other’s solo recordings, but the Buddy & Julie Miller album in 2001 was their first official release as a duo. Julie wrote all but three of the 11 tracks, the best being "Forever Has Come to an End". The harmony is sheer perfection. The album won Best Album of the Year at the inaugural Americana Music Association Awards in 2002.
5.
Banks of the Ohio
David Grisman & Tony Rice
1994
Not a word is spoken in this astonishing track. It is simply a duet of a vintage guitar and a vintage mandolin. And vintage is the operative word. For in 1994, acoustic musical legends David Grisman (mandolin) and Tony Rice (guitar) released a 14-track album titled Tone Poems: The Sounds of the Great Vintage Guitars and Mandolins. Vintage instruments were used on all tracks, some being performed on guitars and mandolins made when the songs were written “to allow the listener to experience the tonal properties of the original performances.” There are mind-boggling acoustic interpretations of such traditional classics as “Wildwood Flower,” “I Am a Pilgrim” and “O sole mio.” But the standout is the 19th Century murder ballad “Banks of the Ohio.” It has been performed by countless artists from Olivia Newton John and Dolly Parton to Earl Scruggs and Johnny Cash. But never like this duo! Grisman plays a 1937 Epiphone Strand mandolin, described in the album’s booklet as “a professional-quality instrument in every way.” Rice too plays a 1937 vintage, this time a Martin 0-18 guitar. Both instruments deserve a place in a music museum – along with the audio recording!
6.
Hard Promises to Keep
Kimmie Rhodes & Willie Nelson
1996
Willie Nelson has sung with anyone who is anyone in music – female or male. So it was somewhat surprising that probably his best pairing comes with an under-heralded artist. Texan Kimmie Rhodes teamed up with three of the biggest names in the Lone Star state – Waylon Jennings, Townes Van Zandt and Nelson - on her impressive 1996 album of original songs, West Texas Heaven. Willie actually does two duets, “Hard Promises to Keep” and “I Never Heard You say.” Both are superb, but “Hard Promises …” gets the listing for its melodic beauty. Nelson and Rhodes continued to work together over the years and in 2003 they released an engaging album of duets Picture In a Frame.
7.
Amanda
Chris Stapleton & Morgane Stapleton
2017
This gentle lament would not have seen the Stapleton’s coming when they hit it head-on with a powerful live version of the much-covered Bob McDill classic. Chris holds nothing back as he launches into the opening verse, while Morgane simply reaches for the stars when she joins fever-pitch on the popular refrain Amanda/light of my life. It is goose-bump stuff. The husband and wife duo are always best live, so wait for the audience eruption at the end. This version was included on the 2017 tribute compilation Gentle Giants: The Songs of Don Williams.
8.
Here We Go Again
Ray Charles & Norah Jones
2004
When it comes to accolades, no other duets album comes close to Genius Loves Company, the final studio album by Ray Charles, released in August 2004, three months after his death. It would become his second album to reach number one on the Billboard 200 and go on to sell more than three million copies in the U.S. alone. It would be nominated for 10 Grammy Awards, winning nine, including Album of the Year and Record of the Year. No surprise, given the talent – from Elton John to Gladys Knight - who joined the rhythm and blues legend on the dozen duets. The hit single proved to be the opener “Here We Go Again” with Norah Jones and it would score two of the biggest Grammys – Record of the Year and Best Pop Collaborations with Vocals. It didn’t hurt that the great Billy Preston was on the Hammond organ. Enough said!
9.
Killing the Blues
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
2007
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss have to be the most unlikely pairing in modern music. He was a grizzled aging rock legend and she a beautiful young fiddle-playing bluegrass star when in 2007 producer-extraordinaire T Bone Burnett convinced them to record together. It proved to be a wonder-pairing - their vocal harmonies turned out stunning. “Killing the Blues” was written by music journeyman Rowland (Roly) Salley and recorded by many artists, perhaps the most prominent being John Prine. But Plant and Krauss took the song to a new level when it was included on their acclaimed debut album Raising Sand, which would win a Grammy in 2009. This is harmony perfection from first word to last, wonderfully augmented by some of the best musicians Burnett could assemble. Plant and Krauss delivered a follow-up album Raise the Roof some 14 years later.
10.
Keep Your Hat on Jenny
Chip Taylor & Carrie Rodriguez
2015
This delightful foot-tapping ditty was the lead single by Chip Taylor and Carrie Rodriguez off their 2015 release Red Dog Tracks, a surprising hit album which must contend for the highly-competitive GOAT duet album. Taylor and Rodriguez perform as though they are loving every minute of it – not surprising given they had previously released two albums together and toured constantly around North America and Europe. There is a collection of standards like “My Bucket’s Got a Hole in it” and “I can’t Help (If I’m Still in Love with You)” which they cover with such inspiring gusto, you would swear they owned them. But the standout is “Keep Your Hat on Jenny,” so good it gets a fiddle and banjo-infused “Jenny Reprise.” And this wonderful line in the No Depression review says it all: “Is ‘Keep Your Hat on Jenny’ a weathered, weary bluegrass hoedown echoing from some yonder hollow in the distant past, or is it a thoroughly modern acoustic fiddle sing-along that is a classic in the making?”
11.
Your Sweet & Shiny Eyes
Gretchen Peters & Tom Russell
2009
Nan O’Byrne’s singalong composition “Your Sweet and Shiny Eyes” was originally recorded by Bonnie Raitt on her 1975 album Home Plate. It was a standout track and the song was soon covered by a variety of artists, including Bob Neuwirth in 1996. But it was beautifully revitalised in 2009 when soprano Gretchen Peters and gravelly Tom Russell recorded a stunning rendition for their must-listen duet album One to the Heart, One to the Head. The mostly-covers compilation also includes wonderful versions of Bob Dylan’s “Billy,” Townes Van Zandt’s “Snowin’ on Raton” and Tom Dundee’s “These Cowboys Born Outside of Their Time.” But it is O’Byrne’s gem which stays on the brain, helped by keyboardist Barry Walsh, who happens to be Gretchen’s husband.
12.
Our Town
Jody Stecher & Kate Brislin
1993
Another husband and wife combination, multi-instrumentalists Jody Stecher and Kate Brislin, have been making music together for 50 years. They have released seven easy-listening duet albums and two – Our Town (1993) & Heart Songs: The Old Time Country Songs of Utah Phillips (1997) – were nominated for Best Traditional Folk Album Grammys. They do the great Utah Phillips proud on Our Heart, with wonderful versions of his two classics, “Rock Salt and Nails” and “Green Rolling Hills of West Virginia.” But they go even better with a simply intoxicating treatment of the Iris DeMent masterpiece “Our Town” - the title track to their 1993 release. Kate takes the lead on this wonderful melody and, as expected, Jody joins in on the first refrain. But that is as predictable as it gets. For as the song progresses, Jody’s vocals become even more intrusive and he punches real power into this most beautiful lament. And, as with all of their songs, the couple effortlessly synergise their inventive vocals with their mesmerising acoustic music.
13.
In Spite of Ourselves
John Prine & Iris Dement
1999
If ever there was a competition for best duet albums, then John Prine’s 1999 release In Spite of Ourselves would be an odds-on finalist. It was his first release since successfully beating throat cancer. He is back in full-voice when teaming up with 10 female singers for this delightful 16-track release. It is no surprise that his bubbly duet with Iris Dement on the Prine-penned “In Spite of Ourselves” became the title track. This piece of fun is totally infectious. You can almost hear Dement restraining her giggles as she delivers classic Prine comedic lyrics like: He ain’t got laid in a month of Sundays/ I caught him once and he was sniffing my undies
14.
Sea of Heartbreak
Rosanne Cash & Bruce Springsteen
2009
When one of the greatest names in modern music writes a list of his top 100 Country songs and hands it to his 18-year-old daughter for life-long reference, what’s there to do? If that daughter is Rosanne Cash, daughter of Johnny, the obvious thing is to make an album and call it The List. This of course is what Rosanne Cash did some years later, in 2009, choosing 12 of the songs to re-interpret for a simply delightful album of covers. And for further grunt, ask a rock legend to join you in a duet on “Sea of Heartbreak.” The Boss and Rosanne just nail this classic, which was written by Hal David and Paul Hampton but made famous by Don Gibson.
15.
All The Roadrunning
Mark Knopfler & Emmylou Harris
2006
After some years in production, Emmylou Harris and Mark Knopfler’s duo album All The Roadrunning was finally released in 2006. It was worth the wait and produced the expected cliché’s from the critics, including “match made in heaven” and “seriously good music.” The critical acclaim was matched by commercial success - it made number one in the album charts in three countries. Knopfler penned all but two of the 12 tracks, including the stunning title number in which he reflects on a lifetime of performing on the road in the guise of a “wall of death” circus rider. The line Air miles are owing/But they don’t come for free is pure Knopfler. And his skills as a writer are matched by his vocal talent as he seams perfectly with Harris in the refrains after they alternate versus. And the critics are right – it certainly is a duet made in heaven!
16.
Lay Down Beside Me
Alison Krauss & John Waite
2007
In the same year - 2007 - Alison Krauss teamed up with rock legend Robert Plant to deliver the Grammy-winning album Raising Sand, she also released a well-received compilation album A Hundred Miles or More: A Collection. It too featured duets, this time with Sting, Brad Paisley, John Waite and James Taylor. Her pairing with English singer-songwriter Waite on the Don Williams classic lullaby “Lay Down Beside Me” again demonstrates that Krauss can sing anything with anyone. It is one of two tracks with Waite, the other being his popular “Missing You.” She also does a most endearing “How’s the World Treating You” with James Taylor on the same album. But it is her smooth blending with Waite which gets the nod here. Their vocals fit as snugly as a favourite glove.
17.
Angel from Montgomery
John Prine & Bonnie Raitt
1985
This duet would make any “great” list merely for the fact that one half is the writer and the other the singer who made the song famous. “Angel from Montgomery” was included on Prine’s epic debut album in 1971. But it never got the recognition it truly deserved until a couple of years later when Bonnie Raitt recorded it for her Streetlights album. It would become her signature song. This duet was recorded at an all-star memorial concert for Prine’s old friend Steve Goodman in January 1985 and released the same year as Tribute to Steve Goodman. One fascinating feature of Raitt’s rendition is that she transposes words in the second verse, singing: If dreams were thunder/And lightning was desire/This old house would have burned down/A long time ago. Prine sings in the original: If dreams were lightning/And thunder were desire… In the duet, Raitt takes the lead and retains her version of the contested lines.
18.
I’m Still In Love With You
Steve Earle & Iris DeMent
1999
Steve Earle made the album The Mountain in 1999 as a tribute to Bill Monroe, the founder of bluegrass music. He was backed by the Del McCoury Band – one of the great traditional outfits of the new bluegrass generation. It proved to be a classic album. as much because of Earle’s stunning compositions – he wrote all 14 tracks – as for the wonderful bluegrass interpretation of them by the McCoury band. There are a host of stars used on the final track, “Pilgrim.” But there is only one duet, as such, and that is when Iris DeMent joins Earle on “I’m Still In Love With You.” It is simply the highlight of the album. DeMent is at her vocal finest and she brings out of the best of the crusty Earle.
19.
Seven Spanish Angels
Ray Charles & Willie Nelson
1984
Buried deep in Willie Nelson’s vast multi-genre musical catalogue lie some scintillating duets, many with big names like blues legend B.B. King to lesser known artists like Francine Reed. But for this list, you cannot look past the bleedin’ obvious. Big-name producer Billy Sherrill always wanted Ray Charles to record “Seven Spanish Angels,” but when told the it was reserved for Willie Nelson, Sherrill compromised and proposed a duet with Charles and Nelson. Ray and Willie split both the verses, each also doing a chorus with backing singers. Ray then does another chorus before inviting Willie back for an outro. It was a rip-roaring success when released as a single from Ray’s 1984 album Friendship, being the most popular of his eight country hits.
20.
Funny How Time Slips Away Live
Lyle Lovett & Al Green
1997
Duets abound on this Willie Nelson classic. But it is probably one of the most unlikely, between Al Green and Lyle Lovett, that is one of the best. And it is not their version which first appeared on the 1994 album Rhythm, Country and Blues, a collection of duets between Country and Blues/Soul artists. But rather a live recording they did on the Letterman Show to promote the song as a single from that album. It first surfaced in 1997 on a fascinating compilation album Live on Letterman. Music from the Late Show. Both showmen at their very best, Green and Lovett ham and improvise their way through the old standard like you might never imagine. Green, of course, had done an outstanding solo cover on his critically-acclaimed 1973 Call Me album.
21.
Where The Soul Of Man Never Dies
Ricky Skaggs & Tony Rice
1980
Match one of the best voices in bluegrass with one of the best guitar pickers in acoustic music and you get Ricky Skaggs and Tony Rice. Their self-titled duo album, released in 1980, is sheer perfection. It begins with a magical interpretation of the traditional “Bury Me Beneath The Weeping Willow” and ends with some lovely high harmony on the gospel standard “Have You Someone In Heaven Awaiting.” But somewhere in the middle is the very best - a mind-bogglingly clever duet arrangement of the William Golden early 20th Century gospel bluegrass classic “Where The Soul Of Man Never Dies.” It provides a quintessential lesson in harmonising. The release of this album on CD in 1993 was well timed. For Rice would be diagnosed with muscle tension dysphonia the following year and would stop singing live, which makes his early work so special.
22.
Rex’s Blues
Jay Farrar & Kelly Willis
1995
There are numerous duets of Townes Van Zandt songs, the most famous being Willie and Merle’s popular version of “Pancho & Lefty.” But few have the soft and soothing harmony achieved by Son Volt’s Jay Farrar and Kelly Willis on Townes’ wonderful “Rex’s Blues.” It was included on the 1995 AIDS benefit album Red Hot + Bothered, an anthology of the indie rock scene. This poetic homage to Townes’ old friend, bassist Rex (Wrecks) Bell, is ideally suited to Farrar’s sparse, almost unassuming, vocals. And there is no better word-for-word pairing than Willis.
23.
Death of the Last Stripper
Dave Alvin & Jimmie Dale Gilmore
2024
This gem was on the second album, TexiCali, released by Americana legends Dave Alvin and Jimmie Dale Gilmore in 2024. The song was first recorded by Texan Terry Allen in 2020. He wrote it with wife Jo Harvey Allen and Alvin. This version is a stunner. The song is a tragic lament, made even better by the slow-recital, - almost-hush - treatment by Alvin and Gilmore. Their alternate vocals on the saddest stanza are heart-stopping.
Jimmie:
We found a number on some paper in her purse
And that was the number that we called first
Dave:
Oh but nobody answered every time we tried
We’re the only ones in the world who even know she died
Not surprising, Alvin and Gilmore have included the song on the setlist of their album- promotional tour.
24.
Pick a Bale of Cotton
Taj Mahal & Ry Cooder
2022
Ry Cooder and Taj Mahal go way back, both as friends and musical collaborators. They first teamed up in 1965 in a band called The Rising Sons when Cooder was just 17. The pair reunited briefly in 1968 when Ry played on Taj’s self-titled debut album. But it was another 54 years – each having established astonishing solo careers – before they got back together to honour harmonica player Sonny Terry and guitarist Brownie McGhee. The resulting album, Get On Board: The songs of Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, was loved by the critics, and the Recording Academy – it won Best Traditional Blues Album at the 2023 Grammy Awards. The stand-out track is a foot-tapping, mesmerizing version of the traditional folkie “Pick a Bale of Cotton.” The tempo is just like the boys in their hey-day. And Taj and Ry stick to the now-somewhat contentious line - Ah me and my wife going to pick a bale of cotton/Me and my wife going to pick a bale a day.
25.
Please Help Me I’m Falling
Kieran Kane & Rayna Gellert
2022
This wonderful love lament was originally a hit for Hank Locklin in 1960, but it was the version by the Everly Brothers three years later which really defined it as song which deserves to be harmonised. Dolly, Tammy and Loretta gave it the big-name treatment in 1993. But it was a lesser-known pairing, Kieran Kane and Rayna Gellert, whose harmony actually brought out the best in this country classic. It is included on their impressive 2022 release The Flowers That Bloom in Spring – the pair’s third album on Kane’s independent label Dead Reckoning Records. Kane was 71 when it was recorded, but his voice is as silky smooth as when he and Jamie O’Hara made a name for themselves as The O’Kanes in the 1980’s. The much-younger Gellert - an acclaimed fiddler - has a voice as polished and velvet as Kane’s which makes their output easy listening indeed!
26.
Catch the Wind
Kimmie Rhodes & Joe Ely
2011
If niceness was a measure for songs, “Catch the Wind” would be up among the best, both lyrically and melodically. Scottish folk-singer Donovan wrote and recorded “Catch the Wind” in 1965. It would be his debut single and a top-ten hit. There is a recording of Donovan doing a wonderful duet of his classic with Liam Clancy, of The Clancy Brothers. But the most beautiful duet of “Catch the Wind” comes from Lubbock natives Kimmie Rhodes and Joe Ely. It is the only cover on her 2011 album Dreams of Flying, engineered and produced by Kimmie’s son Gabriel Rhodes. A soft acoustic guitar and keyboard arrangement is all that is needed to serenade Rhodes and when Ely seamlessly joins the refrain, the duet is simply magical.
27.
Louise
Ramblin’ Jack Elliott & Tom Waits
1998
When gravelly-voiced Tom Waits teams up with earthy troubadour Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, the term duet becomes something of a contradiction in terms. Yet their pairing on the tearful “Louise” is the star track off Elliott’s 1998 album “Friends of Mine,” which one critic appropriately termed “thoroughly enjoyable.” As the title suggests, the album is largely a collection of duets with some of the biggest names in Americana, including Emmylou Harris, John Prine, Guy Clark and Bob Weir. Waits wrote “Louise” with wife Kathleen Brennan, and he and Ramblin‘ Jack have one almost weeping as they as they jointly plea:
Oh Louise, Louise if it’s true
Tell it, tell it to me
28.
Hello In There
Gilliam Welch and David Rawlings
2020
Though Gilliam Welch and David Rawlings have collaborated on seven studio albums together for nearly three decades, the pair are actually co-credited on only two. The first was a very appealing collection of folky covers All the Good Times (Are Past & Gone) which was released in 2020 in rather extraordinary circumstances – the couple were in COVID lockdown and their Nashville studios had recently been all but destroyed by a tornado. None of this, however, detracts from their very appealing take on 10 classic or traditional songs which were recorded in a single room with one mic. The pick of the crop is the John Prine masterpiece “Hello In There.” The late Prine was a close friend of the pair, so it was delivered with a heavy heart. Whatever the reason, it is probably the most haunting interpretation ever made of the Prine classic. The album rightly collected a Grammy for Best Folk Album in 2021.
29.
The Lonesome River
Bob Dylan and Ralph Stanley
1998
Bob Dylan has always been reluctant to join other artists in various projects. So it was something of surprise when he teamed up with bluegrass legend Ralph Stanley and his band The Clinch Mountain Boys. He was among some of the biggest names across the various genres of country music - George Jones, Dwight Yoakim, Vince Gill, Patty Loveless, Ricky Skaggs, Gillian Welch et al – who were part of a double album of duets, Clinch Mountain Country, which was released in 1998. Dylan’s contribution is to take the lead on “The Lonesome River,” a wonderful song Ralph wrote with brother Carter. Dylan sounds completely at home immersed in fiddles, banjos and mandolins and his raspy, nasal vocals blend surprisingly well with Ralph’s high lonesome tonsils. Remember Ralph was in his 70’s at the time and still sounding as commanding as in his hey days some decades before. This rare recording of the two legends would later be included in Dylan’s 2008 release The Bootleg Series Vol 8: Tell Tale Signs: Rare and Unreleased 1989-2006.
30.
Wedding Bells
Richard Thompson & Buddy Miller
2016
Each winter since 2008, the Cayamo cruise ship has set sail from Florida bound for the Caribbean. On board are some of Americana music’s finest artists who spend a week performing what is billed as a “A Journey Through Song.” Buddy Miller, the man they call the musician’s musician, has long been one of the musical directors and during the 2014 & 15 cruise he set up a temporary recording studio between the lanes of a bowling alley. Fans watched in awe as producer-extraordinaire Miller performed with some of the big names onboard. The result was a 2016 release Cayamo Sessions At Sea - Buddy Miller & Friends. It would prove to be one of the finest collaborative albums ever recorded. With the likes of Kris Kristofferson, Lucinda Williams, Brandi Carlile and Shawn Colvin in the mix, it is hard to pick a favourite. But the reimagining of the Hank Williams classic “Wedding Bells” by old folkie Richard Thompson gets the listing here. Thompson’s slightly-reverb lead vocals are just sensational and Miller’s soft baritone transitions perfectly in the refrains. But, most of all, it is Buddy’s musical arrangement which shines like the Caribbean sun.
31.
St Olav’s Gate
Tom Russell & Nanci Griffith
1997
Question: How could Tom Russell possibly outdo his 1983 original “St Olav’s Gate”? Answer: Re-record a stripped version with the great Nanci Griffith. And that is exactly what Russell did when he released the duetted version on The Long Way Round, a 1997 acoustic collection of his work. It is a somewhat fascinating compilation of 17 tracks, some duets, some solo, many live and all musically stringent, in a very appealing way. It is topped - in line-up and quality - by “St Olav’s Gate,” which Griffith herself had recorded in 1986. She is simply wonderful with Russell as she enters on verse two with the delightful stanza:
She was a lady, she came down from Bergen she said/She spoke little English, they laughed and drank whiskey instead.
Just wonderful.
32.
American Flowers
JT Nero & Allison Russell (Aka Birds of Chicago)
2017
Husband and wife JT Nero and Allison Russell crossed paths while working in separate musical outfits for some years. After Russell collaborated on Nero’s solo project in 2011, they decided to start recording and performing together. Their first album, in 2012, was Birds of Chicago and the pair decided to name themselves after that title. There would be two more studio albums, an E.P. and a live album before Birds of Chicago went into hiatus in 2018 when Russell developed her own successful solo career, including work with the female supergroup Our Native Daughters. The most successful song the pair would produce was “American Flowers,”” the title track to the E.P. It was written by Nero (Aka Jeremy Lindsay) and is a majestic homily to life across the American land. Russell not only provides soft, soothing harmony in the refrains, but she adds clarinet and banjo for good measure. Proceeds from the E.P. went to Chicago’s south side Teen Living Program. To listen is to understand why.
33.
Hobo’s Lullaby
Billy Bragg & Joe Henry
2016
In March 2016, troubadours Billy Bragg and Joe Henry set off from Chicago’s Union Station on a 2,700-mile, 65-hour journey to Los Angeles. On the trip, they performed in waiting rooms and trackside at railway stations with the intention of reconnecting with the culture of the American railroad and the music it inspired. The result was a much-admired album Shine a Light: Field Recordings from the Great American Railroad, released in September, 2016. There are 13 very-appropriate songs, topped by “Rock Island Line” and tailed by “Early Morning Rain.” As might expected, no such musical reflection would be without “Hobo’s Lullaby,” penned by Goebel Reeves and made famous by Woody Guthrie. Bragg and Henry treat it with somewhat reverence as they harmonise beautifully on this endearing rail lament.
34.
Four Strong Winds
Ian & Sylvia
2022
Canadian singer-songwriters Ian and Sylvia Tyson started performing together in 1959. They moved to New York the following year and were signed up by Albert Grossman, Bob Dylan’s manager, just as the folk revival movement was starting to boom. They were in fact among the first acts to record Dylan songs, along with those of the likes of Joni Mitchell and Gordon Lightfoot. But they would themselves become original songwriters of some note and Ian’s composition “Four Strong Winds” was a classic. And this version of the couple performing it live can be found on a great collection of their work, The Lost Tapes, released in 2019. Ian and Sylvia’s musical partnership ended in 1975 when they divorced after 11 years of marriage.
35.
Louis Collins
Jerry Garcia & David Grisman
1996
Mississippi John Hurt wrote the majestic murder ballad “Louis Collins” after hearing people talk about a shooting in the South. He first recorded it in 1928. But like a lot of folk ballads, it never got any great recognition until covered by Jerry Garcia. The Grateful Dead legend first recorded it in June 1992 with his long-time friend, mandolinist and acoustic music supremo David Grisman. It was released four years later on their inspired joint album Shady Grove. Garcia and Grisman recorded another version early in 1993. This time during a jamming session with guitarist Tony Rice. It would be released on the acclaimed album known as The Pizza Tapes in 2000, sometime after Garcia’s death. The mesmerizing Garcia/Grisman version gets listed here as it is strictly a duet.
36.
I’ve Turned You To Stone
George Jones & Linda Ronstadt
1979
It was generally considered that George Jones had the best male voice in Nashville until his death in 2013. And you might say Linda Ronstadt had the best female voice on the West Coast during her heyday. Merge their distinctive genres and hey presto you have Americana. Any excuse to put this remarkable duet on the list! And putting George and Tammy here would indeed be just too country. So here it is - an enchanting rendition of “I’ve Turned You To Stone,” the Jim Rushing classic which was a hit for Don Williams. It is included in George’s 1979 easy-listening double LP My Very Special Guests, a collection of collaborations he did with everyone from Ray Charles to Sweethearts of the Rodeo.
37.
When My Blue Moon Turns to Gold Again
Tim & Mollie O’Brien
2006
Multi-instrumentalist Tim O’Brien’s wide recording catalogue, both solo and group, includes three duet albums with older sister Mollie. Genetics has delivered them similar voices – hers a strong soprano and his distinctive tenor – which make for wonderful harmonies. They deliver imaginative covers of such classics as “Motherless Children,” off Remember Me (1992), and “Unwed Fathers,” and “Just Someone I used Know,” both off Take Me Back (1988). But it is their last, and probably best, album together, Away Out On The Mountain, which delivers their finest duet – a simply scintillating “When My Blue Moon Turns to Gold Again.” O’Brien’s stunning guitar picking takes it to yet another level. Elvis would be turning in the proverbial listening to this.
38.
When You Comin’ Home
Gretchen Peters & Jimmy LaFave
2014
There are big names like Jerry Douglas, Jason Isbell, Jimmy LaFave and Suzy Bogguss scattered through Gretchen Peters’ acclaimed 2014 release Blackbirds. And it is LaFave, who stands out among them all for his duet on “When You Comin’ Home,” a very-appealing Peters co-write with Ben Glover. Gretchen sums it up perfectly in the album’s song-notes: “Jimmy LaFave, who is one of my favourite singers in the world, took it to another level with his beautifully wispy duet vocal.” LaFave, who died two-and-a-half years after this release, recorded few duets in his varied catalogue. A pity really. For his effort here surely contributed to Blackbirds being awarded International Album of the Year by the Americana Music Association UK in 2015.
39.
When I Stop Dreaming
Don Henley & Dolly Parton
2015
Most of Dolly Parton’s duets are too country for this list, and some of Don Henley’s are too pop! But this memorable version of The Louvin Brothers classic “When I Stop Dreaming” is quintessential Americana. Parton was one of several guest stars on Henley’s big-selling 2015 country album Cass County. Henley best described how the duet came about: “I think we had about two or three takes with Dolly. She comes in and goes ‘I know this song. I used to do it with Porter (Wagoner).’ She sings it once and she goes ‘Mmm, it’s in a pretty high key for me. I guess I’ll just have to rare it back and get it.’ And, boy, she did. What a voice that girl has, coming out of such a small person.” Good commentary! Dolly also sang on the unforgettable Emmylou Harris 1977 version on Luxury Liner.
40.
Listen to the Radio
Billy Strings & Molly Tuttle
2023
There is no doubt that Grammy winners Billy Strings and Molly Tuttle represent the new face of bluegrass. And it seems everyone wants to team up with them, whether it be Tuttle touring with guitar legend Tommy Emmanuel or Strings recording with another great Willie Nelson. It was no surprise that the pair were among the artists selected for an album covering songs written or recorded by Nanci Griffith. They teamed up to record one of Nanci’s finest, “Listen to the Radio.” The result was so good it was selected as one of three promotional singles on the widely acclaimed compilation.
The dates accompanying each album refer to the year of release.
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