Gliding Bird

Gliding Bird is an album by Emmylou Harris, released in 1970.

Before she met mentor Gram Parsons and before she became a famous country singer, Harris began singing folk music; yet Gliding Bird, her obscure début album, displays an eclecticism that is found in her later work. The album contains five folky Harris originals (with influences from Joan Baez and Joni Mitchell) plus the country-rock of Bob Dylan and Fred Neil, classic country of Hank Williams and a folk-pop rendition of a Dionne Warwick/Bacharach/David hit. Not until 1985's The Ballad of Sally Rose would another Harris album have more than two of her own compositions.

There were a couple of singles released from the album, but neither made any of the Billboard Music Charts. The title song "Gliding Bird," was written by her then-husband Tom Slocum.

Jubilee Records folded shortly after the release of this album, thus ceasing any distribution or promotion; its catalogue was purchased by Roulette Records.

Though technically Harris' first album, she subsequently disowned the record, and largely regards 1975's Pieces of the Sky as her first "official" album.

Track listing

1. "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight" (Bob Dylan) – 2:45
2. "Fugue for the Ox" (Emmylou Harris) – 2:23
3. "I Saw the Light" (Hank Williams) – 2:40
4. "Clocks" (Emmylou Harris) – 3:00
5. "Black Gypsy" (Emmylou Harris) – 5:50
6. "Gliding Bird" (Tom Slocum) – 2:50
7. "Everybody's Talkin'" (Fred Neil) – 2:03
8. "Bobbie's Gone" (Emmylou Harris) – 4:05
9. "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" (Burt Bacharach/Hal David) – 2:22
10. "Waltz of the Magic Man" (Emmylou Harris) – 4:15