Kate McGarrigle died of cancer Monday at age 63. We remember her with a July 19, 2004, Creators at Carnegie concert curated by Emmylou Harris. In it, French-Canadian siblings Kate and Anna McGarrigle are joined onstage by Kate's son, singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright. The three goof off and endearingly fumble around songs, but always come together to make brilliant harmonies together. There's a full set list below, but the highlights include "Dying of Our Love," "Heart Like a Wheel, " "Red Rocking Chair" and "Green Rocky Road."
At the then-new Zankel Hall at Carnegie, singer-songwriter Emmylou Harris invited some her favorite singers to perform and share the stories behind their songs. Some of Harris' most accomplished work has been in collaboration with others, and her picks include many of the musicians who've inspired her. In the first hour, Patty Griffin keeps it simple with just her voice and ringing acoustic guitar. It's a raw, stripped-down quality that Harris calls "breathtaking."
Harris calls Buddy Miller her favorite collaborator; he frequently plays guitar in her band. Miller's wife, Julie, joined them onstage before Harris called them the "treasure that is Buddy and Julie Miller."
In the second hour of the show, in addition to the performances by the McGarrigles and Wainwright, Harris introduces Steve Earle as a songwriter who's "so passionate and clear about what he's writing about, whether it's a love song or about the death penalty."
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.
