Johan Lindqvist: Congratulations Emmylou – but the price would have been Dollys – Göteborgs-Posten

Emmylou Harris is awesome. I ask myself unreservedly behind the Polar Jury statement which addresses Emmylou Harris voice that since the early 70s, runs like an unbroken silver thread through country music.

Emmylou Harris has made fine recordings under his own name, but it is her various collaborations with everyone from Townes van Zandt, Linda Ronstadt and Dolly Parton, and later Rodney Crowell who has given the most attention.

Also read: Two women get this year’s Polar Music

I remember an interview with Johnny Cash, where he talked about how it is a matter of course for country musicians to collaborate and help each other. The music is a common heritage, a common task. Emmylou Harris is an excellent example of this, she has been extremely generous when it comes to contribute their unique talents. The song has always been more important than his own person.

Emmylou Harris are undoubtedly worthy of all estimates. The same applies Evelyn Glennie. But on Polar jury wanted to reward a country music legends should obviously Dolly Parton stood before the queue. She has had greater success and sat clearer impact on the genre, not least as a songwriter. Possibly Dolly Parton is not enough salongsfähig for Polar Prize? Trist so, Polar had undeniably needed Dolly Parton’s charisma to crawl out of his anonymous existence.

As my colleague Tobias Holmgren said the other day, the organization behind the Polar Music Prize failed miserably with the ambition to give the prize status and notoriety on international level. I fail to see how one could change that now, the time has twisted promotional tools from the hands of the Polar People. The train to establish musical equivalent of the Nobel Prize has gone long ago.

You can of course still continue to share its price, provided that the award winners are willing to come to Sweden for the ceremony. Star status is absolutely necessary, no one would do well to see the king and eventually the queen standing with the price in his arms while someone blase rock star sends a dutiful video greeting.

This is a official secret that the jury timed in price to Bob Dylan so that a visit to Stockholm fit into the great Bobness calendar. In recent years, there has also been the rule rather than the exception that the current laureate who by chance happen to have a concert booked on Swedish soil. So even Emmylou Harris who come to Way out West in August.

If no one in the world cares about the price, one can anyway create some short-term, market synergies at home.