Carly Simon recorded it, but did not release it, in 1972 in her first session for No Secrets, produced by Paul Buckmaster and featuring James Taylor's vocals and Danny Kortchmar on guitar.
In a 2000 interview, Raitt stated: "I think 'Angel from Montgomery' probably has meant more to my fans and my body of work than any other song, and it will historically be considered one of the most important ones I've ever recorded.
She performed the song with Rickie Lee Jones at the original Farm Aid benefit concert held 22 September 1985 in Champaign, Illinois; and with Tracy Chapman at the We the Planet Festival on 20 April 2003 in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco.
On her 1995 live disc Road Tested, on which "Angel from Montgomery" serves as the concert finale, Raitt is joined on the song by Bryan Adams, Jackson Browne, Bruce Hornsby and Kim Wilson.
"Angel from Montgomery" is performed in the film Into the Wild by the characters Tracy Tatro (Kristen Stewart) and Christopher McCandless (Emile Hirsch).
The chorus is sung briefly in the film Courage Under Fire by the character Captain Karen Emma Walden (portrayed by Meg Ryan) during one of the flashback sequences.
The Music Builds concert and fundraiser was to benefit the American Red Cross in the wakes of the floods and tornadoes throughout the Southeastern United States in April and May 2011.