Follow-up 1970s albums further elevated Harris's career, such as Elite Hotel (1976), Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town (1978) and Blue Kentucky Girl (1979).

[6] Harris regularly worked the Greenwich Village music scene and developed friendships with fellow artists Jerry Jeff Walker, Dave Bromberg and Paul Siebel.

One year later, he sent her a plane ticket to Los Angeles, California where she recorded harmony vocals for his debut album GP in September-October, 1972.

Weeks following the album's sessions, Parsons died from a drug and alcohol overdose in a hotel room near Joshua Tree National Park.

[26] It featured covers of songs by The Beatles and Merle Haggard,[18] along with originals like Harris' "Boulder to Birmingham", which reflected her emotions surrounding Parsons's death.

The group featured James Burton, Glen D. Hardin (both members of Elvis Presley's TCB Band) and Rodney Crowell.

[18] Both albums spawned top ten US and Canadian country singles: "Save the Last Dance for Me", "Blue Kentucky Girl", "Wayfaring Stranger".

[18][46] Both albums received mixed reviews, with Grant Alden of No Depression finding that Cimarron and Last Date are no "monumental artistic statement" but occasionally "have their moments".

[48] William Ruhlmann of AllMusic gave Last Date 2.5 stars, explaining that Harris failed to create original styles and arrangements that previously set her apart.

[56][57] Spawned from the disc were the North American top ten country songs "To Know Him Is to Love Him", "Telling Me Lies", "Those Memories of You" and "Wildflowers".

Music executive Bonnie Garner suggested recording the set at the Ryman Auditorium (the former site of the Grand Ole Opry, which was becoming increasingly dilapidated).

[13][62] Writers have since speculated the project brought renewed interest to the Ryman Auditorium and several months following the album, the venue was refurbished.

[70] Trio II rose to the number four position on the North American country album charts[29][39] certified gold in the United States.

[80] Allmusic's Mark Deming commented that "Stumble into Grace shows she's still playing at the top of her game"[81] and Billboard called it "a very affecting record".

[85] Harris and Mark Knopfler (formerly of the band Dire Straits) spent seven years writing and recording songs, which would make up their collaborative studio effort, All the Roadrunning.

[88] The Washington Post called the album "a smart marriage of strengths and weaknesses"[89] and AllMusic found it to be a "lush and earthy collaboration".

[83] In 2010, Harris re-recorded her song "Boulder to Birmingham" with the rock group the Fray and was issued as a single by Epic Records that year.

[113] Harris' early folk influences included Ian & Sylvia,[114] Peter, Paul and Mary,[115] Buffy Sainte-Marie,[113] Judy Collins,[116] and Bob Dylan.

"I think that his presence in the early part of my career, first as a songwriter and then as a member of the band and then as kind of my soul brother, musically, was really important to getting my footing as a performing artist," Harris commented.

"[127] David DiMartio found that her 1970s albums merged rock with classic country in a way that helped Harris receive fans young and old.

She has made appearances on songs recorded by Ryan Adams, Neil Young, Johnny Cash, Sheryl Crow, and numerous others.

[84] "It's likely that on her school report it was said of the young Emmylou Harris that 'she plays well with others'," wrote Bernard Zuel of The Sydney Morning Herald.

[18][143][144] Stephen Holden of The New York Times wrote, "Emmylou Harris's voice is an alloy of crystal and steel, and this mixture of delicacy and resilience lends her the aura of an idealized frontier woman.

"[145] Jason Ankeny of AllMusic wrote, "Blessed with a crystalline voice, a remarkable gift for phrasing, and a restless creative spirit, few artists had as profound an impact on contemporary music as Emmylou Harris.

[6][148] Jason Ankeny of AllMusic wrote, "She traveled a singular artistic path, proudly carrying the torch of "cosmic American music" passed down by her mentor, Gram Parsons, which made a profound mark on both country and rock.

[84] Jason Ankeny wrote, "Blessed with a crystalline voice, a remarkable gift for phrasing, and a restless creative spirit, few artists had as profound an impact on contemporary music as Emmylou Harris.

[155] Reflecting on her artistic decisions, Trisha Yearwood commented, "I've had to say to myself, well, if I passed Emmylou Harris on the street, would I be able to hold my head up?

"[156] Harris has also been a credited influence on Ryan Adams,[151] Mary Chapin Carpenter,[154] Sheryl Crow,[157] Vince Gill,[158] Patty Loveless,[1] Martina McBride,[159] Reba McEntire,[160] Kacey Musgraves,[161] Margo Price,[162] LeAnn Rimes,[160] Pam Tillis,[163] Carrie Underwood[164] and Wilco.

[177] All proceeds from the tours support the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation's (VVAF) efforts to assist innocent victims of conflicts around the world.

Artists that have joined Harris on the road for these dates include Joan Baez, Mary Chapin Carpenter and Willie Nelson.