SHORT TAKES : Emmylou Harris: Less Is More

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Emmylou Harris says it takes hard work and discipline to sing pure country music and make it sound easy.

“All you need is the tiniest movement,” Harris said in a recent interview. “Simplicity and grace and unadornment are so difficult.”

Harris has sold more than 12 million records and taken home six Grammy Awards, more than any woman in country music history.

“What not to play in country music is as important as what to play in country music. It’s all understatement and how to work within that framework,” she said. “People think country music is easy. It’s not. It’s very difficult.”