PRESS RELEASE: For the past seven years, Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris have been quietly compiling a treasure trove of duets. The result, All The Roadrunning, will be released on Mercury Records on April 24th.

“We put it together by stealing a few precious hours of studio time here and there,” says Knopfler, who first met Emmylou Harris on a Chet Atkins TV special. “Emmylou’s respect and affection for the players and the music struck me then and still does. In my writing, I’d been dealing a fair bit with the male/female shape. With that amazing voice, Emmylou, now more than ever, seems to capture a kind of universal female experience, something that speaks to all ages. After our first session and then making a couple of duets for a Hank Williams tribute, I thought we should go on recording, and thankfully Emmylou felt the same.”

In Emmylou’s words, “Making this album was a pure joy—being surrounded by extraordinary musicians and guided by one of the great artists of our time. Truly it is a gift for which I will always be grateful.”

Knopfler says: “The song If this is Goodbye was inspired by something the novelist Ian McEwan wrote days after 9/11 about those mobile phone calls from the towers—the calls to say ‘I love you.’ It connects with the song This is Us, which is just the living continuation of that affirmation of love over barbarism and hatred—a celebration of ordinary lives lived with love in them, falling in love, getting married, having kids and digging out the photo album.”

01. Beachcombing - 4.13
02. I Dug Up A Diamond - 3.36
03. This Is Us - 4.35
04. Red Staggerwing - 3.00
05. Rollin' On - 4.12
06. Love And Happiness - 4.20
07. Right Now - 3.31
08. Donkey Town - 5.41
09. Belle Starr - 3.03
10. Beyond My Wildest Dreams - 4.23
11. All The Roadrunning - 4.49
12. If This Is Goodbye - 4.44

Denmark - 1
Switzerland - 1
Norway - 2
Sweden - 2
Germany - 3
Holland - 3
Italy - 3
Austria - 8
UK - 8
Spain - 9
Canada - 13
USA - 17 (Billboard Top 200 Chart)
Ireland - 25
New Zealand - 37
Australia - 41