Emmylou Harris will receive the ASPCA Henry Bergh Award at the 2024 Humane Awards, which will be held at a luncheon in New York City on Thursday, Oct. 10. The award, given to an individual or institution for their commitment to animal welfare, is named after the founder of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
A longtime social activist, Harris has lent her voice to many causes, but perhaps most passionately to animal welfare. In 2004, she established Bonaparte’s Retreat with the goal of rescuing shelter dogs. Bonaparte’s Retreat continues to save dogs most in need at Metro Nashville Animal Care and Control and at municipal shelters in surrounding counties. Harris is also a board member of Crossroads Campus, a nonprofit that transforms lives by creating opportunities for individuals facing poverty and homelessness to care for homeless dogs and cats.
Harris has amassed 13 Grammy Awards, including album of the year for her featured role on the O Brother, Where Art Thou soundtrack. She has won three CMA Awards, again including album of the year for that Billboard 200-topping soundtrack. She has won two ACM Awards, including album of the year for Trio, her smash 1987 collaboration with Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt.
Harris has recorded 32 studio albums since her debut on tiny Jubilee Records in 1970 (on which her name was shown as Emmy Lou Harris. (This tally counts six collaborative albums). Harris received Billboard’s Century Award in 1999, was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2008 and received a Lifetime Achievement award from the Recording Academy in 2018.
Founded in 1866, the ASPCA was the first animal welfare organization in North America. It has more than 2 million supporters nationwide.
