Linda Ronstadt, The #24 Artist of the Rock Era, Part One

"She is just magic.. cool and pure..timeless..."

"Linda's voice is knock out wild. And she is pretty dreamy in many other ways. Where is someone with the natural talent, unmatched diversity, and heart and soul of Ronstadt?"

"One of the all time best female vocalists"

"Beautiful Linda ... she has the voice of an angel."

"One of the finest voices of our lifetimes."

"La Ronstadt, queen of all vocal musical modes."

"One of the great female singers of all-time."

"Clear as a bell. RONSTADT possessed an instrument of rare power and beauty. She was a virtuoso and adorably down to earth."

"Just incredible, wonderful, one of the best singers in history."

"An absolute legend."

"Superb vocalist".

"Ronstadt is my favorite singer because of her amazing versatility. She can belt out ANYTHING!!!"

"Linda could combine warmth, sadness and strength in ways rarely heard by popular singers. That voice is indeed as gorgeous as the gal."

"Linda's instrument was one of a kind."

"Her voice was like a Stradivarius and she played it to emotional perfection. Certainly one of the most creative and important set of pipes."

"She had an amazing vocal range and a beautiful voice."

"This artist and the voice shall live through eternity....and beyond."

"She could sing the hell out of anything."

"A pure, gorgeous voice. No one could touch her vocal and visual beauty."

"Such remarkable talent. There's nothing she couldn't do musically, and such a great spirit."

"Linda's voice reaches to the heavens above...unending beauty."

Born into a musical family in Tucson, Arizona, on July 15, 1946, Linda Ronstadt often sang and harmonized with other family members singing Folk, Country, gospel, opera, and Mexican music around the house.  Linda credits her mother for her appreciation of Gilbert and Sullivan and her father for introducing her to the pop and Great American Songbook that she would, in turn, help reintroduce to a new generation of listeners.

When she later blended in rock & roll and easy listening, it was this wonderful combination of musical styles that made Ronstadt one of the most diverse and most-loved performers of all-time. 

Another of Ronstadt's lasting legacies is the way she interpreted songs of others; in many cases, those remakes were more successful than the original hits.  By choosing to record those songs, Ronstadt gave critical exposure to songwriters, and a mass audience discovered their music as a result.  Many of Ronstadt's backing musicians also became well-known in their own right, the most famous of these being those who would go on to form the Eagles. 

One of Ronstadt's grandfathers (Lloyd Copeman) was a prolific inventor who held nearly 700 patents.  Copeman invented the first electric stove, many types of refrigerators, an early form of the toaster, the grease gun, and an early form of the microwave oven, and his flexible rubber ice cube tray earned him millions of dollars in royalties.  

Ronstadt's other great-grandfather, engineer Friedrich Ronstadt, immigrated to America from Germany and settled in Tucson.  Linda's grandfather, Federico Jose Ronstadt, was a wagon maker who made six mule-drawn streetcars for the city in 1903-04.  In 1991, when Tucson opened its central transit terminal, it dedicated it to Federico.

At the age of 14, Linda and siblings Peter and Gretchen formed a Folk trio known as the Union City Ramblers, playing coffeehouses, fraternity houses, and other small venues.  Ronstadt wanted to merge Folk music and Rock & Roll and after a semester at Arizona State University, 18-year-old Linda moved to Los Angeles.

Linda visited friend Bobby Kimmel in Los Angeles while on break from college in 1964 and after moving to L.A., formed a band with Kimmel and guitarist-songwriter Kenny Edwards.  The trio signed a recording deal with Capitol Records in 1966 as the Stone Poneys.  The group released three albums and scored a big hit with "Different Drum".  

Note that this special recognizes each artist as they are billed on singles and albums, and Linda's work with the Stone Poneys does not affect her ranking as a solo artist.

Linda released the solo album Hand Sown...Home Grown in 1969.  After that inauspicious debut, Linda felt as if she was "floundering as a singer", she later wrote in her memoir.  

In 1970, Ronstadt released the album Silk Purse, produced by Elliot Mazer, who went on to produce Gordon Lightfoot and Neil Young, among others.  Mazer brought in a group of session musicians from Nashville, Tennessee known as Area Cod 615, which included bassist Norbert Putnam and violinist Buddy Spicher. 

 

On the single "Long, Long Time", Ronstadt turned heads with her amazing vocal, which earned her a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Vocal Performance, Female.   Linda finally got her breakthrough.

 

Gene Clark from the Byrds and Bernie Leadon, who joined the Eagles the following year, teamed up to write "He Darked The Sun".

"Lovesick Blues" originally appeared in the 1922 musical Oh, Ernest.  The song has been covered by many artists including Hank Williams, with Frank Ifield's 1962 version being the most popular.  Linda delivered another outstanding vocal performance on the song.

 

Charles Tillman wrote the music to a poem by Baptist preacher M.E. Abbey in 1890 called "Life's Railway To Heaven".  The song has come to be known as "Life Is Like A Mountain Railway", remade by numerous artists including Johnny Cash, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Brad Paisley and the Oak Ridge Boys.  Ronstadt contributed to a new arrangement with Mazer.

Ronstadt was able to get top-quality backing musicians.  Her backing band for her third album included Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Leadon, and Randy Meisner, who went on to form the Eagles.

 

Linda released her self-titled album in 1971, which includes a great version of Jackson Browne's "Rock Me On The Water".

 

 Another solid track is "I Still Miss Someone", written by Johnny Cash and his nephew, Roy Cash, Jr.

Ronstadt began working with producer and boyfriend John Boylan and began talks with David Geffen about moving from Capitol to Geffen's Asylum Records.

In 1973, Linda enlisted the help of Boylan, J.D. Souther, and Peter Asher (of Peter & Gordon fame) to produce her first Asylum album Don't Cry Now.  Linda reworked a song she had recorded on her debut LP and released the single "Silver Threads And Golden Needles". 

 

The Eagles gladly gave Linda permission to record "Desperado", a classic they had recorded earlier in the year as the title of their second album.  Beginning with this song, Ronstadt began to earn a reputation for recording someone else's song and making it her own.

 

Ronstadt toured with Neil Young, getting her biggest exposure to date.  While on that tour, Linda met Emmylou Harris, who would become a good friend and future collaborator.  Written by Libby Titus and Eric Kaz, Bonnie Raitt was the first to record "Love Has No Pride".  Ronstadt turned in another amazing vocal performance and reached #6 on the Adult chart in Canada.

Meanwhile, impressed by his intuition and appreciative that he gave her more artistic freedom, Linda asked Asher to be her permanent producer.  Peter remained in that role through the late-'80's.

 

In 1975, Ronstadt released the album Heart Like a Wheel, and, although Dee Dee Warwick and Betty Everett had recorded "You're No Good" first, the definitive version belongs to Linda.  Ronstadt had been closing her live performances with the song since 1973 after her bassist and fellow former Stone Poneys member Kenny Edwards suggested it to her.  Linda's single rose to #1 in the U.S. and #7 in Canada.

 

Ronstadt hit #1 on the Album chart with Heart Like a Wheel.  Her second single was an uptempo version of the Everly Brothers hit "When Will I Be Loved".  It was a "triple crown" performer--#1 Country, #2 Popular and #3 on the Easy Listening chart.

 

Heart Like a Wheel went Double Platinum and was nominated for Album of the Year.  "I Can't Help It (If I'm Still In Love With You)", Ronstadt's remake of a song by Hank Williams, won Linda her first Grammy for Best Country Vocal Performance, Female.  We want to also feature her version of the J.D. Souther song "Faithless Love".

 

Buddy Holly recorded the Paul Anka song "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" in the last session before he died four months later in a plane crash.  Linda's version is another highlight of the album.

Much more to come from Linda!