Linda Ronstadt
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Linda’s storied career was launched in the mid-1960s in Los Angeles, where she and two friends formed the Stone Poneys. Within a short period of time, they hopped on the Billboard charts with the 1967 hit “Different Drum,” and that song title has aptly described her musical journey. A consummately talented vocalist initially greeted in the record business as little more than just another pretty face, Ronstadt moved effortlessly from the folk-rock of the Stone Poneys through primordial Southern California country rock as a solo artist to a hit-after-hit decade in the ’70s during which she became arguably the most important female singer in rock.
Linda Maria Ronstadt was born in Tucson, Arizona on July 15, 1946, the third of four children of Gilbert Ronstadt (1911–1995), a prosperous machinery merchant who ran the F. Ronstadt Co., and Ruth Mary (née Copeman) Ronstadt (1914–1982), a homemaker. She was raised on the family’s 10-acre ranch with her siblings Peter (who served as Tucson’s chief of police from 1981 to 1991), Michael, and Gretchen.
At age 14, Ronstadt formed a folk trio with her brother Peter and sister Gretchen. The group played coffeehouses, fraternity houses, and other small venues, billing themselves as “the Union City Ramblers” and “the Three Ronstadts”, and recorded themselves at a Tucson studio under the name “the New Union Ramblers”. Their repertoire included the music they grew up on – folk, country, bluegrass, and Mexican. But increasingly, Ronstadt wanted to make a union of folk music and rock ‘n’ roll, and in 1964, after a semester at the University of Arizona, the 18-year-old decided to move to Los Angeles.
In the mid-1960s at the forefront of California’s emerging folk rock and country rock movements, Ronstadt joined forces with Bobby Kimmel and Kenny Edwards and became the lead singer of a folk-rock trio, the Stone Poneys. Later, as a solo artist, she released Hand Sown … Home Grown in 1969, which has been described as the first alternative country record by a female recording artist.
The Stone Poneys became a leading attraction on the Los Angeles club circuit, with Ronstadt usually performing on stage in a miniskirt and bare feet. They worked in intimate clubs like The Troubadour in Hollywood. They released three albums and their recordings include Ronstadt’s first hit song, a cover of Mike Nesmith’s “Different Drum”.
The band’s first manager, Herb Cohen, tried to connect Ronstadt with Frank Zappa to make a demo, and also with Jack Nitzsche, but nothing ever materialized (she and Zappa – who were both being managed by Cohen in this period – would later make a radio commercial for Remington brand electric shavers that was rejected by the company).
Ronstadt’s second solo album, Silk Purse, was released in March 1970. Recorded entirely in Nashville, it was produced by Elliot Mazer, whom Ronstadt chose on the advice of Janis Joplin, who had worked with her on the Cheap Thrills album.
At one stage her backing band included Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Bernie Leadon, and Randy Meisner, who went on to form the Eagles. They toured with her for a short period in 1971 and played on Linda Ronstadt, her self-titled third album.
Ronstadt began performing “You’re No Good” to close her live shows in early 1973, after her band member Kenny Edwards suggested it to her. She first included it in her setlist while opening for Neil Young. When recording her album Heart Like a Wheel with producer Peter Asher in the summer of 1974 “You’re No Good” was a last-minute choice for recording, and was Ronstadt’s suggestion. “You’re No Good” peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and Heart Like a Wheel was nominated for Album Of The Year, while her version of “I Can’t Help It If I’m Still In Love with You” won the award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance.
Heart Like a Wheel is widely considered Ronstadt’s breakthrough album and was selected by the Library of Congress to be inducted into the National Recording Registry in 2013.
Ronstadt featured in the 1978 film FM, where the plot involved disc jockeys attempting to broadcast a Ronstadt concert live, without a competing station’s knowledge. The film also showed Ronstadt performing the songs “Poor, Poor Pitiful Me”, “Love Me Tender”, and “Tumbling Dice”. Ronstadt was persuaded to record “Tumbling Dice” after Mick Jagger came backstage when she was at a concert and said, “You do too many ballads, you should do more rock and roll songs.”
Referred to as the “First Lady of Rock” and the “Queen of Rock”, Ronstadt was voted the Top Female Pop Singer of the 1970s. Her rock-and-roll image was as famous as her music; she appeared six times on the cover of Rolling Stone and on the covers of Newsweek and Time.
In the early 1970s, Ronstadt briefly dated fellow musician J. D. Souther, who co-produced her Don’t Cry Now album. In 1983, Ronstadt dated comedian Jim Carrey for eight months and from the end of 1983 to 1988, Ronstadt was engaged to Star Wars director and creator George Lucas.
In the eighties, she starred in Gilbert and Sullivan’s “The Pirates of Penzance” on Broadway, recorded a standards album with the veteran arranger Nelson Riddle, and released “Canciones de Mi Padre,” a collection of traditional Mexican songs, which became the best-selling non-English-language album in American history.
Having sold in excess of 100 million records worldwide and setting records as one of the top-grossing concert performers for over a decade, Ronstadt was the most successful female singer of the 1970s and stands as one of the most successful female recording artists in US history. She opened many doors for women in rock and roll and other musical genres by championing songwriters and musicians, pioneering her chart success onto the concert circuit, and being in the vanguard of many musical movements.
In 2011, Ronstadt was interviewed by the Arizona Daily Star and announced her retirement. In August 2013, she revealed to Alanna Nash, writing for AARP, that she had Parkinson’s disease and could “no longer sing a note.” Her diagnosis was subsequently re-evaluated as progressive supranuclear palsy ending a musical career that had left an indelible mark on the classic-rock era and earned her ten Grammy Awards.
As of 2019, Ronstadt has earned three number-one pop albums, 10 top-ten pop albums, and 38 charting pop albums on the Billboard Pop Album Charts. She has 15 albums on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, including four that hit number one.
For her diverse body of work across four decades, she has received lifetime achievement awards from the Recording Academy in 2016, the Kennedy Center Honors in Washington D.C. in 2019, and the Hispanic Heritage Foundation’s annual Legend Award in 2020.
Important Dates In The Life Of Linda Ronstadt:
22
Mar
2023
American musician Tom Leadon died age 70. He was one of the founding members of (with Tom Petty's) original band, Mudcrutch, and remained its guitarist following its revival in 2007. Leadon also played bass in Linda Ronstadt's band. He was the brother of Bernie Leadon, the former banjoist and guitarist of the Eagles.
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3
Mar
2023
American musician David Lindley died age 78. He founded the rock band El Rayo-X and worked with many other performers including Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt, Ry Cooder, Bonnie Raitt, Warren Zevon, Curtis Mayfield and Dolly Parton. He mastered such a wide variety of instruments that Acoustic Guitar magazine referred to him as a "maxi-instrumentalist." On stage, Lindley was known for wearing garishly colored polyester shirts with clashing pants, gaining the nickname the Prince of Polyester.
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10
Jan
2023
American jazz and rock guitarist Dennis Budimir died at the age of 84. He was a member of The Wrecking Crew and worked with many artists including Joni Mitchell, Carpenters, Brian Wilson, Barbra Streisand, Frank Zappa, Linda Ronstadt and Dusty Springfield. He also played on more than 900 movie soundtracks from the early 1960s until the 2000s.
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10
Dec
2021
American musician, songwriter, actor, and producer, Mike Nesmith died from heart failure at his home in Carmel Valley, California age 78. He was best known as a member of the pop rock band the Monkees and co-star of the TV series The Monkees (1966–1968). His song writing credits include ‘Different Drum’, which became a hit for Linda Ronstadt and the Stone Poneys. After the break-up of the Monkees, Nesmith continued his successful songwriting and performing career, first with the seminal country rock group the First National Band, with whom he had a top-40 hit, ‘Joanne’.
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18
Jan
2020
Nashville folk singer David Olney died age 71 after suffering a heart attack during a performance in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. He formed the band The X-Rays, which released two albums before splitting up in 1985. His songs have been covered by numerous artists, including Emmylou Harris, Del McCoury, Linda Ronstadt and Steve Earle.
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29
Jan
2019
American singer, and songwriter James Ingram died after a long battle with brain cancer age 66. He was a two-time Grammy Award-winner and charted eight Top 40 hits on the US Billboard Hot 100. He had two No.1 singles, the first, a duet with fellow R&B artist Patti Austin, 1982's ‘Baby, Come to Me’ and ‘I Don't Have the Heart’, which became his second No.1 in 1990. He also recorded the song ‘Somewhere Out There’ with Linda Ronstadt for the animated film An American Tail.
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28
Jul
2014
Linda Ronstadt was honored with a National Medal of Arts at the White House in Washington, D.C. The honor was a particularly special moment for Ronstadt, who didn't make it to her induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (in April of this year), since Parkinson's disease limited her ability to travel. The singer was brought into the East Room by wheelchair, but she walked onto the stage to receive her award.
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2
Apr
2014
Recordings by U2, (The Joshua Tree), the Everly Brothers, ('Cathy's Clown'), Jeff Buckley, ('Hallelujah'), Linda Ronstadt, (Heart Like a Wheel) and Creedence Clearwater Revival's('Fortunate Son') were among those newly selected for induction into the Library of Congress National Recording Registry.
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23
Apr
2012
American country rock bass guitarist Chris Ethridge died age 65 from pancreatic cancer. He was a member of the International Submarine Band and The Flying Burrito Brothers. Ethridge also worked with Nancy Sinatra, Leon Russell, Delaney Bramlett, Johnny Winter, Randy Newman, Ry Cooder, Linda Ronstadt, The Byrds, Jackson Browne, and Willie Nelson.
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23
Dec
2008
Clint Ballard Jr. died. He wrote ‘Game Of Love’ a hit for Wayne Fontana And The Mindbenders', and Linda Ronstadt's, ‘You're No Good’. His songs have been recorded by The Hollies, Frankie Avalon, Ricky Nelson, The Zombies and Jan And Dean.
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17
Jul
2004
Half of the 4,500 people in the audience walked out of Linda Ronstadt show at the Aladdin Resort and Casino in Las Vegas after the singer dedicated an encore of ‘Desperado’ to filmmaker Michael Moore and urged the crowd to see his film Fahrenheit 9/11.
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7
Jan
2004
Drummer John Guerin died of pneumonia aged 64. Worked with Joni Mitchell, Frank Zappa, Linda Ronstadt, Gram Parsons, Todd Rundgren. He also played on the original title tune for the television series Hawaii Five-O.
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7
Sep
2003
US singer, and songwriter, Warren Zevon died. He had worked as a session musician and was the piano player and band leader for the Everly Brothers. His 1969 song 'She Quit Me' was included in the soundtrack for the film Midnight Cowboy. Jackson Browne, the Eagles and Linda Ronstadt all appeared on his albums. He recorded over 15 solo albums, and had the 1978 US No.21 single 'Werewolves Of London'.
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23
Feb
2003
Howie Epstein bassist with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers died of a suspected drug overdose in New Mexico. He had replaced The Heartbreakers original bassist Ron Blair, Epstein also worked with Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Stevie Nicks, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins, Linda Ronstadt and Del Shannon.
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3
Jul
2001
American singer, songwriter Johnny Russell died aged 61. He wrote 'Act Naturally' covered by The Beatles and Buck Owens. Jim Reeves, Jerry Garcia, Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, and Linda Ronstadt had all covered his songs.
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16
Dec
1997
American singer-songwriter Nicolette Larson died aged 45 of complications arising from cerebral edema. She had worked with Neil Young, (Comes a Time and Harvest Moon albums), Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, Michael McDonald, Willie Nelson, Jimmy Buffett, The Beach Boys and The Doobie Brothers. Larson is best known for her 1978 cover of Neil Young's ‘Lotta Love’.
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8
Apr
1997
American singer, and songwriter Laura Nyro died from ovarian cancer. Suzanne Vega, Phoebe Snow, Roseane Cash, Frank Sinatra and Linda Ronstadt all covered her songs. She wrote 'And When I Die' a hit for Blood, Sweat & Tears and 'Stoney End' which was covered by Barbra Streisand.
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12
Jun
1982
Bruce Springsteen, James Taylor, Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt and Gary 'US' Bonds all appeared at a rally for nuclear disarmament in Central Park, New York to over 450,000 fans.
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28
Apr
1978
The movie FM, about a radio station with a motley collection of DJs, was released in the US. Linda Ronstadt, Jimmy Buffett and REO Speedwagon all appeared in the film. The theme song from the movie Steely Dan's 'FM (No Static at All)' won engineers Al Schmitt and Roger Nichols the 1979 Grammy Award for Best Engineered Recording.
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15
Feb
1975
Linda Ronstadt went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'You're No Good', the singer's only solo chart topper out of 12 other top 40 hits. Also on today, Ronstadt went to No.1 on the US album chart with Heart Like A Wheel.
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18
Mar
1972
Neil Young started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Heart Of Gold'. Released from the 1972 album Harvest, it is so far Young's only US No. 1 single. The song features backup vocals by James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt.
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17
Feb
1971
James Taylor made his US TV debut on The Johnny Cash Show. Other guests included Neil Young, Linda Ronstadt and Tony Joe White.
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27
Jun
1964
Peter and Gordon went to No.1 on the US singles chart with the John Lennon and Paul McCartney song 'A World Without Love', which was also a No.1 in the UK. Peter Asher went on to become James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt's manager.
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1
Dec
1958
The Teddy Bears were at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘To Know Him is to Love Him.’ The Phil Spector song was inspired by words on his father's tombstone, "To Know Him Was to Love Him." The record spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart while reaching No. 2 on the UK's New Musical Express chart. The song was resurrected by Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, and Emmylou Harris, whose Trio recording topped the US country singles chart in 1987.
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