Linda Ronstadt

Linda Ronstadt
Image:Linda20Ronstadt1.gif
Background information
Birth name	Linda Maria Ronstadt
Also known as	Queen of Rock Queen of Country Rock
Born	July 15 1946 (age 62) Tucson, Arizona, USA
Genre(s)	Rock,Rock 'n Roll, New Wave,Folk, Folk Rock, Country, Country Rock, Latin American, Rhythm & Blues, Opera, Cajun, Big Band, Jazz, Children's music, Pop, Adult Contemporary
Occupation(s)	Singer-Songwriter, Musician, Record producer, Actress
Instrument(s)	Vocals
Years active	1967 - present
Label(s)	Capitol Records (1967-1973) Elektra/Asylum Verve Records (2004) Vanguard Records
Associated acts	Stone Poneys (1967-68) Nelson Riddle (1982-86) Trio (with Dolly Parton,Emmylou Harris) (1987 & 1999) Aaron Neville (1989) Emmylou Harris (2000) The Zozo Sisters (with Ann Savoy) (2002 & 2006)

Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15 1946) is a Grammy-winning, multi-platinum American singer most closely associated with the folk rock and country rock genres prevalent in the 1970s. Though an occasional songwriter herself, she is better known as an interpreter of other songwriters' works. It has been estimated that Ronstadt's album and single sales total more than 75 million, easily making her part of the list of best-selling music artists.

Biography

Early life

Ronstadt was born in Tucson, Arizona in 1946. Her father, Gilbert Ronstadt, came from an old Arizona ranching family,^[1] and was of mostly Mexican, as well as German and English ancestry, with his grandfather being one of the first German mining engineers in north Mexico.^[2][3] Her mother, whose father was known inventor Lloyd Groff Copeman, had German, English and Dutch heritage and came from Michigan. Linda identifies herself as Mexican American.^[4]

When Ronstadt was 17, she went to California to meet up with guitarist Bob Kimmel. In 1964, guitarist/songwriter Kenny Edwards joined the pair, co-writing several folk-rock songs with Kimmel. They recorded "So Fine" for Curb Records. The record company wanted them to sing surf music, which the trio chose not to do. The trio moved to Los Angeles where they were discovered and signed with Nick Venet and Capitol Records, calling themselves the Stone Poneys. They became a leading attraction on California's folk circuit, recording their first album in 1967.

Career

Ronstadt scored her first hit single in 1967, as the lead singer for the Stone Poneys, with the song Different Drum, written by Monkees member Michael Nesmith. Her first solo album, "Hand Sown, Home Grown" is universally considered the first Alt-Country record by a female recording artist. She was clearly the first woman to lead the new Country-Rock genre. [1] Her first solo hit single came in 1970, with the country rock crossover single, Long Long Time which earned Linda her first of an astounding 27 Grammy Award nominations. She achieved her greatest commercial success during the 1970s, with a string of multi-platinum albums, as she branched out from the earlier country rock sound to include more conventional rock, often covering early classics from the 1950s and early 1960s. Linda Ronstadt has had an unbelievable run on the Billboard charts, she had at least one single or album charted every year from 1970 - 2000, an incredible 31 year run.

Her breakthrough year was 1975, when she released a series of hits beginning with the #1 single You're No Good, followed by When Will I Be Loved, Heat Wave, That'll Be the Day, the platinum-certified 45 Blue Bayou, It's So Easy and Ooh Baby Baby. She reached Number One on the Billboard magazine charts with her 1975 album Heart Like a Wheel, and returned to the Number One position with her albums Simple Dreams in 1977 and Living in the U.S.A. in 1978. Three of her albums also hit #1 on Billboard's Country Albums chart. In 1980 she released an album of new wave covers of such artists as Elvis Costello and The Cretones, an album which entered the Billboard album charts in the Top 5 its first week (a record at that time), and continued her streak of Top 10 hits with Hurt So Bad, How Do I Make You?, and I Can't Let Go.

Known as the Queen of Country-Rock and the First Lady of Rock n' Roll, Ronstadt was also unquestionably THE leading female sex symbol in rock music, reaching the peak of attention in 1976 when Rolling Stone published an alluring and provacative collection of photographs taken by Annie Leibovitz. Ronstadt later said that she had mixed and troubled feelings about this level of attention. [2] Ronstadt gained further general media focus when she dated Jerry Brown, then Governor of California, in the late 1970s. Though she began her recording career singing folk music with her band the Stone Poneys in the mid- to late-1960s, Ronstadt has been credited as a solo artist with singing in extraordinarily diverse genres ranging from more traditional country to rhythm & blues and including, among others, new wave, opera, cajun and mariachi. In its biography on her artist page, Rolling Stone's Web site reads, "The dulcet purity -- and sheer power -- of her voice stands out right from the start.... In the '70s, Ronstadt rose to prominence as a keen, often definitive interpreter of young singer/songwriters."

Her work with producer Peter Asher from 1973 through the late 1980s resulted in her greatest commercial success. By the end of the 1970s, Ronstadt had collected eight gold, six platinum and four multi-platinum certifications for her albums, a considerable feat at the time. Her 1976 Greatest Hits album was certified 7 times platinum. She was the "highest paid woman in rock," the first-ever female able to command sell-out concerts in arenas and stadiums hosting tens of thousands of fans. In 1977, she appeared on the cover of Time magazine under the banner "Torchy Rock." Ronstadt has appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine six times.

Ronstadt's success is, in part, connected with the influence she had on or the influence she received from artists such as Emmylou Harris and Dolly Parton, with whom she recorded two well-received and award-winning "trio" albums, as well as J. D. Souther, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Earl Scruggs, The Eagles, Andrew Gold, Hoyt Axton, Kate and Anna McGarrigle, Joseph Papp, Paul Simon, Philip Glass, Mark Goldenberg, Ann Savoy, Karla Bonoff, James Taylor, Warren Zevon, Maria Muldaur, Randy Newman, Michael Mantler, Nicolette Larson, Elvis Costello, James Ingram, and Aaron Neville. Her reputation throughout the 1970s was of working with some of the most well-respected musicians in contemporary and rock music but also of having her own strong sense of discipline.

In addition to more mainstream hits such as her timeless version of the Roy Orbison classic, "Blue Bayou", and "Don't Know Much" and "All My Life", both #1 duets with Aaron Neville that received much critical acclaim, her long singing career has been filled with an eclectic mix of recordings, including Big Band sounds, Mexican Canciones, an album of old-time Country music, several albums of Latin music, a self-produced album featuring New-Age material and an album of Rock classics redone as Lullabies. Her recordings of three platinum-selling albums of pop standards with the late Nelson Riddle helped spark a revival of that form among younger audiences in the early-mid 1980s. After appearing in the Central Park and Broadway productions of The Pirates of Penzance from 1980-1982, Ronstadt co-starred with Kevin Kline and Angela Lansbury in a 1983 motion picture based on this Gilbert and Sullivan opera. She voiced herself in The Simpsons episode "Mr. Plow".

Ronstadt's many covers include songs written or previously performed by Lowell George, Zevon, Costello, Souther, Newman, the Rolling Stones, Patti Griffin. Sinéad O'Connor, Julie Miller, Bob Dylan. Mel Tillis, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Brian Wilson, John Hiatt, the Everly Brothers, the Seldom Scene, Bruce Springsteen, George Jones, Tracy Nelson, the Flying Burrito Brothers, Little Feat, Neil Young, the Miracles, Betty Everett and Buddy Holly and the Crickets.

1980 was the turning point in Ms. Ronstadt's career. She was cast as Mabel in the Gilbert & Sullivan operetta "Pirates of Penzance". Her rave reviews and Tony nomination signaled a broader career path for her (Linda also received a Golden Globe nomination for the role in the movie version). The 80's found Linda exploring many facets of her musical heritage. Her 3 albums of pre-rock Jazz Standards with Nelson Riddle were a smash. Others from her generation had made similar records, but Linda's international success brought new focus onto the genre and enabled many others to try the same as well as great artists from the past to restart their careers. Linda's eclectic choices of projects had her performing additional classical music with the role of Mimi in "La Boheme" at the Joseph Papp Theatre. She also sang on two of classical minimalist Phillip Glass's hit records ("Songs from Liquid Days" and "1,000 Airplanes on the Roof"). She realized her dream of making a record of Mexican Canciones in 1987. Her "Canciones De Mi Padre" was a surprise smash hit that brought Mariachi music to a level of recognition and credibility it had not seen before north of the border. The album went on to multi-platinum status, becoming the biggest selling non-English language disc in US history. It also spawned a successful videocassette of Linda's elaborate stage show which was later released on DVD. In 1987, Ronstadt, Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris released their long-awaited Trio album, which they first conceived ten years earlier, to critical acclaim. The album sold several million copies, won a Grammy and provided four top-ten country singles including 'To Know Him Is To Love Him' which hit #1. (They eventually followed it up with a second album, the gold-certified, Grammy-winning Trio 2 in 1999.) That same year, 1987, Linda returned to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 with the gorgeous "Somewhere Out There" (a million-selling 45) recorded as a duet with James Ingram and featured in the animated film 'An American Tail'. Linda ended the decade with one of the biggest albums of her career, "Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like The Wind". Aided by several duets with Aaron Neville, the disc made Ronstadt ubiquitous once again on Pop and Adult Contemporary radio.

The 1990s were no less an eclectic exploration for Ronstadt though her multi-platinum era would soon be behind her. Linda gained a tremendous amount of weight during this period and, as the 90s wore on, became increasingly reluctant to make television appearances or submit to photo-shoots. Ms. Ronstadt also became much more haughty and diva-like in her demeanor. She began the decade with Grammy awards for her work with Aaron Neville as well as winning 2 more Grammys for "Mas Canciones" and "Frenesi". She released several critically acclaimed pop-rock records during this decade as well. They were a trio of recordings: 1993's "Winter Light" (a self-produced disc that included ethereal New Age production), 1995's "Feels Like Home" (which featured a stellar reworking of Tom Petty's classic 'The Waiting') and 1998's "We Ran". All three explored in greater detail the types of music Linda was famous for in the 70's. Showing her versatility yet again, in 1996 Ronstadt released Dedicated to the One I Love, an album of children's music which won her yet another of her 10 Grammys Awards. She moved into the new millennium with her first holiday recording, "A Merry Little Christmas" which included rare choral works as well as the Joni Mitchell song "The River". Her recording of "River" as a holiday classic has given the song new influence and is now a staple of new holiday recordings.

The 21st Century has not slowed Ms. Ronstadt down. Her legendary voice seems to have no limits or signs of wear. In a career spanning four decades, she has recorded more than thirty albums, including 2004's "Hummin' To Myself", a return to classic jazz standards but in a smaller jazz combo without a full orchestra. The critical acclaim for the record has led to a resurgence in her touring. Ronstadt continues to tour regularly and usually performs in smaller, acoustically friendly venues to provide her audience with the best possible aural experience. WIth such a vast and stylistically diverse catalog to choose from, Ms. Ronstadt gives her fans a little bit of everything while staying true to the style or type of band she performs with.

While she is known primarily as one of the worlds' greatest interpreters, Linda has also written songs of which she has released or recorded only a few. Several of them have been recorded by other artists. "Winter Light" was recorded by Sarah Brightman, Terri Clark had a major country hit with "Poor Poor Pitiful Me" and Trisha Yearwood, recorded "Try Me Again".

As of the end of 2006, Ronstadt had earned three No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200, a No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100, four No. 1 albums on Billboard's Country Albums chart, two No. 1 hits on the Billboard Country Singles chart, two No. 1 hits on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart, 10 Top 10 pop albums and 10 Top 10 pop singles. Her biggest-selling studio albums are her 1977 release Simple Dreams, the 1983 jazz set What's New, and her 1989 release Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind, each certified by the Recording Industry Association of America for over 3 million units sold. Her highest-selling album of all time is the 1976 Greatest Hits compilation, certified seven times platinum in 2001. In all, Ronstadt has been certified by the RIAA for worldwide sales in excess of 50 million copies of singles and albums shipped and has won 10 Grammy Awards in fields including pop, country, tropical Latin and Mexican-American. Linda Ronstadt was the first solo woman artist EVER to have two Top 40 singles simultaneously on Billboard magazine's Hot 100: "Blue Bayou" and "It's So Easy" (October 1977). By December, both "Blue Bayou" and "It's So Easy" had climbed into Billboard's Top 5 where they remained for the entire month. There are several more certifications possible when/if the audited information gets sent to the RIAA. Linda Ronstadt has had an unbelievable run on the Billboard charts, she had at least one single or album charted every year from 1970 - 2000, an incredible 31 year run. She is a legendary vocalist who remains of the most respected, although not the most personally well-liked, artists in the music world.

According to a news item dated Aug. 25, 2006, Ronstadt "cancelled tour dates for the rest of the year to recover from surgery." "Ronstadt's agent, Shelly Schultz, would not provide details on the surgery...but said it wasn't cancer." The surgery was performed on Tuesday Aug. 22, 2006, in Tucson, Arizona, where Ronstadt owns a home. According to the news item, "Ronstadt will recuperate at her home in Tucson for an 'undetermined' amount of time, Schultz said. Then she'll travel back to her other home in San Francisco." And according to a further news item, she is beginning to reschedule her concert dates. As of April 1, 2007, Ms. Ronstadt health is fine and has rescheduled her cancelled dates with a full slate of concerts and new recordings for the rest of this year.

Adieu, False Heart, an album with Ann Savoy released in summer 2006, has been well received [3]. The recording earned the duo another Grammy nomination.

Personal life

Publicity surrounding her was propelled in the late 1970s by a relationship with then-Governor Jerry Brown of California, a Democratic presidential hopeful. Their romance became the subject of many magazine articles and a Newsweek cover in April 1979. [4] In the 1980s, Ronstadt had a long relationship with director George Lucas. She was romantically involved with Quint Davis founder of The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, had an outstanding performance at the festival and briefly called New Orleans home. Despite associations with several male celebrities over the years, she has never married, and on her own she adopted two children, Mary and Carlos.

As of February 2007, she lives in the Laurel Heights neighborhood of San Francisco. ^[5]

Controversy

On July 18, 2004, during a performance at the Aladdin Casino in Las Vegas, Ronstadt praised Michael Moore and his documentary film Fahrenheit 9/11. It was reported that some members of the audience walked out, tore down posters, threw drinks, and demanded she be removed from the stage. Initial reports were that Aladdin president Bill Timmins escorted her out of the premises without having a chance to go to her hotel suite to obtain her property, and vowed that, as long as he was running the casino, she would no longer be welcome. At the same time, it was reported that the angry shouts and boos were overpowered by cheers and people clapping. However, Ronstadt says that the media reports were inaccurate. She was not aware of anyone throwing drinks, was not escorted off the premises, and it was not until later that she learned Aladdin's management was angry. "I didn't know they were mad at me until we were gone, and I didn't know what they were mad at me about until about an hour later, when apparently they called up one of the people that was traveling with us and went, 'She's talking about Michael Moore, and this is a place for entertainment, not politics'" Ronstadt said. Ronstadt had previously been quoted in the Las Vegas Review-Journal that she was not fond of playing in Vegas, and hoped that she would annoy them enough not to ask her back.

The Aladdin is undergoing bankruptcy proceedings, however, and Robert Earl, CEO of Planet Hollywood, the corporation which will be taking controlling interest of the Aladdin when it emerges from bankruptcy protection, was quoted as saying that he would like to take Moore up on the film maker's offer to join Ronstadt on the Aladdin stage to sing America the Beautiful.

In 2006 she was quoted as saying "The Dixie Chicks said they were embarrassed he was from Texas. I'm embarrassed George Bush is from this planet. He's an idiot and a disgrace, what a dummy. He's enormously incompetent on both the domestic and international scenes." And, defending herself further: "Was it wrong for people like Peter, Paul and Mary or Joan Baez to speak out against racism? I think they educated a lot of people about something that was terribly unfair. Now the fact that we were lied to about the reasons for entering into war against Iraq and thousands of people have died - it's just as immoral as racism."[5] And, with the harshness of understatement, she characterized the American President as "intellectually incurious" [Edmonton Sun interview, summer 2006). [6]]

Albums

• 1969 Hand Sown ... Home Grown
• 1970 Silk Purse
• 1972 Linda Ronstadt
• 1973 Don't Cry Now
• 1974 Different Drum (compilation)
• 1974 Heart Like a Wheel
• 1975 Prisoner in Disguise
• 1976 Hasten Down the Wind
• 1976 Greatest Hits (compilation)
• 1977 Simple Dreams
• 1977 A Retrospective (compilation)
• 1978 Living in the U.S.A.
• 1980 Mad Love
• 1980 Greatest Hits, Volume 2 (compilation)
• 1981 Soundtrack: Pirates of Penzance
• 1982 Get Closer
• 1983 What's New
• 1984 Lush Life
• 1986 For Sentimental Reasons
• 1986 Round Midnight (compilation of the three preceding albums)
• 1987 Trio (with Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris)
• 1987 Canciones de Mi Padre
• 1989 Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind
• 1991 Mas Canciones
• 1992 Frenesi
• 1993 Winter Light
• 1993 Boleros y Rancheras (compilation)
• 1995 Feels Like Home
• 1996 Dedicated to the One I Love
• 1998 We Ran
• 1999 Trio 2 (with Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris)
• 1999 Western Wall: The Tucson Sessions (with Emmylou Harris)
• 1999 The Linda Ronstadt Box Set (compilation; 4-CD set containing album tracks and some rarities)
• 2000 A Merry Little Christmas
• 2002 The Very Best of Linda Ronstadt (compilation)
• 2004 Mi Jardin Azul: Las Canciones Favoritas (compilation)
• 2004 Hummin' to Myself
• 2006 The Best of Linda Ronstadt: The Capitol Years (compilation including her albums Hand Sown... Home Grown, Silk Purse, Linda Ronstadt, and Heart Like a Wheel, along with some previously unreleased material)
• 2006 Adieu False Heart (with Ann Savoy)

Singles

Grammy nominations and awards

Note: The year shown is the year for which the award was given, not the year in which it was given. Categories in bold are Grammy wins, others nominations.

• 1970 Best Contemporary Vocal Performance, Female, "Long, Long Time" (track from Silk Purse)
• 1975 Album of the Year, Heart Like a Wheel
• 1975 Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female, Heart Like a Wheel (album)
• 1975 Best Country Vocal Performance, Female, "I Can't Help It (If I'm Still In Love With You)" (track from Heart Like a Wheel)
• 1976 Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female, Hasten Down the Wind (album)
• 1977 Record of the Year, "Blue Bayou" (track from Simple Dreams)
• 1977 Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female, "Blue Bayou" (track from Simple Dreams)
• 1980 Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female, "How Do I Make You" (track from Mad Love)
• 1980 Best Musical Album for Children, In Harmony: A Sesame Street Record (multiple artist compilation to which Linda Ronstadt contributed "I Want a Horse," co-written and co-performed with Wendy Waldman)
• 1982 Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female, "Get Closer" (title track from Get Closer)
• 1982 Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female, "Get Closer" (title track from Get Closer)
• 1983 Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female, What's New
• 1985 Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female, Lush Life
• 1987 Album of the Year, Trio (with Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris)
• 1987 Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, "Somewhere Out There" (track from the soundtrack to An American Tail, with James Ingram)
• 1987 Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, Trio (album) (with Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris)
• 1988 Best Mexican-American Performance, Canciones de Mi Padre (album)
• 1989 Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female, Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind (album)
• 1989 Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, "Don't Know Much" (track from Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind, with Aaron Neville
• 1990 Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, "All My Life" (track from Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind, with Aaron Neville
• 1992 Best Mexican-American Album, Mas Canciones
• 1992 Best Tropical Latin Album, Frenesi
• 1996 Best Musical Album for Children, Dedicated to the One I Love
• 1999 Best Country Album, Trio II (with Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris)
• 1999 Best Country Collaboration with Vocals, "After the Gold Rush" (track from Trio II, with Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris)
• 1999 Best Contemporary Folk Album, Western Wall: The Tucson Sessions (with Emmylou Harris)
• 2002 Best Traditional Folk Album, Evangeline Made: A Tribute to Cajun Music (multiple artist compilation in which Linda Ronstadt appears on two tracks with Cajun guitarist and vocalist Ann Savoy)

Footnotes

Wikipedia information about Linda Ronstadt This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Linda Ronstadt". It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer). Help contribute to Americola and edit this article.