Linda Ronstadt

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Linda Ronstadt

Born: July 15, 1946
Tucson, Arizona, USA
Occupation: Singer, musician
Website: www.ronstadt-
linda.com

Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) is an 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.

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

Ronstadt was born in Tucson, Arizona. 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.[4] In her teens, Ronstadt was diagnosed with Hashimoto's thyroiditis, an autoimmune disease of the thyroid gland which has contributed to her weight gain over the years.

While Ronstadt was a student at the University of Arizona in Tucson, she met guitarist Bob Kimmel. The duo moved to Los Angeles, where guitarist/songwriter Kenny Edwards joined the pair. Calling themselves the Stone Poneys, the group became a leading attraction on California's folk circuit, recording their first album in 1967.

[edit] 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. [1] Her first solo hit single came in 1970, with the country rock crossover single, Long Long Time. She achieved her greatest commercial success during the 1970s, with a string of 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, circa 1983 photo from "What's New" LP inner sleeve and also used as the cover of her 4 CD retrospective titled "Box Set"
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Linda Ronstadt, circa 1983 photo from "What's New" LP inner sleeve and also used as the cover of her 4 CD retrospective titled "Box Set"

Her breakthrough year was 1974, when she released a series of hits beginning with the single You're No Good, followed by When Will I Be Loved, Heat Wave, That'll Be the Day, and It's So Easy. She reached number one on the Billboard magazine charts with her 1974 album Heart Like a Wheel, and followed that up with the number-one albums Simple Dreams in 1977 and Living in the U.S.A. in 1978. 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, and continued her streak of hits with Hurt So Bad, How Do I Make You?, and I Can't Let Go.

Throughout this period Ronstadt was perhaps the leading female sex symbol in rock music, reaching the peak of attention in 1976 when Rolling Stone published an alluring 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."

Ronstadt on the cover of Rolling Stone's issue of March 27, 1975
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Ronstadt on the cover of Rolling Stone's issue of March 27, 1975

Her work with producer Peter Asher from 1974 through the 1980s resulted in her greatest commercial success. By the end of the 1970s, Ronstadt had collected eight gold and four platinum certifications for her albums, a considerable feat at the time. She was often referred to then as the "highest paid woman in rock," able to command sell-out concerts in arenas 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, 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 rock music but also of having her own strong sense of discipline.

In addition to pop-rock hits such as her popular version of the Roy Orbison hit, "Blue Bayou", and 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, an album of Latin music, and an album of rock classics redone as lullabies. Her recording of three albums of pop standards with 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 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.

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 won a Grammy and provided four top-ten country singles. (They followed it up with a second album, Trio 2 in 1999.) Showing her versatility yet again, in 1996 Ronstadt released Dedicated to the One I Love, an album of children's music. In a career spanning four decades, she has recorded more than forty albums, her latest a return to her roots in pop-rock ballads. While she is known as an interpreter, Linda has written a few songs. Two of them have been recorded by other artists. "Winter Light" was recorded by Sarah Brightman, and Trisha Yearwood, a very vocal fan of Linda's, recorded "Try Me Again".

As of the end of 2005, Ronstadt had earned three No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200, a No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100, 10 Top 10 albums and 10 Top 10 singles. Her highest-selling studio albums are her 1977 release Simple Dreams, the 1983 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 3 million units shipped. 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 woman ever to have two Top 5 singles simultaneously on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 (December 1977).

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, Ariz., 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.

"Adieu, False Heart", an album with Ann Savoy released in summer 2006, has been well (if quietly) received [3].

[edit] 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. They had a 1980 presidential campaign. [4] In the 1980s, Ronstadt had a long relationship with director George Lucas. Despite association with several male celebrities over the years, she has never married, and on her own she adopted two children, Mary and Carlos.

As of late 2005, she lives in the Laurel Heights neighborhood of San Francisco. [5]

[edit] 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]

[edit] Albums

[edit] Singles

  • 1967: "Different Drum" (Stone Poneys f/Linda Ronstadt) US Pop #13
  • 1968: "Up To My Neck In High Muddy Water" (Linda Ronstadt & The Stone Poneys) US Pop #93
  • 1970: "Long Long Time" US Pop #25, US A/C #20
  • 1971: "(She's A) Very Lovely Woman/The Long Way Around" US Pop #70, US A/C #17
  • 1972: "Rock Me On The Water" US Pop #85
  • 1973: "Love Has No Pride" US Pop #51, US A/C #23
  • 1974: "Silver Threads And Golden Needles" US Pop #67, US Country #20
  • 1974: "You're No Good" US Pop #1, US A/C #10 / "I Can't Help It (If I'm Still In Love With You" US Country #2
  • 1975: "When Will I Be Loved" US Pop #2, US Country #1, US A/C #3 / "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" US Pop #47, US Country #54, US A/C #20
  • 1975: "Heat Wave" US Pop #5, US A/C #19 / "Love Is A Rose" US Pop #63, US Country #5
  • 1975: "The Tracks Of My Tears" US Pop #25, US Country #11, US A/C #4, UK #42 / "The Sweetest Gift" (w/Emmylou Harris) US Country #12
  • 1976: "That'll Be The Day" US Pop #11, US Country #27, US A/C #16
  • 1976: "Someone To Lay Down Beside Me" US Pop #42, US A/C #38 / "Crazy" US Country #6
  • 1977: "Lose Again" US Pop #76, US A/C #43
  • 1977: "Blue Bayou" US Pop #3, US Country #2, US A/C #3 <PLATINUM>, UK #35
  • 1977: "It's So Easy" US Pop #5, US Country #81, US A/C #37
  • 1978: "Poor Poor Pitiful Me" US Pop #31, US Country #46, US A/C #27
  • 1978: "Tumbling Dice" US Pop #32 / "I Never Will Marry" US Country #8; on the A/C chart both songs were listed together and peaked at #30
  • 1978: "Back In The U.S.A." US Pop #16, US Country #41, US A/C #30
  • 1978: "Ooh Baby Baby" (with David Sanborn on saxophone) US Pop #7, US Country #85, US A/C #2
  • 1979: "Just One Look" US Pop #44, US A/C #5 / "Love Me Tender" US Country #59
  • 1979: "Alison" US A/C #30, UK #66
  • 1980: "How Do I Make You" US Pop #10 / "Rambler Gambler" US Country #42
  • 1980: "Hurt So Bad" US Pop #8, US A/C #25
  • 1980: "I Can't Let Go" US Pop #31, US A/C #48
  • 1982: "Get Closer" US Pop #29 / "Sometimes You Just Can't Win" (w/J.D. Souther) US Country #27
  • 1982: "I Knew You When" US Pop #37, US Country #84, US A/C #29, UK #90
  • 1983: "Easy For You To Say" Pop #54, A/C #7
  • 1983: "What's New" (w/Nelson Riddle Orchestra) US Pop #53, US A/C #5
  • 1983: "I've Got A Crush On You" (w/Nelson Riddle Orchestra) US A/C #7
  • 1984: "Skylark" US Pop #101, US A/C #12
  • 1985: "When I Fall In Love" US A/C #24
  • 1986: "Somewhere Out There" (w/James Ingram) US Pop #2, US A/C #4 <GOLD>, UK #8
  • 1987-88: Singles from the Trio projects with Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris:
"To Know Him, Is To Love Him" US Country #1
"Telling Me Lies" US Country #3, US A/C #35
"Those Memories Of You" US Country #5
"Wildflowers" US Country #6
  • 1989: "Don't Know Much" (w/Aaron Neville) US Pop #2, US A/C #1 <GOLD>, UK #2
  • 1990: "All My Life" (w/Aaron Neville) US Pop #11, US A/C #1, UK #96
  • 1990: "When Something Is Wrong With My Baby" (w/Aaron Neville) US Pop #78, US A/C #5
  • 1990: "Adios" US A/C #9
  • 1991: "Dreams To Dream" US A/C #13
  • 1992: "Close Your Eyes" (w/Aaron Neville) US A/C #38
  • 1993: "Heartbeats Accelerating" US Pop #112, US A/C #31
  • 1994: "Oh No Not My Baby" US A/C #35
  • 1995: "The Blue Train" US A/C #31
  • 1995: "A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes" US Pop #101

[edit] 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.

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ Playboy. Playboy Interview: Linda Ronstadt. Retrieved on October 29, 2006.
  2. ^ New York Magazine. Linda Ronstadt, Pirate Queen. Retrieved on October 29, 2006.
  3. ^ Linda Ronstadt.com. Songs From Her Heart. Retrieved on October 30, 2006.
  4. ^ Rolling Stone. The Rolling Stone Interview. Retrieved on October 29, 2006.
  5. ^ San Fransisco Chronicle. Linda Ronstadt, at 60, is back in San Francisco, raising kids, and singing what she wants to sing. Retrieved on November 12, 2006.

[edit] External links

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