Description

Linda Ronstadt began as the clear-voiced, country-influenced singer for '60s folk-rockers the Stone Poneys, where she covered tunes by the likes of Mike Nesmith and Tim Buckley. That knack for choosing material served her well in the second half of the '70s, when she became a pop superstar interpreting songs by everyone from Dave Edmunds and Elvis Costello to Chuck Berry and Roy Orbison. Subsequently, she showed her diversity by cutting albums of jazz standards, traditional Mexican music, and pure country

Biography

b. Linda Maria Ronstadt, 15 July 1946, Tucson, Arizona, USA. The daughter of a professional musician, Ronstadt's first singing experience was gained with her sisters in the Three Ronstadts. She met guitarist Bob Kimmel at Arizona's State University and together the two aspirants moved to Los Angeles, where they were joined by songwriter Kenny Edwards. Taking the name the Stone Poneys, the trio became popular among the city's folk fraternity and had a US Top 20 hit with "Different Drum". Ronstadt embarked on a solo career in 1968. Her early solo albums, Hand Sown ... Home Grown and Silk Purse, signalled a move towards country-flavoured material, albeit of a more conservative nature. The singer's third album marked a major turning point and featured a core of excellent musicians, including Don Henley, Glen Frey, Bernie Leadon and Randy Meisner, who subsequently formed the Eagles. The content emphasized a contemporary approach, with songs by Neil Young, Jackson Browne and Eric Anderson, and the set established Ronstadt as a force in Californian rock.
The artist's subsequent two albums showed the dichotomy prevalent in her music. Don't Cry Now was largely undistinguished, chiefly because the material was weaker, while Heart Like A Wheel, paradoxically given to Ronstadt's former label to complete contractual obligations, was excellent. This platinum-selling set included "You're No Good", a US number 1 pop hit, and a dramatic version of Hank Williams' "I Can't Help It", which won Ronstadt a Grammy Award for best female country vocal. This highly successful release set the pattern for the singer's work throughout the rest of the decade. Her albums were now carefully constructed to appease both the rock and country audiences, mixing traditional material, singer-songwriter angst and a handful of rock 'n' roll/soul classics, be they from Motown Records ("Heat Wave"), Roy Orbison ("Blue Bayou") or Buddy Holly ("That'll Be The Day"). Despite effusive praise from the establishment media and a consistent popularity, this predictable approach resulted in lethargy, and although Mad Love showed a desire to break the mould, Ronstadt was increasingly trapped in an artistic cocoon.
The singer's work during the 80s has proved more divergent. Her performance in Joseph Papp's production of The Pirates Of Penzance drew favourable reviews, although her subsequent role in the more demanding La Boheme was less impressive. Ronstadt also undertook a series of releases with veteran arranger/conductor Nelson Riddle, which resulted in three albums - What's New, Lush Life and For Sentimental Reasons - consisting of popular standards. In 1987 a duet with James Ingram-produced "Somewhere Out There", the theme to the movie An American Tail; this gave her a number 2 US hit (UK Top 10) hit, while that same year her collaboration with Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris, Trio, and a selection of mariachi songs, Canciones De Mi Padre, showed an artist determined to challenge preconceptions. Her 1989 set, Cry Like A Rainstorm, revealed a crafted approach to mainstream recording and included "Don't Know Much", a haunting duet with Aaron Neville, which gave Linda Ronstadt another number 2 hit in the USA (and the UK). The highly acclaimed Winter Light was produced by herself and George Massenburg, and came across as a personal and highly emotional album. Ronstadt, while hugely popular and successful, has never been truly recognized by the cognoscenti. Her change in styles may have been a contributing factor. She has courted (with great success) country rock, country, rock 'n' roll, Latin, standards, opera, light opera, AOR and white soul. In 1996 she was firmly in the middle of the road with Dedicated To The One I Love, an album of lullabies and love songs "for the baby you love ages 1 to 91", although this was redressed in 1998 with the more familiar We Ran. The following year Ronstadt reunited with Parton and Harris for a second Trio album, and with the latter for an excellent duo album.
DISCOGRAPHY: Hand Sown ... Home Grown (Capitol 1969)**, Silk Purse (Capitol 1970)**, Linda Ronstadt (Capitol 1971)**, Don't Cry Now (Asylum 1973)***, Heart Like A Wheel (Capitol 1974)****, Prisoner In Disguise (Asylum 1975)***, Hasten Down The Wind (Asylum 1976)***, Simple Dreams (Asylum 1977)***, Living In The USA (Asylum 1978)**, Mad Love (Asylum 1980)**, Get Closer (Asylum 1982)**, What's New (Asylum 1983)***, Lush Life (Asylum 1984)***, For Sentimental Reasons (Asylum 1986)***, with Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton Trio (Warners 1987)****, Canciones De Mi Padre (Elektra 1987)***, Cry Like A Rainstorm - Howl Like The Wind (Elektra 1989)***, Mas Canciones (Elektra 1991)***, Frenesi (Elektra 1992)***, Winter Light (Elektra 1993)****, Feels Like Home (Warners 1995)***, Dedicated To The One I Love (Elektra 1996)*, We Ran (Elektra 1998)**, with Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton Trio II (Asylum 1999)***, with Emmylou Harris Western Wall/The Tucson Sessions (Asylum 1999)***, Merry Little Christmas (Elektra 2000)**, Cristal: Glass Music Through The Ages (Sony Classical 2002)***.
COMPILATIONS: Different Drum includes five Stone Poneys tracks (Capitol 1974)**, Greatest Hits: Linda Ronstadt (Asylum 1976)****, A Retrospective (Capitol 1977)***, Greatest Hits: Linda Ronstadt Volume 2 (Asylum 1980)***, Linda Ronstadt 4-CD box set (Elektra 1999)***, The Very Best Of Linda Ronstadt (Rhino 2002)****, Jardin Azul/Las Canciones (Rhino 2004)**.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Linda Ronstadt: A Portrait, Richard Kanakaris. The Linda Ronstadt Scrapbook, Mary Ellen Moore. Linda Ronstadt, Vivian Claire. Linda Ronstadt: An Illustrated Biography, Connie Berman. Linda Ronstadt: It's So Easy, Mark Bego.

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