Linda Ronstadt
from WikiMusicGuide, the free music guide. Your music wiki.
Linda Ronstadt has sold nearly 70 million albums worldwide.[1]
Contents |
About
With roots in the Los Angeles country and folk-rock scenes, Linda Ronstadt became one of the most popular interpretive singers of the '70s, '80s and '90's, earning a string of platinum-selling albums and Top 40 singles. Throughout the '70s, her laid-back pop never lost sight of her folky roots, yet as she moved into the '80s, she began to change her sound with the times, adding new wave influences. After a brief flirtation with pre-rock pop, Ronstadt settled into a pattern of adult contemporary pop and Latin albums, sustaining her popularity in both fields.
While Ronstadt was a student at Arizona State University, 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, releasinging their first (self-titled) album in 1967. The band's second album, Evergreen, Vol. 2, featured the Top 20 hit "Different Drum," which was written by Michael Nesmith. After recording one more album with the group, Ronstadt left for a solo career at the end of 1968.
Ronstadt's first two solo albums -- Hand Sown... Home Grown (1969) and Silk Purse (1970) -- accentuated her country roots, featuring several honky tonk numbers. Released in 1971, her self-titled third album was a pivotal record in her career. Featuring a group of session musicians who would later form the Eagles, the album was a softer, more laid-back variation of the country-rock she had been recording. With the inclusion of songs from singer/songwriters like Jackson Browne, Neil Young, and Eric Anderson, Linda Ronstadt had folk-rock connections as well. Don't Cry Now, released in 1973, followed the same formula to greater success, yet it was 1974's Heart Like a Wheel that perfected the sound, making Ronstadt a star. Featuring the hit covers "You're No Good," "When Will I Be Loved," and "It Doesn't Matter Anymore," Heart Like a Wheel reached number one and sold over two million copies.
Released in the fall of 1975, Prisoner in Disguise followed the same pattern as Heart Like a Wheel and was nearly as successful. Hasten Down the Wind, released in 1976, suggested a holding pattern, even if it charted higher than Prisoner in Disguise. Simple Dreams (1977) expanded the formula by adding a more rock-oriented supporting band, which breathed life into the Rolling Stones' "Tumbling Dice" and Warren Zevon's "Poor Poor Pitiful Me." The record became the singer's biggest hit, staying on the top of the charts for five weeks and selling over three million copies. With Living in the USA (1978), Ronstadt began experimenting with new wave, recording Elvis Costello's "Alison"; the album was another number one hit. On 1980's Mad Love, she made a full-fledged new wave record, recording three Costello songs and adopting a synth-laden sound. While the album was a commercial success, it signalled that her patented formula was beginning to run out of steam. That suspicion was confirmed with 1982's Get Closer, her first album since Heart Like a Wheel to fail to go platinum.
Sensing it was time to change direction, Ronstadt starred in the Broadway production of Gilbert & Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance, as well as the accompanying movie. Pirates of Penzance led the singer to a collaboration with Nelson Riddle, who arranged and conducted her 1983 collection of pop standards What's New. While it received lukewarm reviews, it was a considerable hit, reaching number three on the charts and selling over two million copies. Ronstadt's next two albums -- Lush Life (1984) and For Sentimental Reasons (1986) -- were also albums of pre-rock standards recorded with Riddle.
At the end of 1986, Ronstadt returned to contemporary pop, recording "Somewhere Out There," the theme to the animated An American Tail, with James Ingram; the single became a number two hit. She also returned to her country roots in 1987, recording the Trio album with Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris. That same year, Ronstadt recorded Canciones de Mi Padre, a set of traditional Mexican songs that became a surprise hit. Two years later, she recorded Cry Like a Rainstorm - Howl Like the Wind -- her first contemporary pop album since 1982's Get Closer. Featuring four duets with Aaron Neville, including the number two hit "Don't Know Much," the album sold over two million copies. Ronstadt returned to traditional Mexican and Spanish material with Mas Canciones (1991) and Frenesi (1992). She returned to pop with 1994's Winter Light, which failed to generate a hit single, as did 1995's Feels Like Home. In 1996, she released the children's album Dedicated to the One I Love; We Ran and the second Ronstadt/Parton/Harris outing Trio II (released after sitting in the vaults for 10 years) followed in 1998. In 1999, Elektra records released the Linda Ronstadt Box Set, a four disc retrospective of Ronstadt's diverse career, which was filled with rarities and unrealeased tracks as well as hit singles and popular album cuts. The same year as Box Set came Western Wall - a duet record with Emmylou Harris that featured songs by writes as diverse as Sinead O'Connor, Patti Griffin, Jill Cunniff of Lucious Jackson, and Bruce Springsteen - and featured appearancces from long-time Ronstadt collaborators Neil Young, Kate and Anna McGarrigle, and Bearnie Leadon. Two years later, Ronstadt delivered the holiday collection A Merry Little Christmas. Another collection of standards, Hummin' to Myself, arrived in 2004 - followed by Adieu False Heart, a collaboration with Ann Savoy of the Savoy-Doucet Cajun Band in 2006.
Awards
| Year | Category | Song/Album | Award |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Best Female Country Vocal Performance | "I Can't Help It (If I'm Still In Love With You)" | Grammy Awards |
| 1976 | Best Female Pop Vocal Performance | Hasten Down The Wind | Grammy Awards |
| 1977 | Best Album Package | Simple Dreams (John Kosh, art director) | Grammy Awards |
| 1982 | Best Album Package | Get Closer (John Kosh & Ron Larson, art directors) | Grammy Awards |
| 1987 | Best Album Package | Lush Life (John Kosh & Ron Larson, art directors) | Grammy Awards |
| 1987 | Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal | Trio (Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris & Linda Ronstadt) | Grammy Awards |
| 1988 | Best Mexican-American/Tejano Music Performance | Canciones de mi Padre | Grammy Awards |
| 1989 | Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal | "Don't Know Much" (with Aaron Neville) | Grammy Awards |
| 1990 | Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal | "All My Life" (with Aaron Neville) | Grammy Awards |
| 1991 | Best Tropical Latin Performance | Frenesi | Grammy Awards |
| 1992 | Best Mexican-American/Tejano Music Performance | Mas Canciones | Grammy Awards |
| 1996 | Best Musical Album For Children | Dedicated to the One I Love | Grammy Awards |
| 1999 | Best Country Collaboration With Vocals | "After The Gold Rush" (Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris & Linda Ronstadt) | Grammy Awards |
News
Tours & Concerts
Announcements
Discography
Albums
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Digital-Only Releases
 |
 |
Compilations, Soundtracks & Live Releases
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Guest Appearancces
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
DVDs
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Selected Interviews
- Rolling Stone Cover Story, 1975
- Time Magazine Cover Story
- Rolling Stone Cover Story, 1978
- Rolling Stone Cover Story, 1980
- The Playboy Interview
Other artists
Similar artists
Influences
Contemporaries
Trivia
- Linda Ronstadt's Living in the USA was the first album in history to ship Double Platinum (2,000,000 units).
- Her Grandfather invented the grease gun, a prototype for the microwave, and many other important inventions.
- Linda Ronstadt's cousin is the musician David Lindley.
Magazine & Book Covers
 |
 |
 Peter Asher with Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor
|
 |
 Steve Martin with Linda Ronstadt and Gilda Radner
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
External Links
Categories: Artist | Rock | Country | Country Rock | Pop | Latin | New Wave | Jazz | Big Band | Afro-Cuban | Folk | Opera | Bluegrass