Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Great Women - Linda Ronstadt

linda ronstadt

I do notice that my music collection is rather testosterone driven, filled with male singers. But that doesn't mean I don't appreciate some great female singers, and one of those is Linda Ronstadt. From her days with the Stone Ponies to now, the woman has a magnificent gift with that voice of hers. I remember when she was singing country-fried rock, pop, rock, standards, Mexican music for her father, to the amazing things she did with Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris in Trio.

linda ronstadt linda ronstadt linda ronstadt
Trio - Linda Ronstadt, Dolly Parton & Emmylou Harris linda ronstadt

She was a pinup girl in the 70s, he posters selling along side Farrah Fawcett. Her albums sold huge numbers, combining great music and outrageous vocals. She covered Roy Orbison and The Rolling Stones with ease. I can ever be sure which album is my favorite, it could be Simple Dreams, Hasten Down The Wind, or Prisoner In Disguise. Here is a clip from a live concert, Linda singing Down So Low from Hasten Down The Wind.



But I have to say, I do love Blue Bayou. It is from the album Simple Dreams, and it showcased her control and exquisite phrasing. Not an easy song, and she delivers just perfectly.



Linda Ronstadt has no official website, but there is a rather complete unofficial page.

5 comments:

  1. One of my all-time faves. I literally have everything she's recorded from country rock to rock to country to bluegrass to big band to Mexican folk songs to pop and back again.

    Love her.

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  2. I love Trio! But then I am a huge Dolly Partonn fan... Linda too... heck, I like all three members of Trio. They harmonized so well together!

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  3. Linda always make me think of my childhood, back when she was dating the then governor of California. And of daycare. There was one male teacher who would say, "You know you love me," and I would sing Linda's remake of the Buddy Holly song, "That'll Be the Day" in response.

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  4. Once again! :-) I have everything she's recorded! Love her!

    Also quite a bit of Emmylou and some Dolly and really like them all. HUGE fan of Bonnie Raitt and have all her stuff as well as Joan Osborne. Have you heard her recordings of "Man in the Long Black Coat" and "St. Teresa"?

    Then there's Carole King, Tracy Chapman, Janis Joplin, Billie Holiday, Tracy Nelson, Irma Thomas, Marcia Ball, Joan Baez, Nora Jones, Sheryl Crow, Joni Mitchell, Shawn Colvin, Maura O'Connell, Amy Winehouse, Adele, Jonell Mosser, k. d. Lang, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Melissa Etheridge, Patsy Cline, Alison Krauss, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Stevie Nicks, and Tina Turner on my shelves. More but I had to stop because I'm rambling on too long again.

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  5. Bob and DMappin, I, too, have most of what she has recorded. She is incredible.

    Kailyn, that sounds suspiciously like he was hitting on you, so glad you could find strength in Linda. LOL

    Joy, that is an amazing list. Joan's St Teresa is brilliant - much of her stuff is. I would lose my gay card if I didn't mention Barbra Streisand [my first LP purchase], Ann Wilson of Heart, and countless others.

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