Linda Ronstadt Biography

Her laid-back music stayed true to her folky beginnings during the 1970s, but as the decade progressed, she began to alter her sound to fit the times, including new wave elements. Ronstadt fell into a pattern of adult current pop and Latin records after a brief flirtation with pre-rock music, maintaining her success in both sectors. She originally joined a band named the Stone Poneys, which quickly rose to prominence on the California folk scene, producing their debut album in 1967. Michael Nesmith wrote the Top 20 song Different Drum, which appeared on the band's second album, Evergreen, Vol. 2. Hand Sown Home Grown (1969) and Silk Purse (1970), Linda Ronstadt's first two solo albums, emphasized her country origins with numerous honky-tonk songs. Her self-titled third album, released in 1971, was a watershed moment in her career. The album was a softer, more laid-back variant of the country-rock she had been making, including a group of session musicians who would eventually form the Eagles. Linda Ronstadt's album has folk-rock ties due to the inclusion of songs by singer/songwriters such as Jackson Browne, Neil Young, and Eric Anderson. Even though Don't Cry Now, published in 1973, followed the same concept to greater success, it was Heart Like a Wheel, released in 1974, that mastered the sound. Heart Like a Wheel achieved number one and sold over two million copies, featuring the smash songs You're No Good, When Will I Be Loved, and It Doesn't Matter Anymore. Prisoner in Disguise, released in the fall of 1975, followed the same formula as Heart Like a Wheel and was nearly as popular. Even though it charted higher than Prisoner in Disguise, Hasten Down the Wind, released in 1976, showed a holding trend. Simple Dreams (1977) included a more rock-oriented accompanying band, giving Tumbling Dice by the Rolling Stones and Warren Zevon's Poor Poor Pitiful Me a new lease on life. The song became the singer's biggest hit, spending five weeks at the top of the charts. Ronstadt began dabbling with a new wave with Living in the United States of America (1978), recording Elvis Costello's Alison, which became another number one hit. Mad Love, released in 1980, was her first full-fledged new wave album, with three Costello songs and a synth-laden sound. While the record was a financial success, it also indicated that her proprietary recipe was losing steam. Get Closer, her first album since Heart Like a Wheel, failed to achieve platinum, confirming that notion. Ronstadt decided it was time for a change and appeared in the Broadway production of Gilbert and Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance, as well as the film adaptation. The success of Pirates of Penzance led to a partnership with Nelson Riddle, who orchestrated and conducted her 1983 pop classics album, What's New. Despite receiving mixed reviews, it was a big smash, reaching number three on the charts and selling more than two million copies. Lush Life (1984) and For Sentimental Reasons (1986), Ronstadt's following two albums, were likewise pre-rock standards done with Riddle. Ronstadt returned to modern pop towards the end of 1986, collaborating with James Ingram on the song Somewhere Out There, the theme to the animated film An American Tail, which went on to become a number two success. In 1987, she recorded the Trio album with Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris, returning to her country roots. Ronstadt released Canciones de Mi Padre, a collection of traditional Mexican songs, the same year, and it became an unexpected smash. Cry Like a Rainstorm - Howl Like the Wind, her first current pop album since 1982's Get Closer, was released two years later. The album sold over two million copies and featured four duets with Aaron Neville, including the number two single Don't Know Much. With Mas Canciones (1991) and Frenesi (1992), Ronstadt returned to traditional Mexican and Spanish songs (1992). She returned to music with Winter Light in 1994, but neither it nor 1995's Feels Like Home produced a breakthrough single. She published the children's album Dedicated to the One I Love in 1996, and the album We Ran in 1998. Ronstadt released the holiday compilation A Merry Little Christmas two years later.

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