Linda Ronstadt – Biography, Songs, Albums, Discography & Facts
Linda Ronstadt Biography
Rock, country, light opera, the Great American Songbook, and Latin are just a few of the genres that American vocalist Linda Maria Ronstadt has performed and recorded in. Eleven Grammy Awards, three American Music Awards, two Academy of Country Music Awards, an Emmy Award, and an ALMA Award have all been bestowed to her. In the US and other countries, many of her albums have received gold, platinum, or multiplatinum certifications. Additionally, she has been nominated for a Tony Award and a Golden Globe. In 2011, the Latin Recording Academy gave her the Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2016, the Recording Academy gave her the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. In April 2014, she received her induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The National Medal of Arts and Humanities was given to her on July 28, 2014. For their work as the group Trio, she and Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris shared a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2019. The Kennedy Center Honors for lifelong artistic achievement were given to Ronstadt together with the other five honorees in 2019.
Linda Maria Ronstadt was born on July 15, 1946, in Tucson, Arizona. With Bobby Kimmel and Kenny Edwards, Ronstadt formed the folk-rock trio the Stone Poneys, launching her professional career in the middle of the 1960s at the forefront of California’s burgeoning folk-rock and country rock movements—genres that came to characterize the post-1960s rock music. In 1969, she went on to release Hand Sown… Home Grown as a solo artist, which has been dubbed the first alternative country record made by a female recording artist.
Ronstadt has released 15 greatest hits albums and 15 compilation albums. 38 of her hits were on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. One single (“You’re No Good”) and twenty-one of those singles in the top 40, the top ten, and the top 40, respectively. Ronstadt also had success in the UK, where two of her singles, “Blue Bayou” and “Somewhere Out There,” with James Ingram and Aaron Neville, respectively, peaked at numbers 8 and 2, as well as number 35 on the UK Singles charts. She has 36 albums on the US Billboard Pop Album Chart, ten in the top 10, and three at number one.
In addition to Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, Bette Midler, Billy Eckstine, Frank Zappa, Carla Bley (Escalator Over the Hill), Rosemary Clooney, Flaco Jiménez, Philip Glass, Warren Zevon, Gram Parsons, Neil Young, Paul Simon, Earl Scruggs, Johnny Cash, and Nelson Riddle, Ronstadt has worked with musicians from a variety of musical genres. She has contributed her voice to more than 120 albums, and more than 100 million recordings have been sold, making her one of the all-time best-selling musicians in the world. According to Christopher Loudon of Jazz Times, Ronstadt is “gifted with possibly the most magnificent set of pipes of her generation” in his 2004 article.
When Ronstadt noticed her voice weakening after 2000, she reduced her output. Her final full-length album was released in 2004 and she gave her final live performance in 2009. She made her retirement announcement in 2011 and soon after disclosed that she is no longer able to sing due to a degenerative ailment ultimately identified as progressive supranuclear palsy. Since then, Ronstadt has continued to appear in public, participating in several speaking tours in the 2010s. In September 2013, she released her memoir, Simple Dreams: A Musical Memoir. Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice, a biographical documentary, was published in 2019.
Linda Ronstadt Discography
| Living in the USA | |
| Simple Dreams | |
| Hasten Down the Wind | |
| Prisoner in Disguise | |
| Heart Like a Wheel | |
| Don’t Cry Now | |
| Linda Ronstadt | |
| Silk Purse | |
| Hand Sown … Home Grown |
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Frequently Asked Questions
Linda Ronstadt First Album?
Linda Ronstadt’s first album, “Hand Sown … Home Grown” was released in May of 1969. The album was recorded in Nashville and produced by Peter Asher. It featured country rock and folk rock songs, including “I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still in Love With You),” “Willin’,” and “Skip a Rope.” The album was not a commercial success, but it did receive critical acclaim. Ronstadt would go on to release more than 30 studio albums and receive multiple Grammy Awards.
When Was Linda Ronstadt’S First Album?
Linda Ronstadt’s first album, titled “Hand Sown … Home Grown”, was released in May of 1969. The album was produced by Peter Asher and featured songs written by Karla Bonoff, Lowell George, Neil Young, and J.D. Souther. The album did not gain much commercial success, but is now considered a classic of the country-rock genre.
What Is Linda Ronstadt Most Famous Song?
Linda Ronstadt’s most famous song is “You’re No Good.” The song was released in 1974 and reached number one on the Billboard Country chart. It also peaked at number thirty-one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
How Many Albums Did Linda Ronstadt Have?
Linda Ronstadt has released 27 studio albums, 3 live albums, and 15 compilations. She has sold over 100 million records worldwide. Linda’s successful recording career spans over four decades. She is a multi-Grammy Award winner and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April 2014.
Most Searched For Linda Ronstadt Songs
| It’s so Easy | |
| Blue Bayou | |
| When Will I Be Loved | |
| You’re No Good | |
| Willin’ | |
| That’ll Be the Day | |
| Tumbling Dice | |
| Desperado | |
| Just One Look | |
| Silver Threads And Golden Needles |