First Artist to Top The Pop, Country, And R&B Charts Simultaneously

Linda Ronstadt | Biography 2021

Former Member of Folk Rock Trio Stone Poneys

• By Puja Bhetwal
• Update : July 23, 2021

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Linda Maria Ronstadt is a retired American singer who has been performing and recording in various genres, including rock, luminous, and Latin. She has sold more than 100 albums worldwide.

Who is Linda Ronstadt?

Ronstadt is regarded as one of the most creatively multi-dimensional recording artists of the last 50 years. She has sung on over 120 albums, sold over 100 million records globally, and has at least 31 gold and platinum records under her belt. In addition, she has received 11 Grammy Awards and 27 Grammy nominations, two Country Music Awards, and an Emmy.

Ronstadt rose to fame as a solo artist after working with Rock trio Stone Poneys in the 1960s. Heart Like a Wheel, her breakthrough album from 1974, won her the first of her 11 ‘Grammy Awards.’ Ronstadt has been praised for her ability to adapt to various musical styles, releasing albums with pop, rock, jazz, and Spanish-language classics elements. Ronstadt announced in 2011 that she was unable to sing due to the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. In 2013, she released her memoir ‘Simple Dreams.’

How Old is Lind Ronstadt?

Ronstadt was born in Tucson, Arizona, on 15 July 1946. Her father, Gilbert Ronstadt, was a prominent businessman of German, Mexican, and English ancestry, and her mother, Ruth Mary Copeman, was of English, German, and Dutch ancestry. Linda grew up singing mariachi songs with her family after dinners in Tucson, about 37 miles from the Mexican border.

From a young age, Ronstadt was paid for singing which was enough to sustain her basic livelihood. She used to perform in a variety of settings, including pizza parlors, beatnik dives, and other oddities.

Later, Ronstadt met local folk musician Bob Kimmel when she was studying at Catalina High School. Kimmel, who was a few years Ronstadt’s senior, eventually moved to Los Angeles to pursue his music career and sought to persuade Ronstadt to follow the same path. But Ronstadt remained in Tucson and enrolled at the University of Arizona. Eventually, she dropped out to join Kimmel in Los Angeles.

In 1967, Ronstadt and Kimmel formed the Stone Poneys with Kenny Edwards, and the folk trio released their first album, The Stone Poneys. The group’s second album, Evergreen Vol. 2, was also released in 1967 and was a modest success. 

Solo Career

The two first solo albums of Linda, Hand Sow, Home Grown (1969), and Silk Purse (1970) emphasized her country roots and kept her at the forefront of the emerging country-rock and folk-rock movements in California. 

Ronstadt had become a solo performer by the end of the 1960s. In 1971, she was nominated for the ‘Grammy Awards’ for the ballad ‘Long, Long Time.’ 

Stardom

While her fourth solo album, Don’t Cry Now, released in 1973, was a greater hit, his next album Heart Like a Wheel, released in 1974, launched Linda Ronstadt’s career to a bigger audience. Heart Like a Wheel eventually reached number one and sold over two million copies to be deemed as platinum. The album featured the hit covers ‘You’re No Good,’ ‘When Will I Be Loved,’ and ‘It Doesn’t Matter Anymore.’ 

Her sixth album, Prisoner in Disguise, which was released in the fall of 1975 and was almost as popular as Heart Like a Wheel, followed the same trend as her previous two albums. The sixth album was outsold by the seventh, Hasten Down the Wind, which was released in 1976. The album included her version of the Smokey Robinson classic ‘The Tracks of My Tear and a Neil Young cover of ‘Love Is a Rose.’

In 1977, her next album, Simple Dreams, featured her famous covers of Buddy Holly’s ‘It’s So Simple,’ Warren Zevon’s ‘Poor Poor Pitiful Me,’ and The Rolling Stones’ ‘Tumbling Dice,’ as well as the Roy Orbison-penned’ Blue Bayou.’ 

After that, Ronstadt continued to top the charts with Living in the USA (1978), which featured her cover of Smokey Robinson’s ‘Ooh Baby Baby,’ and then with her successful tenth album Mad Love (1979).

Ronstadt also leaped to Broadway in 1980, starring in the operetta Pirates of Penzance, for which she was nominated for a ‘Tony Award.’ Linda also appeared in the film adaptation of the show, which was released after the show’s long run on Broadway.

Later career 

Ronstadt then began her most ambitious project, a collaboration with veteran conductor Nelson Riddle, who organized and conducted her 1983 traditional pop standards album collections: What’s New (1983), Lush Life (1984), and For Sentimental Reasons (1985). In 1987, she released the album Trio with Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris, which produced four massive country hits, including ‘To Know Him Is to Love Him’ and a remake of Phil Spector’s 1958 hit ‘The Teddy Bears.’ The album spent five weeks at the top of the Country charts, received several music award nominations, and earned a ‘Grammy Award’ in the category of ‘Best Country Performance.’ 

In the same year, Ronstadt explored her Hispanic roots by recording Canciones de Mi Padre (1987), a Spanish-language album packed with traditional Mexican songs similar to the ones her father cherished. In 1989, she won an ‘Emmy Award’ for her role in the same-named stage show and released the multi-platinum album Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind, which featured the hit duet with American R&B and soul singer Aaron Neville’s ‘Don’t Know Anything.’

Ronstadt then experimented with various musical styles with two more Spanish-language albums, Mas Canciones (1991) and Frenes (1992). Then, in 1996, she released To the One I Love, which was a reinvention of classic rock to lullabies. After that, Linda released her holiday collection A Merry Little Christmas two years later, in 2002.

Her first jazz album, Hummin’ to Myself, was released in 2004 on Verve Records and received universal acclaim. She later performed a series of pop and rock favorites as children’s lullabies, and she collaborated with Ann Savoy in the Grammy-nominated album Adieu False Heart (2006).

Legacy and Achievements 

In April 2014, Ronstadt was inducted into the ‘Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’ for her legendary career. Despite being unable to attend the ceremony because of illness, she could visit the White House in July of the same year to receive the National Medal of Arts from then-President Barack Obama.

Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice, a documentary on her life and career, was released in 2019. The documentary went on to win the ‘Best Music Film’ award in the Grammy Award ceremony 2021. The same year, she also received a ‘Kennedy Center Honors; that year. Carrie Underwood and Trisha Yearwood performed some of the honoree’s best hits at the Kennedy Center Honors in December 2019.

In October 2020, Ronstadt earned the ‘Hispanic Heritage Award’ for both her pop music and her successful mariachi albums, as well as her thoughts on Hispanic culture in the United States.

Hearing Issue

In the year 2000, Ronstadt had trouble singing, and she assumed the headphones she was using were malfunctioning.

In an April 2020 interview with CNN, the legendary singer said, “I couldn’t hear the top end of my voice. I couldn’t hear the part that I used to get in tune.” Her throat would tighten, and it would feel as if she had a cramp. She continued, revealing that this was the first sign that something was wrong with her health.

Later, Ronstadt was prepared for her farewell show in 2009, which she knew would’ve been her last performance because of her failing health. During the show, she presented tracks from her 1987 album ‘Canciones de Mi Padre,’ which pays respect to her Mexican culture in San Antonio, Texas.

“Literally my entire career flashed in front of my eyes. I remembered every show I’d ever done,” Ronstadt recalled about the moment.

Parkinson’s Disease 

Unfortunately, her health symptoms grew worse in the following years. Ronstadt struggled to accomplish simple activities such as cleaning her teeth, besides suffering from excruciating back pain. 

Later, the artist accepted an offer from Simon & Schuster, a publishing house, to write a book to compensate for lost tour earnings. She then put herself to work, typing down her life tale despite her fingers’ refusal to cooperate. 

Later, Ronstadt finally consulted a neurologist after a friend noticed her unsteady hands. She was then diagnosed with a Parkinson’s illness ( Progressive supranuclear palsy) in December 2012, just as she was completing her book.

Effect on Ronstadt Health

According to Ronstadt, the most challenging aspect of having a brain disorder is losing autonomy when motor control deteriorates and everything takes on a new meaning.

Eventually, she had to figure out how to navigate life without her singing voice, and she’s had to do so in various ways. “Eating is hard ... I’ve had to relearn how to eat. You could carve a new brain map if you’re patient and willing to do that, but it’s hard, she shared in an interview.

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, patients with this motion disability have trouble keeping balance and managing speech, eye movement, and mood. They also have frequent falls because of their growing loss of movement.

‘Simple Dreams’- Autobiography 

In her memoir, ‘Simple Dreams’ (2013), Ronstadt delves into the beautiful elements of her life, including her journey to becoming a music icon. The Spanish version of the book is titled ‘Suenos Sencillos–Memorias Musicales.’

Ronstadt, whose forty-five-year career has embraced a wide range of musical styles, pulls together a riveting story by tracing the timeline of her incredible life in the biography. The book weaves a captivating storyline from her upbringing in Tucson, Arizona, to her rise to celebrity in the Southern California music scene of the 1960s and 1970s. 

The biography also explains the colorful journey that led to her long-lasting popularity and the interesting backstories of her well-known songs.

Documentaries

In early 2019, Ronstadt launched ‘Live in Hollywood,’ an archival album capturing a concert she delivered in 1980 that was broadcasted exclusively on HBO.

The same year, a documentary directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman titled Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice was released. The reel premiered on 6 September 2019, that looked back on Ronstadt’s illustrious career.

Similarly, in October 2020, a brand-new documentary titled Linda and The Mockingbirds was released digitally. The film explores Ronstaher nearly 30-year affiliation with Los Cenzontles Cultural Arts Academy, a Bay Area-based educational group that teaches young Mexican Americans about their ancestral land’s musical dance.

Net Worth

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Ronstadt has an estimated net worth of $130million as of 2020. 

Personal Life

Ronstadt’s personal life became public discussions and tabloid stories as her celebrity status expanded.

Is Linda Ronstadt Married?

Although the iconic singer never got married, she has dated several celebrities from the entertainment world.

Ronstadt once dated John Boylan, a Grammy Award-winning album producer. The pair began dating in 1970, and the couple soon became serious about their relationship. 

According to a January 2021 report from Amomama, Boylan later acted as Ronstadt’s manager, and the two would eventually move in together. Later, the two eventually broke up and went separate ways.

In 1972, Ronstadt began dating rock singer JD Souther. They dated for two years before deciding to live together. The two collaborated on several songs at that time, including ‘Faithless Love’ and ‘Hearts Against the Wind.’ But despite their impressive undertakings, Ronstadt’s fairytale was short-lived once more as the pair parted ways in 1974. They did, however, maintain good relations.

Following her breakup with Souther, Ronstadt began dating actor Albert Brooks in the same year. Brooks and the iconic singer dated for two years before ending their relationship in 1976.

Then during the late 1970s, her association with then-Governor of California Jerry Brown piqued public curiosity in her personal life. Ronstadt and Brown shared the cover of Newsweek magazine in April 1979 and featured on the covers of Us Weekly and People magazines.

After her breakup with Brown, Ronstadt dated actor Bill Murray and later moved in together.

In 1983, she dated actor and comedian Jim Carrey for eight months before breaking up. 

The same year, she then became engaged to director George Lucas, but the couple split up in 1988 after five years of relationship.

In 1989, Ronstadt started dating musician Aaron Neville. However, in 1992, Ronstadt and Neville called it quits.

Children

Ronstadt has never been married, despite her many high-profile relationships. She did, however, adopt two children on her own: daughter Mary Clementine in December 1990, and son Carlos in 1994.