Linda Ronstadt facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Linda Ronstadt
Ronstadt in 1976
Background information
Birth name	Linda Maria Ronstadt
Born	(1946-07-15) July 15, 1946 (age 78) Tucson, Arizona, U.S.
Genres	Rock pop folk progressive country Latin
Occupation(s)	Singer musician record producer actress
Instruments	Vocals guitar
Years active	1965–2011
Labels	Capitol Asylum Elektra Verve Rhino

Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) is an American singer. She has performed and recorded many different types of music. These include rock, country, pop, and Latin music.

Linda Ronstadt has won many awards. She has 11 Grammy Awards, three American Music Awards, and an Emmy Award. Many of her albums have sold millions of copies. She was honored with the Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011. In 2016, she received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. She joined the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014. In 2019, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame with Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris. This was for their work as the group Trio.

Ronstadt released 24 studio albums. She had 38 songs on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. One of her songs, "You're No Good", reached number one. She also had success in the UK. Her duets "Somewhere Out There" and "Don't Know Much" were big hits. She has sung on over 120 albums with many artists. These include Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, and Neil Young. People often say she has one of the best voices of her time.

Linda Ronstadt stopped singing after 2000. She felt her voice was changing. She released her last solo album in 2004. Her last concert was in 2009. In 2011, she announced her retirement. She later shared that she could no longer sing. This was due to a health condition. She has since written a book about her life. A movie about her life was also released in 2019.

Early Life and Family Roots

Linda Maria Ronstadt was born in Tucson, Arizona, on July 15, 1946. She was the third of four children. Her father, Gilbert Ronstadt, was a successful businessman. Her mother, Ruth Mary, was a homemaker.

Linda grew up on her family's 10-acre ranch. Her siblings were Peter, Michael, and Gretchen. Her brother Peter later became the Chief of Police in Tucson.

Ronstadt Family History

Linda's father's family were early settlers in Arizona. They were of Mexican descent with German roots. Her great-grandfather, Friedrich August Ronstadt, came from Germany in the 1840s. He settled in Tucson. In 1991, Tucson's main bus station was named after Linda's grandfather, Federico José María Ronstadt. He was a wagon maker who helped the city's transportation.

Linda's mother's family had German, English, and Dutch roots. Her grandfather, Lloyd Groff Copeman, was a famous inventor. He held almost 700 patents. He invented early versions of the electric toaster and microwave oven. He also invented the flexible rubber ice cube tray.

Linda Ronstadt's Music Career

Linda Ronstadt started her professional career in the mid-1960s. She was part of the new folk rock and country rock music styles in California. These styles became very popular after the 1960s.

Early Bands and Solo Start

Linda first joined Bobby Kimmel and Kenny Edwards. She became the lead singer of their folk-rock trio, the Stone Poneys. Later, she started her solo career. Her first solo album was Hand Sown ... Home Grown in 1969. Some people call it the first alternative country record by a female artist. During these years, Linda toured with famous bands like the Doors and Neil Young. She also appeared on TV shows.

The Stone Poneys signed with Capitol Records in 1966. They released three albums. Their most famous song was "Different Drum". It became a big hit, reaching number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

After the Stone Poneys, Linda released her second solo album, Silk Purse, in 1970. It gave her first solo hit, "Long, Long Time". This song also earned her first Grammy nomination.

Touring and Collaborations

In the late 1960s, Linda started touring on her own. One of her early backing bands was Swampwater. Another band included Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Bernie Leadon, and Randy Meisner. These musicians later formed the famous band the Eagles. They toured with Linda in 1971. They also played on her third album, Linda Ronstadt.

Touring was tough for Linda. She once said, "they haven't invented a word for that loneliness that everybody goes through on the road." It was also hard for female singers in rock music at that time. Linda worked hard to be seen as a serious musician.

Linda started working with producer Peter Asher in 1973. He helped her take charge in the recording studio. Their partnership led to many successful albums.

Her Unique Vocal Style

Linda Ronstadt blended different music styles. She mixed country music with the sounds of Mexican ranchera music. She also brought these sounds into her rock and pop songs. This mix of country and rock was called country rock. Linda helped make this style popular.

Some people criticized her for mixing genres. But Linda never put herself into one category. She stuck to her unique style.

Linda is known for singing songs by other artists and making them her own. She has a wide vocal range. She can sing from low notes (contralto) to high notes (soprano). She was the first female artist to have four platinum albums in a row. A platinum album means it sold over a million copies. She helped new audiences discover songs by artists like Buddy Holly and Elvis Costello.

The Most Successful Female Singer of the 1970s

Linda Ronstadt became a huge star in the 1970s. She was called the "First Lady of Rock" and the "Queen of Rock." She sold out large concert venues. Cashbox magazine named her the top-selling female singer of the 1970s.

Her album covers and photos were also very famous. She appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine six times.

In 1975, her album Heart Like a Wheel reached number one on the Billboard charts. It sold over two million copies. Her song "You're No Good" became a number one hit. She won her first Grammy Award for "I Can't Help It (If I'm Still in Love with You)".

Her album Prisoner in Disguise (1975) also sold over a million copies. In 1976, Hasten Down the Wind won her another Grammy.

In 1977, Simple Dreams was number one for five weeks. It sold over 3.5 million copies. This was a record for a female artist at the time. It included hits like "Blue Bayou" and "It's So Easy". Linda became the first female artist to have two songs in the Top Ten at the same time.

By 1978, Linda was "America's best-known female rock singer." Her album Living in the USA was the first album ever to ship two million copies before it was even released. It sold three million copies in the U.S.

From Rock to Operetta

In 1980, Linda released Mad Love. It was a rock album with new wave influences. It included songs by Elvis Costello.

Linda also tried acting on Broadway. She starred in The Pirates of Penzance in 1981. She received a nomination for a Tony Award for her performance. She also appeared in the movie version of the operetta.

Exploring New Musical Styles

Linda Ronstadt always wanted to try new things in music. In the early 1980s, she worked with conductor Nelson Riddle. They recorded three albums of classic pop songs from the "Great American Songbook." These albums, What's New (1983), Lush Life (1984), and For Sentimental Reasons (1986), were very successful. What's New sold over three million copies. This helped introduce these older songs to a new generation.

In 2004, Linda released Hummin' to Myself. This was her first traditional jazz album with a small band.

"Trio" Recordings

Linda Ronstadt, Dolly Parton, and Emmylou Harris were good friends. They decided to record an album together. Their first attempt in 1978 didn't work out. But in 1986, they finally recorded Trio. It was a huge hit, selling over three million copies. It won them a Grammy Award. They released a second album, Trio II, in 1999.

Canciones de Mi Padre

In 1987, Linda released Canciones de Mi Padre. This album was a collection of traditional Mexican folk songs. These songs were a big part of her family's history. Her aunt, Luisa Espinel, had published a booklet of songs with the same name. Linda's album was a tribute to her father and his family.

Canciones de Mi Padre won a Grammy Award. It sold over two million copies in the U.S. This made it the best-selling non-English-language album in U.S. music history. Linda also performed a stage show based on the album. It was shown on PBS and won her an Emmy Award.

She recorded two more Latin music albums: Mas Canciones (1991) and Frenesí (1992). Both won Grammy Awards.

Returning to Pop and Roots Music

In the late 1980s, Linda returned to mainstream pop music. In 1987, her duet with James Ingram, "Somewhere Out There", was a big hit. It was from the animated movie An American Tail.

In 1989, she released Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind. This album was very successful. It included duets with Aaron Neville, "Don't Know Much" and "All My Life". These songs won them several Grammy Awards.

Linda continued to explore different music styles. She released Winter Light in 1993 and Feels Like Home in 1995. In 1996, she released Dedicated to the One I Love. This album featured classic rock songs as lullabies. It won a Grammy for Best Musical Album for Children.

In 1999, she released Western Wall: The Tucson Sessions with Emmylou Harris. It was a folk-rock album. In 2000, she released her first holiday album, A Merry Christmas.

In 2006, Linda teamed up with Ann Savoy as the ZoZo Sisters. They recorded Adieu False Heart. This album featured roots music. It was her last album before she stopped singing.

Retirement from Singing

In 2011, Linda Ronstadt announced her retirement. In 2013, she shared that she had Parkinson's disease. This condition affected her ability to sing. Later, doctors changed her diagnosis to progressive supranuclear palsy. Since then, she has continued to make public appearances and give talks.

Achievements and Recognition

On April 10, 2014, Linda Ronstadt was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2019, she was honored at the Kennedy Center Honors. In 2022, the Tucson Music Hall was renamed The Linda Ronstadt Music Hall in her honor.

Linda has three number-one pop albums and 10 top-ten pop albums. She has 38 albums that have charted on the Billboard Pop Album Charts. She also has 15 albums on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. Her songs have reached number one on the Hot Country Songs and Adult Contemporary charts.

She has released over 30 studio albums. She has also appeared on about 120 albums by other artists. These include Paul Simon and Philip Glass. She even voiced herself in an episode of The Simpsons.

Her biggest-selling studio albums are Simple Dreams (1977), What's New (1983), and Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind (1989). Each sold over three million copies. Her 1976 album Greatest Hits has sold over seven million copies.

Linda was the first major female artist to sell out large concert venues. She was the top-grossing solo female concert artist of the 1970s. Cashbox magazine named her the "#1 Female Artist of the Decade."

She has won 11 Grammy Awards in different music styles. These include Pop, Country, Latin, Children's Music, and Mexican-American. In 2016, she received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Personal Life

In the 1970s, Linda Ronstadt had a public relationship with Jerry Brown. He was the Governor of California at the time. She was also engaged to Star Wars creator George Lucas from 1983 to 1988.

Linda Ronstadt has never married. She adopted a daughter, Mary Clementine, in 1990. In 1994, she adopted a son, Carlos.

In the late 1980s, Linda moved from Los Angeles to San Francisco. She later moved back to her hometown of Tucson, Arizona, to raise her children. She now splits her time between San Francisco and Tucson.

In 2013, she published her autobiography, Simple Dreams: A Musical Memoir.

Political Views

Linda Ronstadt has shared her political views. In 2004, she spoke about the Iraq War and supported a documentary film. She dedicated a song to the filmmaker. Some people in the audience applauded, while others booed.

She has also spoken out against Arizona's immigration laws. She believes in fair treatment for immigrants. She has also supported environmental causes.

Awards and Nominations

Grammy Awards

• In 1981, the album In Harmony: A Sesame Street Record won a Grammy. Linda Ronstadt was one of the artists on it.

Latin Grammy Awards

Primetime Emmy Awards

Tony Awards

Golden Globe Awards

Other Awards

• 2007: Inducted into the Arizona Music & Entertainment Hall of Fame.
• 1974: Academy of Country Music - Best New Female Artist.
• 1987: Academy of Country Music - Album of the Year for Trio.
• 1988: Country Music Association - Vocal Event of the Year for Trio.
• 2008: American Latino Media Arts - Trailblazer Award.
• 2019: Kennedy Center Honors recipient.

Discography

Studio albums

Images for kids

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  Linda Ronstadt performing in 1978.

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  Linda Ronstadt with producer Peter Asher and her band in 1976.

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  Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris receiving honors from Berklee in 2009.

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  Jerry Brown had a public relationship with Linda Ronstadt in the late 1970s.

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  Linda Ronstadt at Six Flags Over Texas in 1981.

See also

In Spanish: Linda Ronstadt para niños