I've been a big fan of Linda Ronstadt ever since I first heard her version of "Silver Threads and Golden Needles" along about 1970, but country rock was birthed at Sam Phillips' Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee, during the period from 1952-1955. Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis were rocking country songs while Linda was still in grade school.
Ben
Some days it takes most of the day for me to do practically nothing...
liked and do like Ronstadts performances, being involved in California politics during her run with Fairy Gerry i couldn't really give her politics a pass. though the difference in a conservative giving or not giving a liberal a pass is vastly different then vice versa. i always tried to be civil to Gerry/Linda but it wasn't by any stretch of the imagination was that civility returned. still have fond memories though of the back seat , on a warm summer night listening to her sing.
the consolidation of the states into one vast republic, sure to be aggressive abroad and despotic at home, will be the certain precursor of that ruin which has overwhelmed all those that have preceded. Robert E Lee ~Molɔ̀ːn Labé Skýla~
In high school, we use to go over into Georgetown, and could get into a place that her and the Stone Ponys had a gig going on for long term. She was quite the singer.. always a favorite of mine also...
Saw her also in college when she had that song, "Like a Heat Wave" as a big hit...
She was playing at Tanglewood out in the Berkshires in Massachusetts, which is owned by the Boston Pops back where Arthur Fieddler was directing them....it was in October and it was already getting pretty cool in the evening...
She came out and the first song she sang was her "Heat Wave Hit".. she was wearing cut offs and a bikini top and an open sweater... which she took off....
At the end of the song, where she finishes the last line "LIke a Heat Wave", the lights went out on stage. And a lone spot light comes on and follows a lone yellow bikini top like she was wearing at it goes flying out into the crowd....it is caught by some guy and those around him start wrestling for "her bikini top" as the spotlight focuses on it....
Then the stage lights came back on, and here is Linda still standing with her bikini top on, which twirling another just like it with her finger....and she calls to the audience "Fooled them, didn't we girls?"
The audience went wild, and from that moment on, she had the entire audience in the palm of her hand...
She was quite the performer if you ever had the luck of seeing her live.
and I just ignored her later politics....which you wonder, if a lot of artists "adopt" the liberal lefts ideology just strictly for the sales it brings them....
sad that she can no longer sing, or really even stand and has to use a walker to get around....
late 60s and early 70s, there were a lot of we guys that she was one of the biggest of our fantasy gals...
Agreed, little Bro had a poster of her on his wall when I was a kid, damn near had to go slam my pekus is a sock drawer to get my mind right every time I walked by and saw it, she was HOTT!
The tortilla spread is the price of her hispanic heritage Which was also necessary to be able to make the music she did....
She has always been one of my favorite performers. I remember one interview where she described her vocal training, which included 8 hr days of vocal exercises for years. She worked hard to achieve that level of performance, and I respect that.
I think they (and the Byrds before that) influenced the hell out of things, and didn't get the recognition they deserved. For a "country crossover" sound, THIS beats the Eagles in my opinion.
Linda was extremely talented and had looks to match. Whoever posted that they give her and Willie a pass spoke for me too. Parkinson's sucks, and I wouldn't wish that on her.
Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery. --Winston Churchill
I saw her live in 1973 in lafayette, LA . Michael Nesmith (The Monkee ) and the Byrds, post David Crosby.were the opening acts. i'm pretty sure Bernie Leadon was playing guitar in her band that night, Don't remember any other Eagles it was a terrific show.. i believe that that concert made me a lifetime country rock fan. i got in the concert free just by showing my college ID.