Linda Ronstadt, one the great folk chanteuses, has been in the news lately, receiving a National Medal of the Arts in July for all of her work. She released a collection of duets with various artists in April, and her memoir, Simple Dreams, was published in September 2013.
Ronstadt was a leading member of the folkies who charted throughout the early and mid-’70s, her strong and soulful alto carrying “You’re no Good,” “When Will I be Loved” and “Willin.'” Her first hit — “Different Drum” — recorded with the Stone Poneys in 1967, could be her signature tune.
Carole King and Joni Mitchell certainly could match her in the musical arena, but Ronstadt burst beyond that milieu into pop culture icon status. She dated Jerry Brown, then and now governor of California. She was in LA for the cocaine blizzard of the early 70s, but she survived.
Here is young Linda, enchanted by Johnny Cash in 1969.
And here she is fronting one seriously hot rock’n roll band on The Midnight Special. There may have been a wee bit of coke backstage.
Here she is on Leo Sayer’s TV show. When little Leo starts trying to dance with Linda during the guitar solo (1:50), he resembles a geeky manchild trying to “score” on his hot older cousin at his Bar Mitzvah with Linda playing the worldly cousin who wants nothing to do with him. “Fever in the bunkhouse…” NOT.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRGzKut8qfA
