Linda Ronstadt

With roots in the Los Angeles country and folk-rock scenes, Linda Ronstadt became one of the most popular interpretive singers of the '70s, earning a string of platinum-selling albums and Top 40 singles. Throughout the '70s, her laid-back pop never lost sight of her folky roots, yet as she moved into the '80s, she began to change her sound with the times, adding new wave influences. After a brief flirtation with pre-rock pop, Ronstadt settled into a pattern of adult contemporary pop and Latin albums, sustaining her popularity in both fields. This collection features seven of Linda Ronstadt's albums from the 1980s.

Linda Ronstadt released more than two dozen studio albums during a stellar career that has spanned more than five decades. Surprisingly, during all that time, the legendary singer never released a live album. Recorded on April 24, 1980 at Television Center Studios in Hollywood, Live In Hollywood captures Ronstadt at the peak of her reign as America’s most popular female rock singer. In concert, she was joined by an outstanding band that included guitarists Kenny Edwards and Danny Kortchmar, drummer Russ Kunkel, bassist Bob Glaub, keyboardist Billy Payne (of Little Feat fame), pedal steel guitarist Dan Dugmore, backing vocalist Wendy Waldman and percussionist Peter Asher – Ronstadt’s producer and the concert’s executive producer. On stage, Ronstadt held the packed audience spellbound with powerful renditions of her biggest hits – “Blue Bayou,” “Poor Poor Pitiful Me” and “It’s So Easy” – plus an incredible, previously unreleased six-minute jam of her #1 smash, “You’re No Good.”

Linda Ronstadt released more than two dozen studio albums during a stellar career that has spanned more than five decades. Surprisingly, during all that time, the legendary singer never released a live album. Recorded on April 24, 1980 at Television Center Studios in Hollywood, Live In Hollywood captures Ronstadt at the peak of her reign as America’s most popular female rock singer. In concert, she was joined by an outstanding band that included guitarists Kenny Edwards and Danny Kortchmar, drummer Russ Kunkel, bassist Bob Glaub, keyboardist Billy Payne (of Little Feat fame), pedal steel guitarist Dan Dugmore, backing vocalist Wendy Waldman and percussionist Peter Asher – Ronstadt’s producer and the concert’s executive producer. On stage, Ronstadt held the packed audience spellbound with powerful renditions of her biggest hits – “Blue Bayou,” “Poor Poor Pitiful Me” and “It’s So Easy” – plus an incredible, previously unreleased six-minute jam of her #1 smash, “You’re No Good.”

Linda Ronstadt began as the clear-voiced, country-influenced singer for '60s folk-rockers the Stone Poneys, where she covered tunes by the likes of Mike Nesmith and Tim Buckley. That knack for choosing material served her well in the second half of the '70s, when she became a pop superstar interpreting songs by everyone from Dave Edmunds and Elvis Costello to Chuck Berry and Roy Orbison. Subsequently, she has shown her diversity by cutting albums of jazz standards, traditional Mexican music, and pure country.

Linda Ronstadt Influencée par le rock'n'roll dans l'adolescence puis par la scène country rock californienne des années 1960, Gram Parsons en tête, Linda Ronstadt (née à Tucson, Arizona, le 15 juillet 1946) fait ses débuts au sein du groupe Stone Poneys (1967-1968), avant de tracer sa voie en solo avec succès. Entre reprises variées et compositions originales réalisées avec la crème des musiciens de Los Angeles, la chanteuse côtoie régulièrement le classement des meilleures ventes avec ses albums Heart Like a Wheel (1974), Simple Dreams (1977) et Living in the USA (1979), tous trois placés numéro un. Dès What's New (1983), Linda Ronstadt s'essaie au jazz pop et, à deux occasions, pour les albums Canciones de Mi Padre (1987) et Mas Canciones (1991), fait ressortir ses origines mexicaines dans un répertoire latin. L'album Frenesi (1992) concilie ces deux facettes entre des collaborations en trio avec Dolly Parton et Emmylou Harris (Trio en 1987 et Trio II en 1999) puis avec Ann Savoy pour Adieu False Heart (2006), son dernier album en date, tendance cajun, suivi d'une tournée.

Linda Ronstadt began as the clear-voiced, country-influenced singer for '60s folk-rockers the Stone Poneys, where she covered tunes by the likes of Mike Nesmith and Tim Buckley. That knack for choosing material served her well in the second half of the '70s, when she became a pop superstar interpreting songs by everyone from Dave Edmunds and Elvis Costello to Chuck Berry and Roy Orbison. Subsequently, she has shown her diversity by cutting albums of jazz standards, traditional Mexican music, and pure country. While Ronstadt was a student at Arizona State University, she met guitarist Bob Kimmel.

This collection features five of Linda Ronstadt's best albums from the 1970s, the decade during which she became one of the most popular singers in the music world.

Hasten Down the Wind is the Grammy Award-winning seventh studio album by singer/songwriter/producer Linda Ronstadt. Released in 1976, it became her third straight million-selling album. Ronstadt was the first female artist in history to accomplish this feat. The album earned her a Grammy Award for 'Best Pop Vocal Performance - Female' in 1977, her second of 13 Grammys. It represented a slight departure from 1974's Heart Like a Wheel and 1975's Prisoner in Disguise in that she chose to showcase new songwriters over the traditional country rock sound she had been producing up to that point. A more serious and poignant album than its predecessors, it won critical acclaim. The album showcased songs from artists such as Warren Zevon ("Hasten Down the Wind") and Karla Bonoff ("Someone to Lay Down Beside Me"), both of whom would soon be making a name for themselves in the singer-songwriter world.