Linda Ronstadt Biography on TV
Did anyone catch the 2-hour TV Documentary on CNN, "Linda Ronstadt, the Sound of My Voice" on TV last Sunday? I missed that, but it's on right now, from 9-11 pm on CNN (channel 31).
It's fantastic!! I didn't realize how great she was in the 60s and 70s....I SO appreciate her voice and music now listening to what I barely listened to during those years!
Check it out now. It will probably be repeated weekly.
Hackresident I actually saw her family sing at a music center in Chester, NJ, Rt. 24, about 15-20 years ago (without her). I heard then that she had Parkinson's Disease, but it wasn't out there much or at all.
I remember Linda from the 1960s when she was with the Stone Ponies. Their hit song back then was Different Drum.
plc I loved that documentary. Every time I think “eh...not that big a fan, I’ll skip it”, I somehow end up watching their rock n roll documentaries, hearing great tunes, previously put out of mind, and learning interesting things. The music grabs me. Then facts, that I previously didn’t care about, hold my interest. Every documentary they’ve made has been great. Problem is, they play them over and over and over and over....making it difficult to find regular weekend news.
Guilty-Remnant 
Hadenough I agree. She has the best voice I think I've heard. Was always in tune and very stronged-voice.
Also love Dolly Parton, and my 50-year later "discovery" of Emmylou Harris! Where WAS I in the 1960s and 1970s? Too young to realize how talented these artists were and are that I'm listening to and seeing live in the 2010-2019's.
Hack resident, do you recall where exactly in Chester her family sang> Do you remember?
That is very interesting :)
AJMS Met her like 40 years ago. She was working with Rex Smith and I was a very close friend of Rex's brother.
happiest girlI had the opportunity to see it back in October in Lambertville. You can also find the documentary on Comcast’s On Demand.
Kid The Saw her in the early 80’s. Really went for the opening act. Great voice, great songs, lame show. I swear she was in a cheerleader outfit and every third song ended in a twirl, up-skirt peak, lights down with the last spot on her tush as it went black. Like some sort of weird mid-life crisis on stage. I never sat in the first ten rows again :-) Between that, getting spit on, and The Busboys changing musical genres ruining their fake angry black new wave act, it twas a memorable night.
The music and singing were great.
Strangerdanger In Chester, if you are going towards Chester, it was in a strip mall on the left side of the road, and the left side of the strip mall (I think where the Pharmacy used to be?). it was a company (music place?) that set up a stage and chairs that had the Ronstadt family one year, and another year I saw Baily and the Boys (who were very popular in country music in the 1990s, and they are from NJ, the Bridgewater area I believe).
It was 10-15 years ago, because the Documentary said that she quit the music business in 2009. I had asked why she wasn't there, and her brother had said that she had Parkinson's Disease. I never read about that in the newspapers until recently when this Documentary went on CNN.
Linda Ronstadt and the Stone Poneys in 1968 at the Bottom Line in New York City. They also played at clubs at the Jersey Shore on that tour.
The trailer for this documentary came across my Facebook feed the other day. Looked like a fantastic documentary!! Will have to seek it out! So sad the health issues she's been dealt to deal with in recent years. In her prime her voice could not be matched not to mention her physical beauty. She was quite stunning!
Lenny Rock I had watched it last Friday night on demand. It was good. I actually was not aware she suffers from Parkinson's.
I missed the segment on the Kennedy Center Honors last month where she was recognized for her achievements.
Greg I saw her with Emmylou Harris at the Keswick Theater in Glenside, PA during their tour for The Western Wall album. I love Emmylou, and overall I enjoy her music more than Linda's, but even I will admit that Linda had the better voice. She was an amazing singer. I recorded the documentary but we have not had a chance to watch it yet.
For those who didn't know about her Parkinson's, here is fairly recent interview where she talks about it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Tc4e1KH0UU
Monty Back in the mid 1970's she had every teenage boys heart aflutter, or at least mine. I was fascinated by here eventual return to her Mexican roots and the records of her fathers songs that came out. I don't speak Spanish but you could tell the songs were lovingly sung by a great voice.
Her backup band ended up doing fairly well too. Might have heard of them "The Eagles".
Agust She recorded different types of music, even though her record company said not to! : Opera, country, Mexican, Spanish, and other styles. I remember that song with Aaron Neville that floored me years ago.
She seemed really down-to-earth in the 2-hour documentary. I actually remember when she dated CA's Governor Jerry Brown.
A lot of her band members formed The Eagles!
I love Linda's voice and her songs. This one in particular:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKAtM9xS-fA
I remember, back in 1981, seeing her performance on Broadway in "The PIrates
of Penzance" along with Kevin Kline and George Rose. Great performance,
although she did break character at one point when someone on stage did
something to make her laugh.
The "Trio" record with Emmylou Harris and Dolly Parton is one of the best ever.
Jim Beckman "Her backup band ended up doing fairly well too. Might have heard of them "The Eagles". Funny story, one of my first shows was Jackson Browne, early 1972, small bar/stage, less than 100 people, and we were underage, and he was playing his first, and only album, Jackson Browne, aka Saturate Before Using...….JB comes out, and in first talk, apologized for being "off center," and for spitting on me, having spent the evening before with these wild poker playing, hard drinking, boys you never heard of ---- The Eagles. A couple of months later, June, The Eagles album with "Take it Easy" co-penned by JB came out...….Geeeeze, we were that close....maybe they were playing backup.....maybe this is where LR, Eagles, and JB got together? All I know is we were pissed: couldn't buy beer.
The reason I chimed in though was to say: quasi documentary-wise, PBS is rolling a Sticky Fingers concert with band interviews spliced in. It is Stones-wise ---- a gem! Small stage, band truly enjoying the night, and no big-show --- just raw Stones, of a mature, but not ancient variety. Except for Keith, who was born an old soul.
If you look for it, you can see the beauty of the Stones: no great solo talent, no blazing guitarist, drummer, keyboards, or even singer and most certainly, dancer.... but the greatest team in Rock working together to lift each other and the band to the stars. Perhaps the best Rock Band ever, this show really illuminates that. Nobody does the bad, angry, white man dance than Mick. All other ethnocentric's need not try to copy that :>) Giant head on a skinny stick.
I avoided the Stones since by the time I wanted to go, the shows were just too large to be enjoyable for me. I would have flown to LA for this one......
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