Linda Ronstadt was arguably the most popular female vocalist in America when she recorded a series of shows on her 1976 US tour for the King Biscuit Flower Hour. It took nearly six years from the time she hit gold with her first group, the Stone Ponys, to the time she would finally be at the top of the charts as a solo artist, but throughout this period Ronstadt continued to be an extraordinary interpreter of the best pop songwriters of this era.
With the help of some savvy producers and a great band of support…entire summary
Linda Ronstadt - vocals
Kenny Edwards - bass, vocals, harp
Andrew Gold - guitar, vocals
Waddy Wachtell - guitar, vocals
Michael Botts - drums
Brock Walsh - keyboards
Dan Dugmore - pedal steel guitar, guitar, harmonica
Linda Ronstadt was arguably the most popular female vocalist in America when she recorded a series of shows on her 1976 US tour for the King Biscuit Flower Hour. It took nearly six years from the time she hit gold with her first group, the Stone Ponys, to the time she would finally be at the top of the charts as a solo artist, but throughout this period Ronstadt continued to be an extraordinary interpreter of the best pop songwriters of this era.
With the help of some savvy producers and a great band of support musicians dedicated to making her sound as good as possible, Ronstadt continually delivered great covers such as Buddy Holly’s "That’ll Be The Day," Eric Kaz’s "Love Has No Pride,” Dusty Springfield’s "Silver Threads And Golden Needles,” Lowell George’s "Willin,’" Paul Anka’s "It Doesn’t Matter Anymore,” the Everly Brothers’, "When Will I Be Loved?” and Willie Nelson’s "Crazy,” originally a massive country hit for Patsy Cline in 1963.
She mixes up-tempo rockers like her re-make of "You’re No Good” and the Motown classic, "Heat Wave” with tender ballads such as The Eagles’ "Desperado” and her friend Karla Bonoff’s tear jerker, "Someone To Lay Down Beside Me.” In all, it was always an incredibly well-rounded set of material when Ronstadt took the stage. This show was no exception.
One of the few female singers of considerable depth and musical substance to come out of the 1970s Southern California music scene, Ronstadt would be wildly popular with both fans and music industry insiders for many years after this show was recorded. She had her first radio hit, a soft rock ballad called "A Different Drummer,” in 1967 with her old band, the Stone Ponys, and she began a string of successful solo LPs in 1969 on Capitol Records. Members of her band included future Eagles Don Henley and Glen Frey. Her breakthough records would come with 1973’s Don’t Cry Now and 1974’s Heart Like A Wheel.
Ronstadt would remain a pop icon through most of the early 1990s, when she plunged into more eclectic musical projects and collaborations.
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