It is a happy coincidence that this reflection comes the week of Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, and Linda Ronstadt being granted a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and yes, in honor of that distinction, the next one of these will be on the Trio record released by the three of them in 1987. But even as iconic as Parton and Harris are to country music, it’s Ronstadt who’s been important to me, and she deserves her own piece. It’s been a long time coming, and this coincidence only makes it more necessary.
Release Date: 1977
Style: vintage pop, soft rock, and traditional country
People Who Might Like This Album: fans of Whitney Rose’s blend of country and vintage pop, fans of the vocals of Courtney Marie Andrews and First Aid Kit
Standout Tracks: “Blue Bayou,” “Carmelita,” “Tumbling Dice,” “Poor, Poor Pitiful Me,” “Old Paint”
Reflections: Before we had crossover stars like Faith Hill and Carrie Underwood, and before we had Americana types like Whitney Rose and First Aid Kit reimagining this blend of classic country and vintage pop, there was Linda Ronstadt. She’s often overlooked by the country industry because she was the opposite of someone like Faith Hill, making pop rock albums and then crossing over into country instead of starting in the country format. But Linda Ronstadt records are more country by far than anything we’d call pop country today, probably than anything we’d have called pop country twenty years ago. I’ll get to more of why she deserves her spot in the Country Music Hall of Fame as much as the one she’s earned in the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame when I talk about Trio, but for now, it’s the pop rock aspect that I want to focus on more.
That’s because it’s the rock side of Ronstadt I knew and loved first. I’ve talked before about how I didn’t come to country music until I was in school. That came from my grandma’s car radio. My parents listened to classic pop and rock, and my earliest memories of music are of this style. Linda Ronstadt is the first singer I can remember listening to and the first artist I loved. It was years later that my grandma introduced me to the trio, and later I did come to associate her with country, but it was the pop and rock stuff that initially made me fall in love with her music. But as a country fan through and through, I came to appreciate those Linda Ronstadt albums later in life for having as much songwriting substance and crying steel guitar as any country record. I came to understand that Linda Ronstadt is one of those rare artists who transcends genre, whose voice cannot be contained or limited to just one style.
It’s that voice and her ability as an interpreter which should make any music fan a fan of Linda Ronstadt. Courtney Marie Andrews gave me chills the first time I heard her sing “How Quickly Your Heart Mends” because the resemblance to Ronstadt is uncanny, and anyone who knows anything at all about Andrews will understand that that’s a high compliment to Linda because Courtney’s voice is one of the best in modern country and Americana music. Sometimes, First Aid Kit can sound like two copies of Courtney Marie Andrews, and their blend of pop, rock, and country hearkens back to Linda Ronstadt’s style as well.
As for this particular album, I chose it because it has my favorite Linda Ronstadt song, “Blue Bayou,” which reached the top three on the pop, adult contemporary, and country charts and is just a timeless, beautiful song. It’s where anyone should start with Linda’s music. Her different styles are showcased well on this record, from the staunchly country “Old Paint” and “I Never Will Marry,” a duet with Dolly Parton that became a top ten country hit and foreshadowed the magic of Trio, to the slightly Latin-influenced “Carmelita” to the pop rock cover of the Rolling Stones’ “Tumbling Dice.” Modern country fans who loved Terri Clark’s “Poor, Poor, Pitiful Me” may not know that this was originally a Linda Ronstadt hit, but Linda’s version was the first I heard and the first I loved.
These reflections are meant to be short, and I’ve just written many more words than I intended to about her, but it speaks to the love I have for Linda Ronstadt and the importance her music has had in my life. She’s an artist who wasn’t trapped by genre lines, but rather than blending them all into something unrecognizable, she just stayed true to all of them and interpreted each style excellently. She’s an artist any serious fan of music should appreciate and check out, and Simple Dreams is a great place to begin.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNY2FQ9ufxo