Sitting in the Angelika this morning, watching Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice, surrounded by an audience of my fellow baby boomers humming along to each song, brought me right back to the ’70s when my friends and I bought her albums as soon as they came out and helped six of them in a row go platinum.
I haven’t thought about Linda Ronstadt in years since she lost me when she traded in rock and roll for mariachi and Gilbert & Sullivan. As much as I loved her, I just wasn’t interested in those genres.
Watching this documentary, though, gave me a whole new appreciation for Ronstadt, her amazing voice and her passion for all kinds of music.
At a time when men ruled the industry (ha ha ha! They still rule the industry!), Ronstadt continued to travel to the beat of a different drum. She always remained true to herself, making the records she wanted to make, singing the songs she wanted to sing, touring with the musicians she wanted to tour with — like Don Henley and Glenn Frey, who ended up leaving and, with her help, started their own little group.
Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice is narrated by Ronstadt, and is filled with interviews with names every teenager of the ’70s will recognize — like David Geffen, Peter Asher and, of course, Jackson Browne, J.D. Souther and Aaron Neville.
As impressive as it is to hear how much these male legends respect and admire Ronstadt, it’s the interviews with the women that reveal her real personality. These women — Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, Bonnie Raitt, Karla Bonoff — were/are her friends, her cheerleaders, her role models. She decided early on that instead of worrying about them as competitors, she should embrace them as colleagues, and that is a life lesson every woman in a position of power should learn from.
At age 73, Ronstadt is now (involuntarily) retired from music because she has Parkinson’s Disease. The documentary ends with her 2014 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame — which she couldn’t attend. Some of the greatest female singers — Stevie Nicks, Bonnie Raitt, Emmylou Harris, Sheryl Crow and Carrie Underwood — pay tribute by singing her most popular songs, and not one of them can do justice to that voice.
LOVE Linda Ronstadt!
It’s so sad she lost her ability to sing. She had the most amazng voice. I need to see this. “You’re no good, you’re no good, you’re no good, baby you’re no good.”
I loved Linda Ronstadt and always related to her songs. She had a beautiful voice and I also loved her mariachi and Gilbert and Sullivan songs. I’d sing her tunes along with the radio in my car. I’m looking forward to seeing the documentary. She was on the news in an interview and seemed very sad. Parkinsons can really mess you up.