Guide Note

Multi-Grammy Award winner Linda Ronstadt was one of the top selling female artist in the 1970's. She began her career with The Stone Poneys in 1966 and debuted her solo album in 1969.

While attending Arizona State University, Ronstadt met guitarist, Bob Kimmel and together they decided to move to Los Angeles, California seeking a music career. The duo added guitarist and songwriter Kenny Edwards and began writing music. Naming themselves The Stone Poneys, they released three albums. The group had become very popular with the folk scene. By the time the group had released their third album, Linda Ronstadt had become well known and was the only member to appear on their third and final album cover.

Between 1966 and 2007 Ronstadt has released a total of thirty-three albums in which three were number one hits on the pop charts and four were number one on the country charts. She had fourteen certified platinum albums in which seven reached multi-platinum status. Ronstadt's Greatest Hits album achieved certified seven times platinum status.

Ronstadt released several top singles such as "Blue Bayou," "When Will I Be Loved," "You're No Good," "That'll be the Day" and many others.

Linda Ronstadt made headlines on many occasions through out her career, not just for her music. In the 1970's she created a media stir due to her public relationship with California's Governor Jerry Brown who was a presidential candidate for the Democratic Party. The couple appeared on the cover of Newsweek in 1979.

Ronstadt created headlines again in the 1980's when she became engaged to George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars.

In 2004, she created political headlines after she was evicted from the Las Vegas hotel where she had been performing. Ronstadt praised Michael Moore and his documentary Fahrenheit 9/11 in which she was booed by the crowd and evicted from the hotel.

Ronstadt has won ten Grammy Awards and has had seventeen nominations. She won two Academy of Country Music Awards, one of which was for Best New Female Artist. She also has one one Emmy Award, one Golden Globe Award and one Tony Award. The Tony Award was for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical, for her performance in The Pirates of Penzance.

Fast Facts

1. Full Name: Linda Marie Ronstadt
2. Born: July 15, 1946
3. Birthplace: Tucson, Arizona
4. Also Known As: Queen of Rock, Queen of Country Rock and First Lady of Rock
5. Years Active: 1966-Present
6. Ten Grammy Awards
7. 1989 won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program
8. Previously Engaged to George Lucas
9. Fan of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter Novels
10. September 23, 2007 Inducted into the Arizona Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame
11. Discography

1. "If I had it to do over I would be much more gracious to everyone... you can be as outspoken as you want if you are very, very respectful. Show some grace." —Blog Critics Magazine
2. "The most miserable tour of my life was in 1975, after Heart Like a Wheel. It was as if all your dreams of success came true, and you still felt like the same old schlep you always felt like." —Rolling Stone Magazine
3. "I've now included pure lust as the second reason to go to bed with someone, and a perfectly acceptable third reason is curiosity. It's a good way to get to know someone." —People Magazine, 1984