RONSTADT, LINDA

born July 15, 1946, Tucson, Ariz., U.S. in full Linda Marie Ronstadt American singer with a pure, expressive soprano voice and eclectic artistic tastes whose performances called attention to a number of new songwriters and helped establish country rock music. After winning attention with a folk-oriented trio, the Stone Poneys, in California in the mid-1960s, Ronstadt embarked upon a solo career in 1968, introducing material by songwriters such as Neil Young and Jackson Browne and collaborating with top country-oriented rock musicians (including future members of the Eagles). Produced by Briton Peter Asher, Ronstadt's album Heart Like a Wheel (1974) sold more than a million copies. It also established the formula she would follow on several successful albums, mixing traditional folk songs, covers of rock and roll standards, and new material by contemporary songwriters (e.g., Anna McGarrigle, Warren Zevon, and Elvis Costello). In the 1980s and '90s, with mixed success, Ronstadt branched out into light opera and opera and made collections of popular standards and Spanish-language songs before hitting the charts again with Trio (1987), a long-awaited collaboration with country singers Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris. An album of children's songs won a Grammy in 1997.