Linda Ronstandt was born in Tuscon, Arizona in 1946. She was brought up in highly musical family environment, and aged 14 she formed a folk trio with her brother and sister. They performed a wide variety of styles they were brought up on, including folk, country, bluegrass and Mexican music. However at the age of 17 she went out on her own and made the move to L.A. to pursue a serious career in music.By 1966 she had formed a trio with Bobby Kimmel and Kenny Edwards, calling themselves The Stone Poneys. They were signed to Capitol Records, and released three excellent folk-rock albums. Their biggest success was the song "Different Drum", which got to #13 on the singles charts. When the Stone Poneys broke up in 1968 she was all set for a solo career, and was still contractually obliged to Capitol.
Her debut solo album, Hand Sown ... Home Grown came out in 1969. It was an eclectic mix, but was mostly focused on country, making it part of the late 60s country-rock movement. Retrospectively it has also been referred to as the first alternative country album by a female artist. It proved to be a great album, showcasing her youthful energy and her knack for crafting superb cover versions of other artists' material. The covers included Bob Dylan's "Mama You've Been On My Mind" and "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight", Fred Neil's "The Dolphins", Randy Newman's "Bet No One Ever Hurt This Bad" and John D. Loudermilk's "Break My Mind", among others.
Despite its strengths and the recognition Ronsdtadt had already earned through the Stone Poneys, it was actually a commerical failure. She would have to wait a few more years for real success as a solo act.
|> Silk Purse (1970)
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2 comments:
One of her finest. Before her days of being so over produced and commercialized.
Her first three are "lost treasures" for country-rock fans, overshadowed by her later pop success.
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