Growing up in the 1970s and 1980s, I remember hearing quite a few of Linda Ronstadt's hits over the the years and enjoying them. Although I never saw Linda Ronstadt in concert, I always admired her voice and singing talent. I also thought it was amazing how she successfully crossed genres from folk, pop/rock, country, Latin music, and the American Storybook standards with such ease.
When I discovered Simple Dreams: A Musical Memoir by Linda Ronstadt, I added it to my reading wishlist. And, to my delight, I finally listened to the unabridged audio version of Simple Dreams: A Musical Memoir this month.
I enjoyed Simple Dreams: A Musical Memoir by Linda Ronstadt as it covers Ronstadt's childhood and early family life, how she ventured into the music industry, and the struggles to become a successful, music artist, and finally all of her successes as a singer.
Simple Dreams is truly 'A Musical Memoir' as there isn't much discussion about Ronstadt's romantic relationships and even less discussion about her children. In fact, Ronstadt only mentions her relationship with Jerry Brown in passing a few times and there isn't much written about their relationship to truly glean anything interesting about it. There's no discussion about any of her other romantic involvements either. In other words, Ronstadt has kept parts of her life very private/hidden.
You will, however, read quite a bit of information about Ronstadt's business relationships and friendships with those in the music industry. She does share some interesting tidbits about Jim Morrison, Rosemary Clooney, and plenty of others in Simple Dreams. So, Ronstadt does stick to her single focus of making her memoir solely about her musical career.
In 1967, 'Different Drum' was Linda Ronstadt's first major commercial success with her band, The Stone Poneys. Linda Ronstadt was just 21 years old at the time 'Different Drum' was released.
Below is the publisher's summary for Simple Dreams: A Musical Memoir by Linda Ronstadt I discovered on the Goodreads website:
In this memoir, iconic singer Linda Ronstadt weaves together a captivating story of her origins in Tucson, Arizona, and her rise to stardom in the Southern California music scene of the 1960s and ’70s.
Born into a musical family, Linda’s childhood was filled with everything from Hank Williams to Gilbert and Sullivan, Mexican folk music to jazz and opera. Her artistic curiosity blossomed early, and she and her siblings began performing their own music for anyone who would listen. Now, twelve Grammy Awards later, Ronstadt tells the story of her wide-ranging and utterly unique musical journey.
Ronstadt arrived in Los Angeles just as the folk-rock movement was beginning to bloom, setting the stage for the development of country-rock. After the dissolution of her first band, the Stone Poneys, Linda went out on her own and quickly found success. As part of the coterie of like-minded artists who played at the Troubadour club in West Hollywood, she helped define the musical style that dominated American music in the 1970s. One of her early back-up bands went on to become the Eagles, and Linda would become the most successful female artist of the decade. She has sold more than 100 million records, won numerous awards, and toured all over the world. Linda has collaborated with legends such as Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton, Aaron Neville, J.D. Souther, Randy Newman, Neil Young, Bette Midler, and Frank Sinatra, as well as Homer Simpson and Kermit the Frog. By the time she retired in 2009, Ronstadt had spent four decades as one of the most popular singers in the world, becoming the first female artist in popular music to release four consecutive platinum albums.
In Simple Dreams, Ronstadt reveals the eclectic and fascinating journey that led to her long-lasting success. And she describes it all in a voice as beautiful as the one that sang “Heart Like a Wheel”—longing, graceful, and authentic.
I am giving Simple Dreams: A Musical Memoir by Linda Ronstadt a rating of 3 stars out of 5 stars.
Until my next post, happy reading!!
