Linda Ronstadt Fast Facts
CNN Editorial Research
Here is a look at the life of Grammy-winning singer Linda Ronstadt.
Personal
Birth date: July 15, 1946
Birth place: Tucson, Arizona
Birth name: Linda Marie Ronstadt
Father: Gilbert Ronstadt, hardware store owner
Mother: Ruth Mary (Copeman) Ronstadt, homemaker
Children: adopted: Carlos and Mary Clementine
Education: Attended University of Arizona, 1964
Other Facts
First female artist to have four consecutive albums go platinum.
Nominated for 27 Grammy Awards and has won 11. Also awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Nominated for one Tony Award and one Emmy Award. She won the Emmy Award.
Explored many styles of music including folk, rock, country, opera, jazz and mariachi.
Played the character Mabel in the Broadway, television and film versions of “Pirates of Penzance.”
Her grandfather, Lloyd Groff Copeman, was an American inventor with hundreds of patents, including the first electric stove.
While serving as her backing musicians, Glenn Frey and Don Henley formed the Eagles.
Timeline
1964 – Ronstadt moves to Los Angeles and forms the Stone Poneys with Bob Kimmel and Kenny Edwards.
1967-1968 – The Stone Poneys release three albums on Capitol Records.
1969 – Releases her first solo album, “Hand Sown…Home Grown,” on Capitol Records.
February 28, 1976 – Wins the Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Performance by a Female for “I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still In Love With You).”
February 19, 1977 – Wins the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Female for “Hasten Down the Wind.”
October 14, 1977 – Sings the national anthem at game three of the World Series.
1987 – Ronstadt releases her mariachi album, “Canciones de Mi Padre.” It is the biggest-selling non-English album in US history at the time.
March 2, 1988 – Wins the Grammy Award, with Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris, for Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group, Vocal with “Trio.”
February 22, 1989 – Wins the Grammy Award for Best Mexican-American Performance for “Canciones de Mi Padre.”
September 17, 1989 – Wins an Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program for her PBS concert “Great Performances: Canciones de Mi Padre.”
February 21, 1990 – Wins the Grammy Award with Aaron Neville for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group, Vocal for “Don’t Know Much.”
February 20, 1991 – Wins the Grammy with Neville for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group, Vocal for “All My Life.”
February 24, 1993 – Wins the Grammy for Best Mexican-American Album for “Mas Canciones,” and Best Tropical Latin Album for “Frenesi.”
May 6, 1996 – Performs at the White House for President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton.
February 26, 1997 – Wins the Grammy Award for Best Musical Album for Children for “Dedicated to the One I Love.”
February 23, 2000 – Wins the Grammy Award, with Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris, for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals for “After the Gold Rush.”
2009-2010 – Serves as the artistic director of the San Jose Mariachi and Mexican Heritage Festival.
April 2010 – Marches and protests against Arizona’s controversial SB1070 illegal-immigration law.
2011 – Announces her retirement.
August 2013 – Ronstadt reveals that she can no longer sing due to the effects of Parkinson’s disease.
September 17, 2013 – Her memoir, “Simple Dreams: A Musical Memoir,” is published.
April 10, 2014 – Is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
July 28, 2014 – President Barack Obama awards Ronstadt with the National Medal of Arts and Humanities. During the ceremony, Obama tells Ronstadt he had a schoolboy crush on her.
January 3, 2016 – Is awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
February 2019 – Her only live concert album, “Linda Ronstadt: Live in Hollywood,” from a 1980 HBO special, is released.
April 2019 – The documentary “Linda Ronstadt: the Sound of My Voice” premieres at the Tribeca Film Festival.
December 2019 – Receives Kennedy Center Honors.
October 2020 – The documentary “Linda and the Mockingbirds” debuts digitally.
March 14, 2021 – “Linda Ronstadt: the Sound of My Voice” wins a Grammy Award for Best Music Film.
March 22, 2021 – It is announced that Ronstadt has sold her catalog of assets to Iconic Artists Group.
May 7, 2022 – The Tucson Music Hall is renamed the Linda Ronstadt Music Hall in honor of Ronstadt.
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