Linda Ronstadt is a multitalented singer who explored different genres of music, such as rock, Latin music, light opera, and country music, in her almost five-decade career, which ended in 2011 after she announced her retirement. The singer boasts an impressive collection of awards, including 11 Grammys, 2 Academy Country Music Awards, and an Emmy Award for her contributions to music.
Despite having a successful career, Linda Ronstadt has a major career regret: not forming a touring band with Emmy Lou Harris and Dolly Parton. Although Linda went solo for most of her career run, she was always collaborating with other talents in the industry and had a backing band.
Linda Ronstadt regretted not touring with Emmy Lou Harris and Dolly Parton
Following the release of her hit albums like Heart Like a Wheel, Simple Dreams, and Living in the USA, Ronstadt solidified herself as a leading female singer and became one of the highest-grossing concert artists in the 70s. In the late 70s, the Queen of Rock formed a trio with Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris.
The trio struggled for almost a decade from their start as they were all in their prime, and they had different touring engagements and collaborations. Ronstadt recalled that “It was hard to get all of our schedules together and decide who was going to produce it and how it was going to go.” Thankfully, “It worked out, finally” in the late ’80s, and the supergroup released chart-topping songs like “Wildflowers” and “Hobo’s Meditation.”
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However, Ronstadt hoped that their collaboration would translate beyond being a supergroup and that they would experience time on the road together while touring, but that never happened. The First Lady of Rock regrets it and calls it “a shame that” they “never toured together.” Interestingly, the trio is all grown up in their late 70s, and they all boast of a successful career.
Linda Ronstadt loved touring back in the day when she was still able to
Touring was a lifestyle for Ronstadt, but in the early years of her career, she formed a band, the Stone Poneys, in 1966. They went on to release their hit single “Different Drum,” which peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100. However, the success of the band didn’t translate to personal success for her, and by the late ’60s, she embraced a solo touring career.
Ronstadt worked with the best acts for her backing band during her solo run, starting with the country-rock band Swampwater. Other backing bands she worked with during her solo tour included Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Bernie Leadon, and Randy Meisner, who later became the Eagles.