“Enchanted”: Linda Ronstadt on the musician who “invented pop music”
Linda Ronstadt is one of the most impressive figures in music history, having accrued an immense list of credentials by working with some of the top names in the business. As a result of her craft, she has also earned a reputation as one of the most influential figures and has always shown support for those who blossomed from similar spaces, like the Eagles, for example.
A large facet of what made Ronstadt emerge as a confident and innovative figure was her always supporting others with knowledge of her own worth. Even when witnessing the Eagles form in front of her eyes, she felt nothing but gratification, while others would have likely felt somewhat betrayed by the sudden distraction. As Glenn Frey once said, “Linda was our muse and a brave artist who followed her instincts.”
Other coveted names, such as Neil Young, have also kept her as a close and personal muse over the years. Young even frequently enlists her help during his own sessions, seeking someone who truly understands how to apply the finishing touches to transform a good record into a great one. It was her incredible talent that also helped the Eagles find their sound and earned her the moniker “the first lady of country rock.”
While it’s difficult to pinpoint some of the major influences that encouraged Ronstadt to run into uncertainty, not just as a woman in a male-dominated industry but as a country aficionado in a saturated arena, one name that surely became a guiding principle was Billie Holiday. According to Ronstadt, Holiday almost single-handedly led the way and continues to have a lasting impact on the music of today.
In her mind, no one revolutionised the path music would take more than Holiday and Frank Sinatra. Although Holiday’s impact is subtle, her work still exists in many aspects of music today, and it has impacted the way Ronstadt approached her own music. Discussing her appreciation for the late singer for Dig, she even admitted that, for a long while, she tried to imitate the approach that Holiday and Sinatra took.
“My dad bought lots of records home,” Ronstadt recalled, saying that she remembers “being enchanted by Billie Holiday.” Continuing, she gave the singer the highest compliment any music figure could receive, saying, “She invented pop music and the things we all later did. She made music so intimate. She and Frank Sinatra are the two biggest influences on popular singing in the 20th century. I tried to do what they did.”
There are many musicians Ronstadt regards as figures of long-lasting musical magic, like Randy Newman and Warren Zevon, but Holiday’s depth and the ways she exuded emotion through vocals alone likely became a significant touchpoint for a young and ambitious Ronstadt. For reasons similar to her love for Zevon and the convergence of music and intimacy, Holiday no doubt showed Ronstadt how personal touches could open doors to unexplored arenas.
Holiday also exhibited the same level of fearlessness, especially when it came to singing about experiences and topics that mattered. From her early years, Ronstadt also sought to adopt the same kind of authenticity and timelessness that she detected in Holiday’s work, paying her charm and knowledgeability forward to the next generation of innovators.
