Wednesday, August 28, 2013

A Voice of Youth

When I was a boy, just 14, I came very close to seeing Linda Ronstadt and Kevin Kline in "The Pirates of Penzance"; after waiting much of the day (with a first-rate picnic, mind) to be admitted, our little group (chaperoned by the aunt of my best friend in those years) just failed to make it into the show. I think I would have liked it enormously, and Ronstadt herself:



(Hell, I enjoyed the excerpt so much I watched the whole production tonight, so...)

Years later, a girlfriend of mine in college, who loved Ronstadt's voice, introduced me to her 70s music. These two stood out for me:



And this, which immediately followed "Long, Long Time" on the record (yes, dammit, record):



Love the contrast between those two songs, even now.

So I am most sincerely sorry to read that she is suffering from Parkinson's Disease, and now "can't sing a note."

She gladdened many with her music, and her gifts will be long remembered and enjoyed.

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