HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — It’s been a long, long time since Linda Ronstadt has gone viral.
But with HBO’s streaming TV hit “The Last of Us” putting the needle down on one her songs from the 1970s, what’s old has again become new for many fans, who turned to Google on Monday to learn more about the song that played on the show. Ronstadt’s “Long Long Time” was part of her Silk Purse album and was released in 1970, even earning her a Grammy nomination for best female pop vocal performance.
4. Her most successful song
In her storied career, Ronstadt managed a single Billboard No. 1 hit with “You’re No Good,” where it reigned supreme for a single week. Regardless, she was a Billboard mainstay with 10 songs peaking in the Top 10 and 34 songs on the Billboard Hot 100.
3. She’s not in the Country Music Hall of Fame
Ronstadt’s music was a blend of pop, rock, country, folk and more–allowing her success across genres. “Hasten Down the Wind” settled at No. 1 for top country albums for three weeks. “Blue Bayou” performed better on country radio than it did elsewhere. Yet, despite her many country music successes, she remains outside the Country Music Hall of Fame. She is, however, in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Grammy Hall of Fame.
2. Her acting chops
Ronstadt player herself (voice) on “The Simpson”, Mabel Stanley in “The Pirates of Penzance”, The Balladeer (voice) in “An American Tail,” and La Chata in the TV movie “Corridos: Tales of Passion & Revolution,” according to the Internet Movie Database (IMDB)
1. A rare condition ended her singing career
Ronstadt announced her retirement from music in 2011, later explaining she was unable to sing because of a condition called progressive supranuclear palsy. “I couldn’t hear the top end of my voice,” she told Anderson Cooper, according to CNN.
