Greenwich Entertainment
The new documentary, Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice, looks at the life and career of the celebrated singer before Parkinson’s disease forced her retirement.
It features new interviews with Ronstadt herself and her famous friends and collaborators Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, Don Henley, Bonnie Raitt, and more.
Co-directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, it profiles the woman who was not only a huge rock star, but also a force in country music.
“The film really tells the story of her musical journey, which spanned decades,” Epstein tells ABC Radio. “And she conquered rock and folk and country, and then moved on to ballads…standards…opera, Broadway, mariachi.”
Friedman notes, “A large part of the story we tell is her venturing into new genres, and her record companies and her management urging her not to do that, telling her it’s gonna ruin her career.”
That includes two Grammy-winning Trio albums with Dolly and Emmylou.
As for what Freidman hopes the film accomplishes, he tells ABC Radio, “I hope viewers will…see a successful pop star who did not care about celebrity or fame or…even success. This was a woman who really cared about art and her music making something beautiful.”
The doc includes a dramatic scene showing Ronstadt, her voice in a weakened state, singing a Mexican folk song with family members. Epstein notes that Linda was OK with the segment because she felt it “would be a way to acknowledge that she does have Parkinson’s and what her limitations are, but that she is still very engaged and living a full life, and still pursuing all of her passions, which includes music and, most especially, family.”
You can find out more about the film at LindaRonstadtMovie.com.
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