Linda Ronstadt’s ‘Sound of My Voice’ Sets Release Date, Issues Trailer
A feature-length documentary film about the life and career of Linda Ronstadt called The Sound of My Voice will be released to theaters on September 5th. Featuring Jackson Browne, Emmylou Harris, Don Henley, Aaron Neville, Dolly Parton, and Bonnie Raitt, The Sound of My Voice includes rare photos from Ronstadt’s childhood in Tucson, Arizona, and archival footage from many of her most iconic performances. Linda Ronstadt helps narrate the film, which covers her life up until her retirement from performing due to Parkinson’s Disease in 2011.
“Linda could literally sing anything,” Country music legend Dolly Parton says in the recently-released trailer for the film (see below). Dolly performed with Linda along with Emmylou Harris in the award-winning country supergroup, Trio. “When we heard our voices, it was light a high you’ve never felt.”
Produced in part by CNN Films, there was the notion that the film might be broadcast on the cable news station only. But when the film debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 26th to positive reviews, and also won the HBO Audience Award / Best Documentary Feature at the Provincetown Film Festival, Greenwich Entertainment and 1091 co-acquired the North American distribution rights to have the documentary shown in theaters.
Though known by some for mostly being a pop and rock performer, Linda Ronstadt began her music career in country, covering many classic country songs on her early albums, and earning three #1 albums in the genre in the 70’s, as well as a Grammy Award. Her participation in Trio with Emmylou Harris and Dolly Parton landed Linda her second country music Grammy in 1987.
Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice was directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman from Telling Pictures. Epstein has won two Academy Awards for his work directing documentaries previously (Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt, and The Times of Harvey Milk), and Jeffry Friedman was nominated for an Academy Award for the Netflix short documentary End Game. The Linda Ronstadt documentary was produced by James Keach, Michele Farinola, Rob Epstein, and Jeffrey Friedman.
Joni
August 3, 2019 @ 11:57 am
Looking so forward to seeing this film! The sound of Linda Ronstadt’s voice won my heart from the first time I heard her sing back in the day. She truly is one of the best of all time, imo.
Blackh4t
August 3, 2019 @ 2:22 pm
Everyone makes a fuss about trio, but i definitely prefer Western Wall.
I love Dolly, but they sounded better without her.
Chris
August 3, 2019 @ 3:52 pm
Such a great singer. She could make you see a song in a whole new light – I’m not really into The Eagles, but her version of Desperado was a revelation. Sad to have to talk about her singing in the past tense.
Beautiful lady as well.
Robert Earle
August 3, 2019 @ 5:31 pm
For whatever reason, though there are lots of TV performances and other live recordings, Linda has been loathe to release any on CD, etc. One such concert has recently been released. Let’s hope more gets released on a soundtrack to this film. Linda, obviously, was an awesome live performer.
Erik North
August 4, 2019 @ 4:44 pm
I think the reason for this is that she is extremely critical of her own recordings and live performances. She has never thought of herself as the really great singer that her fans and her peers have seen her as. She is modest and humble arguably to a fault. That’s just the way it is.
That said, though, with Linda, what you see and hear is what you get. No smoke bombs; no flashy dancing; no pyros; no huge stage spectacles–just Linda, big voice, petite frame, and all. And hopefully, this documentary will remind us all of now only how influential she was and still is, but also just how much today’s “hot” female starlets can actually still learn from her.
Tom young
August 3, 2019 @ 7:15 pm
Linda is truly a vocal marvel. I am just a bit older than Linda and am happy that our lives have fallen in the same period of history.
Lynn Osburn
August 4, 2019 @ 1:09 am
Love have for being a great person & a talented singer.
She really cares for what’s going on politically & socially.
A real one of a kind. The world’s a better place with Linda Ronstadt in it.
Michael Harrison
August 4, 2019 @ 11:30 am
So looking forward to seeing this, having seen Linda many times, from 1:30am shows in vegas with Sneaky Pete & compnay, to the big show benefits for Jerry Brown and the Nelson Riddle Orchestra shows…… love her!!!
Anthony
August 4, 2019 @ 1:41 pm
Looking forward to seeing this. It’s notable that when Linda straddled, and shifted between, the country, pop and rock genres, it wasn’t offensive like it usually is now. Perhaps that’s because the genres were once closer than they are now — a good song was a good song, but with different instrumentation — and Linda generally chose quality material, and it’s harder to be offended by quality.
Erik North
August 5, 2019 @ 7:16 pm
For Linda, the idea of separating country, pop, and rock was abhorrent. She fought against the notion that there should ever have been any rules as to how music was to be created or marketed; and with her ascent to stardom in the mid-1970s, she won the argument, particularly when it came to the generations of female singers that looked up to her as a spiritual role model. Her willingness to pay respect to traditions while realizing those traditions can be made relevant to contemporary times is why she became a legend (IMHO).
mike han
August 5, 2019 @ 10:10 am
Queen of any music Linda do miss her voice but at least have her recordings will always be as if hearing her the first time. A true great American talent. We need more of her music to be played
on the radio. Her concerts were about the music no flashy stuff that distracts you from hearing the unprofessional voices. More new comers should emulate her performances. Love you Linda gave me joy on my navy deployments and anywhere else.
Patricia
August 5, 2019 @ 11:13 am
Will her documentary film be in Canadian theaters?
Trigger
August 5, 2019 @ 1:38 pm
Have not seen anything specific about Canada yet, but I would imagine it will make it there, even if only in select markets.
Earl Cambron
August 5, 2019 @ 8:04 pm
Will this air on CNN?
Chip
September 9, 2019 @ 2:33 pm
Have been a big fan of Linda since 1967. She has one of the most beautiful voices of all time!