Linda Ronstadt fans arrived early on Sunday, forming lines that snaked around both sides of the University of 蜜柚直播 Memorial Student Union and clogged the walkways at the 蜜柚直播 Festival of Books.
Some waited hours before the doors to the Student Union North Ballroom opened for the 1 p.m. conversation with Ronstadt and her 鈥淔eels Like Home鈥 co-author Lawrence Downes.
When they were finally allowed in, the crowd filled every one of the 1,000 seats to hear Ronstadt, arguably the most famous person to come from 蜜柚直播, speak about her hometown, her family鈥檚 deep Sonoran and 蜜柚直播 roots and, of course, her music. It was the first public appearance in 蜜柚直播 for the 11-time Grammy-winning, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame singer since she was here last May for the dedication of the Linda Ronstadt Music Hall.
Moderated by former 蜜柚直播 columnist Ernesto Portillo, the conversation meandered from her 2019 trip to Ban谩michi on the Rio Sonora 鈥 five hours from 蜜柚直播 by car 鈥 that inspired her to write 鈥淔eels Like Home鈥, to her family鈥檚 history in 蜜柚直播, from brother Peter serving as 蜜柚直播 police chief to her grandfather and father running the family鈥檚 namesake hardware store on the downtown footprint that is now the Ronstadt Transit Center.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a love story and it鈥檚 an intergenerational story,鈥 Ronstadt said of the book, which she and Downes started writing in 2020; it was released last October.
That sentiment also could describe Ronstadt鈥檚 homecoming on Sunday. Generations of fans, from those who looked to be close to her age 鈥 late 60s to mid-70s 鈥 to young women, from the singer-songwriter who asked for advice for those pursuing Ronstadt鈥檚 musical path, to recent Pueblo High School grad and mariachi vocalist Giselle-Paris Aubrey, who serenaded Ronstadt at that May dedication ceremony with the singer鈥檚 signature hit 鈥淏lue Bayou.鈥
Throughout the hourlong presentation, Ronstadt, who has Parkinson鈥檚-like progressive supranuclear palsy, had to strain to hear audience members鈥 questions and those from Portillo and Downes, who were sitting next to her at a table on the stage.
鈥淭he problem with getting old is getting deaf,鈥 she deadpanned, prompting laughter and quiet applause.
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Ronstadt told the audience about that 2019 trip to Ban脿machi, Sonora, and sitting in a courtyard across from a church where she was certain her great-grandmother Margarita Redondo Ronstadt had baptized her grandfather, Federico Jos茅 Mar铆a Ronstadt. She considered how hard life must have been for the family, carving out an existence from their lush but challenging corner of the Sonoran Desert, and how that had informed the generations of Ronstadts that followed.
She and Downes had initially set out to write a Sonoran-蜜柚直播 cookbook, but after finding letters from her great-grandmother to her grandfather when he immigrated to 蜜柚直播 as a teen, and when she reflected on the Ronstadt family鈥檚 deep history in the region, her cookbook turned into what she and Downes like to call an 鈥渆dible memoir.鈥 The book includes 20 of Ronstadt鈥檚 best-loved foods from 蜜柚直播 featuring recipes from her family and her favorite restaurants.
When Portillo asked Downes if he had tried any of the recipes or, more importantly, had he prepared any for Ronstadt, the 76-year-old singer sporting a shock of short white hair piped up, 鈥淎re you talking about how I can鈥檛 cook?,鈥 which prompted more laughs.
During a 15-minute Q&A after the talk, fans asked the singer about everything from her relationship with Neil Young (鈥淗e was one of the most interesting songwriters I knew鈥) and what she thought about her Trio partner Emmylou Harris (鈥淪he鈥檚 one of the best singers I ever heard鈥) to her favorite places in 蜜柚直播: the Mission Gardens and 蜜柚直播 Inn, which she said 鈥渋s so beautiful. ... I grew up about a mile from there.鈥
When asked if she thought at the time she recorded 鈥淒ifferent Drum鈥 in 1967 that it would be an inspiration for women, the singer said that never crossed her mind.
鈥淚 just thought it was a cool song,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 picked songs that didn鈥檛 make me sound so bad.鈥
While many of the audience members who spoke recounted how Ronstadt鈥檚 music affected them, Santa Cruz County Sheriff David Hawthorne shared a much more personal family connection. He told Ronstadt that his family had deep ranching ties to Santa Cruz County and Southern 蜜柚直播 and had done business with her grandfather.
He then presented the singer with a sheriff鈥檚 coin.
Photos: 2023 蜜柚直播 Festival of Books
Contact reporter Cathalena E. Burch at cburch@tucson.com. On Twitter @Starburch
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Linda Ronstadt smiles as she talks about an aspect from her book, 鈥淔eels Like Home: A Song for the Sonoran Borderlands鈥 during the second day of the 蜜柚直播 Festival of Books on the University of 蜜柚直播 campus on Sunday.
As Linda Ronstadt takes the stage, audience members get their photos before she talks about her book, 鈥淔eels Like Home: A Song for the Sonoran Borderlands鈥 during the second day of the 蜜柚直播 Festival of Books on Sunday afternoon.