Thursday, January 10, 2013

the Midnight Special - You're No Good : Linda Ronstadt



Linda Marie Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) is an American popular music recording artist. She has earned eleven Grammy Awards, two Academy of Country Music awards, an Emmy Award, an ALMA Award, numerous United States and internationally certified gold, platinum and multi-platinum albums, in addition to Tony Award and Golden Globe nominations.
A singer, songwriter, and record producer, she is recognized as a definitive interpreter of songs One of the most versatile and commercially successful female singers in U.S. history, she is recognized for her many public stages of self-reinvention.
With a one-time standing as the Queen of Rock, where she was bestowed the title of "highest paid woman in rock", and known as the First Lady of Rock, she later emerged as a music matriarch, international arts advocate and human rights advocate.
Ronstadt has collaborated with artists from a diverse spectrum of genres including Billy EckstineFrank ZappaRosemary Clooney,Flaco JiménezPhilip GlassCarla BleyThe ChieftainsEmmylou HarrisGram ParsonsDolly PartonNeil YoungJohnny Cash, and Nelson Riddle. She has lent her voice to over 120 albums. Christopher Loudon of Jazz Times noted in 2004, Ronstadt is "Blessed with arguably the most sterling set of pipes of her generation ... rarest of rarities—a chameleon who can blend into any background yet remain boldly distinctive ... It's an exceptional gift; one shared by few others."
In total, she has released over 30 solo albums and 15 compilations or greatest hits albums. Ronstadt charted thirty-eight Billboard Hot 100 singles with twenty-one reaching the top 40, ten to the top 10, three to No. 2, and "You're No Good" to No. 1. In the UK, her single "Blue Bayou" reached the UK Top 40 and the duet with Aaron Neville, "Don't Know Much", peaked at No. 2 in December 1989. In addition, she has charted thirty-six albums, ten Top 10 albums, and three No. 1 albums on the Billboard Pop Album Charts.






I watched this show a lot growing up, Friday nights at 1 am.
Sure geeks woke up early on Saturday mornings to see 
American Bandstand. 
The cool stuff was on the night before though 
on the Midnight Special !!


The Midnight Special is an American late-night musical variety series that aired on NBC during the 1970s and early 1980s, created and produced by Burt Sugarman. It premiered as a special on August 19, 1972, then began its run as a regular series on February 2, 1973; its last episode was on May 1, 1981. The ninety-minute program followed the Friday night edition of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.
The show typically featured guest hosts, except for a period from July 1975 through March 1976 when singer Helen Reddy served as the regular host. Wolfman Jack served as the announcer and frequent guest host. The program's theme song, a traditional folk song called "Midnight Special", was performed by Johnny Rivers.
The Midnight Special was noted for featuring musical acts performing live, which was unusual since most television appearances during the era showed performers lip-synching to prerecorded music. The series also occasionally aired vintage footage of older acts (such as Bill Haley & His Comets). As the program neared the end of its run in the early 1980s, it began to frequently use lip-synched performances rather than live. The program also featured occasional comedic performances such as Richard Pryor and Andy Kaufman.

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