“I’d Better Fight”: The Artist Who Lit a Fire Under Linda Ronstadt Early in Her Career

Comparison can either suck the life force out of an artist or encourage them to become better versions of themselves. Linda Ronstadt chose the latter early in her career. Rather than pitting herself against her fellow female contemporaries, Ronstadt decided to follow the “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” rule.

She began working with these artists closely, developing lifelong friendships and honing her own musical skills in the process. These musicians lit a fire under Ronstadt, encouraging her to dig deeper, expand her horizons, and work harder.

This Artist Lit a Fire Under Linda Ronstadt Early in Her Career

Linda Ronstadt was touring with Neil Young in the early 1970s when the musicians found themselves in Houston, Texas, with a night off. The band heard that Emmylou Harris and Graham Parker were playing in town that night, so they headed to the venue. “I saw Emmy, and I died,” Ronstadt recalled in a 1980 Playboy interview.

“Here was someone doing what I was doing, only, in my opinion, better. Hearing her finally outweighed the pain of being outdone, and I just thought, ‘Well, here’s the level, and I’d better get up there. I’d better fight for it.’ I sat down with Emmy and sang, and I learned a hell of a lot about singing from her, and I still do.”

Ronstadt called Harris “the most inspiring singer to me, bar none. I would rather sing with Emmy than anybody else. She can make me feel the music and the ideas of a song like nobody. I can’t imagine Emmy not being successful, because that might mean that I can’t sing with her so much. I mean, it’s in my best interests for Emmy to be successful and for people to hear her because she brings up the general standards of the music.”

The Multi-Genre Star Allowed Her Idols To Teach, Not Deter Her

A more insecure artist might let a musical inspiration like Emmylou Harris bruise their ego and convince them to hang it up for good. But Linda Ronstadt was confident enough in what she was doing to know that even if she didn’t consider herself to be at that level yet, she could make her way there if she allowed those idols to teach her, not deter her. So, that’s precisely what she did when she began collaborating with Harris and fellow country icon Dolly Parton.

The three singers worked together for a couple of one-off trio albums, and Ronstadt said the experience was an invaluable milestone in her career. “When I think of the kinds of things that could have happened, it blows my hair,” Ronstadt said of the potential for interpersonal conflict within the group. “The thing is that Dolly… God, there is not one trace of malice in her. She has such a keen understanding of what motivates people that there was never a trace of b****iness.”

“What I learned was that I wanted to be on the team with Dolly and Emmy,” Ronstadt said. “Singing with them is a precious experience. It was like a musical nirvana. I learned a lot about music and about morality, and Dolly was responsible for that.”

Photo by Gary Friedman/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images