Linda Ronstadt topped the charts in the ‘70s and ‘80s under multiple genres, now her incredible story is being brought to the screen in “Linda Ronstadt: The Sound Of My Voice.”
Academy Award-winning directors Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman (“The Celluloid Closet” and “The Times Of Harvey Milk”) have brought the iconic rock ‘n’ roll star’s story to their latest doc, where they have used archived footage and celebrity interviews to help create the new film.
The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year, and the Oscar-winning directors spoke to The Upcoming about why they chose to focus on Ronstadt, saying, “she’s a really inspiring artist who was never satisfied to do the same thing over and over again, I (Friedman) found the story really inspiring.” Epstein continued, “she was really the first female pop superstar… As Bonnie Raitt in the says in the film, ‘she was the Beyoncé of her time and I think a lot of people have yet to experience of her and in the film you get to see her in her full glory.”
While this is a tribute to the 10-time Grammy Award winner, Ronstadt also finds herself featured in the film, reminiscing about her life and career. The star had to retire from singing in 2011 due to her ongoing battle with Parkinson’s Disease, where she confirmed the disease was taking her voice away.
The film will feature legendary musicians such as Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, and Jackson Browne. While the archived footage will show iconic country singer Johnny Cash and Beatles drummer Ringo Starr. The project shows her dipping her toes into different music genres, her start when she first moved to Los Angeles and how she tried to be a trailblazer for women in the rock ‘n’ roll industry.
Here is the synopsis:
Oscar-winning directors Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman use deep-cut archival footage, and Ronstadt’s own astute recollections, to celebrate an artist whose desire to do justice to the songs that touched her soul made generations of fans fall in love with her – and with the sound of her voice.
The film opens in theaters on September 6th. Watch the trailer below.