The “best” writer Linda Ronstadt knew always got better: “Great”
The article highlights Linda Ronstadt’s admiration for Jackson Browne, whom she regarded as an exceptional songwriter whose work continued to improve. It presents her assessment as evidence of Browne’s standing within the influential Los Angeles singer-songwriter scene and underlines the importance of craft and persistence in his career.
Ronstadt had close ties to the musicians around the Troubadour and recorded material by several prominent writers of the era. The article notes that Browne was writing songs from a young age and became known for carefully refining them, later producing acclaimed work including ‘Doctor My Eyes’, ‘Late for the Sky’ and ‘Running on Empty’.
- Linda Ronstadt praised Jackson Browne’s continually improving songwriting.
- Browne’s meticulous writing process shaped his reputation.
- His work helped define the 1970s Los Angeles music scene.
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Linda Ronstadt and Jackson Browne were both part of the Los Angeles music scene that grew around clubs such as the Troubadour in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It brought together singers, songwriters and musicians who often worked together, recorded one another’s songs and helped shape a style focused on personal, carefully written lyrics.
Ronstadt became a major singer whose recordings introduced songs by many writers to a wide audience. Browne was known chiefly as a songwriter and performer, building a reputation for revising his work closely and for songs that explored relationships, uncertainty and everyday life.
His best-known albums and songs helped establish the singer-songwriter genre as an important part of American popular music in that period. Ronstadt’s view reflects the respect he earned among fellow musicians as his writing developed over time.