Linda Ronstadt, often dubbed the "First Lady of Rock", has long championed George Gershwin as the greatest American songwriter, a view she made explicit in a 1980s interview with Vogue. Her endorsement matters because it reflects the deep authenticity that has defined her career: Ronstadt has always prioritised personal connection to music over ego, fame or critical fashion, and her admiration for Gershwin's "sophisticated sentiment" underscores her preference for craftsmanship over trend.

Ronstadt famously said that if presented with a new Elvis Costello song alongside a Gershwin composition, "there'd be no contest", calling the choice "easy". The article also recounts her lifelong reverence for figures such as Frank Sinatra, including an anecdote from an early-1980s show where she was mortified to learn Sinatra had been in the audience, and notes she is far from alone in rating Gershwin highly, with artists including Paul Simon and Bob Dylan similarly placing him among America's finest songwriters.