Linda Ronstadt will perform at Mountain Laurel next weekend

BUSHKILL n The legendary Linda Ronstadt, who rocketed to fame in the ‘70s as the world’s first female rock superstar and has maintained a storied career ever since, will perform at Mountain Laurel Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday, Aug. 4 at 8 p.m. Tickets, ranging from $32 to $52 for the pavilion, and $22 for lawn seating, are on sale now via Ticketmaster at 570-693-4100, through Ticketmaster outlets, online at mountainlaurelcenter.com, or by visiting MLCPA’s on-site box office. “Welcoming Linda Ronstadt to Mountain Laurel Center is indeed an honor,” said Richard Bryant, President and CEO of the center. “Not only is she one of the world’s most beloved singers, she has never hesitated to break the mold and conquer musical realms that few others would dare to attempt. Her spectacular career, highlighted by eleven Grammy Awards and album sales of more than 60 million worldwide, has endeared her to millions of fans, and we are thrilled to present her to our audiences.” No vocalist has had a more diversified career than Linda Ronstadt. She began her career in the mid-1960s with the folk-rock group the Stone Poneys, a leading attraction on the California folk circuit. Ronstadt has always explored new avenues and new styles of music, and 1978’s Living in the U.S.A. found her tasting the new-wave world with the Elvis Costello-penned “Alison,” scoring another #1 hit. 1980’s “Mad Love” was a full-fledged new-wave album, featuring three more Costello songs. Shortly thereafter, Ronstadt switched gears again, starring on Broadway in a smash production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s “The Pirates of Penzance,” as well as a movie version of the operetta. Ronstadt turned back to the world of movies again in 1986, teaming with fellow singer James Ingram to record the contemporary pop song “Somewhere Out There,” the theme song of the animated “An American Tail,” which rose to #2 on the Billboard singles chart. Ronstadt’s more recent albums have continued this ecletic trend, including a return to her Hispanic roots (“Mas Canciones and Frenesi”), a holiday collection (“A Merry Little Christmas”), more jazz-pop standards (“Hummin’ to Myself”), and an album of lullabies (“Dedicated to the One I Love”). Most recently, she teamed with singer Ann Savoy and the Savoy-Doucet Cajun Band to explore Cajun traditional music in the Grammy-nominated CD “Adieu, False Heart” (2006).