Long Long Time: A Tribute to Linda Ronstadt
City Winery Nashville Presents Long Long Time: A Tribute to Linda Ronstadt on August 29th at 7:30pm.
With the upcoming Linda Ronstadt Biopic, the 2019 release of the documentary, “The Sound of My Voice”, and all the coverage of her battle with progressive supranuclear palsy, a Parkinson’s-like disease, it is fair to say that Linda Ronstadt’s public profile is as high as ever. The same holds true with the public’s desire to hear her music. Enter the Linda Ronstadt tribute band, Long Long Time. It makes sense, but it is a challenge to find a vocal talent capable of doing Linda Ronstadt and her songs justice.
Enter Teresa, former Sony Music Nashville recording artist, 7-time college entertainer of the year and 2-time college female vocalist of the year. When asked about this challenge, Teresa remarked, “Not only was her music the soundtrack of my youth, Linda Ronstadt was the artist who inspired me to chase my own dream of being a professional singer. I was even blessed to have had a chance to work with her in the recording studio. During the session, when she was laying down back-up vocals on one of my songs, a completely surreal experience, I turned to her and asked, “Can’t you just sing lead?”. Linda smiled and modestly said, “No, it’s your record.” I had made a comment about not being a trailblazer and innovator as she had been and she imparted this wisdom on me. She said, “Teresa, it’s not necessary to be original. What matters is that you are authentic;” words I adopted and continue to hold as a mantra.
Teresa applied the same philosophy in putting together her band of A-list musicians. Collectively they comprise Long Long Time, named for Ronstadt’s first solo radio hit. LLT transports its audience to the 70’s, the height of Ronstadt’s popularity. Committed to authentically presenting the Ronstadt Sound by recreating the signature solos and vocal arrangements, Teresa and her band do right by the best-selling female rock artist of the 70’s showing Ronstadt’s music and sound are as relevant today as ever.
On occasion, renowned Front-Of-House Engineer, Buford Jones, mixes LLT. Buford’s 47-year career garnered him the 2024 Parnelli Audio Innovator Lifetime Award. He not only helped define live sound, he mixed F.O.H. for a who’s who array of artists, like James Taylor, Lynyrd Skynyrd, ZZ Top, Three Dog Night, David Bowie, 200 shows for Pink Floyd, and yes, Linda Ronstadt, having mixed all of Linda’s tours.
When asked about his collaboration with the LLT lead singer, Buford said, “I have known Teresa for about fifteen years now and I consider her a dear friend. I met her through some common friends in the music industry. I was very impressed with her music style and delivery and instantly became a fan! We started doing some professional work together and everyone loved her performances. Her original, Way Down Under, was the first song that I started working on with her in my studio. I must have heard it 700 or 800 times and still love it. It's a song that will never wear itself out. And I think that's typical of Teresa's abilities in her music career. Whether performing her originals or covering Linda, Teresa certainly is an amazing entertainer!”
Having penned hundreds of original compositions, not only has Teresa written captivating mainstream music, she has found a niche in custom-writing musical anthems for various companies and organizations; among them, NASA, Southwest Airlines, and Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. Teresa’s fresh approach to keynote singing presentations, combining music and message, has also kicked open the door to extraordinary opportunities, introducing her to new experiences, venues and audiences.
NASA selected the title track of Teresa’s CD, Brave New Girls, as the official wake-up song for the first female-commanded Space Shuttle mission. An invitation to perform at the historic STS-93 launch for a prestigious crowd which included the First Lady of the United States, was followed by an invitation to perform at the Paris Air Show for the launch of the International Space Station. To commemorate Girl Scouts 100th Anniversary, Teresa lead 250,000 girls in the world’s largest sing-a-long on the National
Mall. Later she was invited to the White House to sing around a mock campfire as 50 girls camped out
on the White House lawn.
TERESA, who uses only her first name, is a singer-songwriter who brings her sunny disposition and positive approach to her music and her audiences. Says noted music historian, Robert K. Oermann, “When it comes to making music, Teresa is an unstoppable force of nature.”
