Linda Ronstadt: It's So Easy : An Unauthorized Biography [Paperback]

Mark Bego (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Readers won't be scandalized or even surprised by Bego's ( Aretha Franklin ) "unauthorized biography" of the pop singer extraordinaire. The author is obviously a big fan of Ronstadt's, and his biography intersperses the facts of her life with effusive praise of her musical accomplishments. Bego takes us from Ronstadt's childhood in Tucson, Ariz., where she first became "mesmerized by music," through the mid-1960s in Los Angeles as the lead singer for the Stone Poneys, her superstar period as "the most successful female singer of the 1970s," and her forays into opera, jazz and mariachi music during the last decade. Along the way, we learn, rather sketchily, about Ronstadt's affairs with singer J. D. Souther, actor Albert Brooks, former California governor Jerry Brown and filmmaker George Lucas, among others. Bego relies on past interviews from a multitude of magazines and newspapers, and although he has done a capable job of pasting together quotes from various sources to create a coherent chronology, rarely does he attempt to probe beneath the surface of Ronstadt's California cool. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

A thorough look at the public and private life of one of pop music's most creative and diverse talents, this offering is sure to be of interest to Ronstadt's many fans and to students of pop culture. While offering nothing of great revelation regarding Ronstadt's personal or professional life, Bego does fill a void by bringing together numerous secondary sources of information on the artist. Furthermore, he surveys and updates Ronstadt's fast-moving career accomplishments as a folk/country/rock/pop vocalist, opera diva, producer, and stage actress. In a sometimes plodding but usually engaging style, the author provides the first fresh look at this multi-talented performer in ten years. Public libraries and comprehensive music collections should consider for purchase.
- David M. Turkalo, Social Law Lib., Boston
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 212 pages
• Publisher: Eakin Pr; 1st edition (July 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0890157758
• ISBN-13: 978-0890157756
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 1.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,790,252 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Mark Bego is the author of 56 books on rock & roll and show business, including two "New York Times" Best Sellers, a "Los Angeles Times" Best Seller, and a "Chicago Tribune" Best Seller, three multi-million-sellers, and two half-million selling titles. With over 10 million books in print, he is acknowledged as the best-selling biographer in the rock and pop music field. His latest book is his 2010 memoir about his career as an author, entitled "Paperback Writer." His show business biographies have included the life stories of some of the biggest stars of ROCK (Elton John, Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Bonnie Raitt, The Doobie Brothers, Three Dog Night, Billy Joel), SOUL (Aretha Franklin, The Supremes, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, Tina Turner, Whitney Houston), POP (Sonny & Cher, The Monkees, Sade, Barry Manilow), and COUNTRY (George Strait, Patsy Cline, Alan Jackson, Vince Gill). He has also written about film and television stars as well (Rock Hudson, Julia Roberts, Leonardo DiCaprio, Will Smith, Matt Damon, The Marx Brothers.

One of the most exciting books of Bego's career is his recent biography on Elton John. The book was released in June of 2009 by Hannibal books of Austria. Published in the German language under the title "Elton John: Die Story," it has been heralded in the media as "the ultimate Elton John" biography by "Manner Magazine." The book was published by Phoenix Books in America under the title "Elton John: The Bitch is Back" (2009), and in England and Australia with the title "The Elton John Story" from JR Books in London that same year. It will be published in Denmark and in Russia as well.

Thanks to Hannibal Books, in 2009 Mark had a great year in German language bookstores. As he explains it, "Not only has Hannibal published my 'Elton John: Die Story,' they also published the German language reprint of my Tina Turner book, under the title 'Tina Turner: Die Biographie.' In addition, they also published a German language exclusive: 'Whitney Houston: Die Biographie.'" All three books are available internationally through German Amazon.com and they are also distributed to bookstores throughout Austria, Germany and Switzerland. The Whitney and Tina books were released in October 2009. In 2011 Mark is due to update his critically acclaimed book, "Aretha Franklin: The Queen of Soul," internationally.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Linda would have authorized this biography., August 22, 2007

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Torihama (Brazil) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Linda Ronstadt: It's So Easy : An Unauthorized Biography (Paperback)

If you have read many of Linda's interviews available on the internet, there'll be little new stuff in this book. It seems the author's main source was magazine interviews and articles. I read half and got bored. Linda's own interviews are far more revealing than this author's writing.