There’s no doubt that Linda Ronstadt had a voice to die for, and many singers can only dream of matching the talent and success she achieved over her long career.

(Credits: Far Out / Circacies)

Whether performing with the Stone Poneys during the 1960s counterculture era or in her remarkable solo work throughout the 1970s and beyond, Ronstadt’s music has stood the test of time—thanks largely to her stunning vocal ability.

However, she was a remarkably gifted songwriter and musician as well, and while she was perhaps best known for her stellar interpretations of other people’s work, she can claim to have penned massive hits such as ‘Lo Siento Mi Vida’ and ‘Try Me Again’ among her credits.

The amount of talent that Ronstadt had shown prior to her retirement was enviable, and few can claim to have the skill set that she had.

One act that did seemingly have it all in the sense that there was a naturally present gift for writing melodies and singing with the utmost passion was Simon and Garfunkel.

While the talents were arguably split between the two members, their respective roles as songwriter extraordinaire and powerhouse vocalist were ultimately what made them such a prominent force in the 1960s folk rock movement.

Unfortunately, as a duo, they didn’t survive after their magnificent swan song album, Bridge Over Troubled Water, in 1970, and they both went on to forge their own separate paths as solo artists in the subsequent decades.

What many people questioned about their solo ventures was whether they’d both have the talents in each other’s respective areas of expertise to have the same impact as they had as a duo and whether they’d ultimately need to recruit the talents of others to bolster their individual work.

Step forward Linda Ronstadt, who assisted both Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel during the 1980s on a couple of songs where she performed on duets with both artists.

However, the bizarre thing about both of these exquisite performances, despite how brilliantly they expose Ronstadt’s talent for providing harmony or countermelody, is that she didn’t receive official credit for either of them.

Firstly, she appeared on Garfunkel’s 1981 rendition of ‘Scissors Cut’, a track written by esteemed songwriter Jimmy Webb, where she gives a delicate yet effective backing vocal to an emotionally arresting track.

Five years later, she would appear on the Graceland track, ‘Under African Skies,’ where she takes more of a prominent role, singing alongside Simon, and has a handful of moments in the spotlight.

However, why both Simon and Garfunkel ended up not crediting Ronstadt fairly for her contributions to both tracks is a mystery, and is verging on unfair towards her.

It’s clear that they both recognised Ronstadt for her vocal ability and the ease with which she could slot herself into a song and bring it to life, but the fact that she wasn’t even given the slightest nod on Garfunkel’s track is criminal.

She’s credited on ‘Under African Skies’, but only as an additional musician rather than her deserving title of a performing artist, although this is perhaps due to the backlash that Ronstadt had received for performing at the South African luxury resort, Sun City, in 1985.

Due to Simon’s involvement with black South African musicians on Graceland, which was recorded during the apartheid era, having her put front and centre while embroiled in controversy would not have been the wisest idea.

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