Valley Performing Arts Center to Host Linda Ronstadt in Conversation with Dan Guerrero, 9/29

Like never before, the world-renowned 16th Annual Vancouver International Tap Festival is showcasing the fullness of a living, exciting, vital art taking place from Aug. 27 - 30, 2015. Tap dancing - from its deep musical roots and brilliant contemporary blossoming - explored and experienced from new perspectives and levels of excellence, includes two Canadian premieres of globally recognized and celebrated artists.

Tickets range from $30 - $75 and can be purchased by visiting valleyperformingartscenter.org or calling (818) 677-3000. Valley Performing Arts Center is located on the campus of California State University, Northridge (CSUN), 18111 Nordhoff Street Northridge, CA 91330-8448, at the corner of Nordhoff and Lindley.

Guerrero explains, "Linda's gift as an extraordinary artist is well known, but she is also an extraordinary person. There is no one like her. I expect to bring out her personal side during our conversation, in addition to celebrating all the amazing career highlights through images, audio and video clips. While I did not meet Linda until we were both adults, I have always felt a close connection with her. My Dad, Lalo and Linda's Dad, Gilbert, were good friends in our hometown of Tucson. Linda swears she remembers my Dad serenading her while she will still in diapers."

Ronstadt has always had a deep connection to her Mexican roots. Her album of traditional mariachi music, "Canciones de mi Padre" is the biggest-selling foreign language album in American record history. Close family friend, Lalo Guerrero, who is widely-acclaimed as "Father of Chicano Music" and was the first Chicano ever honored with the National Media of Arts, was a big influence on her. Dan Guerrero, Lalo Guerrero's son, met Linda for the first time when she was on her "Canciones di Mi Padre" tour, and they have been close friends ever since.

This evening features a musical interlude by the Conjunto Hueyapan, a music group dedicated to the jarocho music tradition that originated in Veracruz, Mexico and is one of Ms. Ronstadt's favorite style of Mexican music. The Conjunto Hueyapan was founded in 1973 by Fermín Herrera, professor of Nahuatl at California State University Northridge.

Thor Steingraber, Executive Director of Valley Performing Arts Center, said, "When I consider the most influential musician of the past three generations, worldwide, Linda is at the top of that list. Beyond her breadth of style and exquisite vocal talent, I was also interested in her longtime and deep connections in Los Angeles. Amongst them, the debut of her country music chapter was right here in the Valley, at the Palomino. Dan Guerrero is one of the most knowledgeable and entertaining people in show biz, and he's sure to prompt Linda to share great recollections of her life and career."

Over the course of her notable career, Linda Ronstadt has established herself as one of the very important artists in one of the most creative periods in the history of modern music. She has broadened the latitudes of the pop singer, expanding the vocalist's canvas to include country, rock and roll, big band, jazz, opera, Broadway standards, Mexican and Afro-Cuban influences, leaving no stone unturned in the pursuit of the ultimate song. With worldwide album sales of over 50 million, at least 31 gold and platinum records, 10 Grammy Awards, membership in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and a National Medal of Arts to her credit, Linda is the consummate American artist. Recently, Ronstadt was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and she sang her last concert in 2009.

Dan Guerrero, who will be facilitating the conversation, is an award-winning producer of diverse programming for network and cable television and of live arts and culture concert events. He's helmed talk shows and music specials for NBC, HBO, Univision, Telemundo and PBS where his credits include the Concert of the Americas co-produced with Quincy Jones. He has also directed live concert events at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque, the Cite de la Musique in Paris, France and the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC among other prestigious venues.

More About Linda Ronstadt

While Linda was a student at the University of Arizona, she met guitarist Bob Kimmel. The duo moved to Los Angeles, where they were joined by guitarist/songwriter Kenny Edwards. Calling themselves the Stone Poneys, the group became a leading attraction on California's folk circuit, recording their self-titled first album The Stone Poneys in 1967. The band's second album, Evergreen, Vol. 2, featured the Top 20 hit "Different Drum," which was written by Michael Nesmith. After recording one more album with the group, Linda left to become a solo artist at the end of 1968.

For the next forty years, Linda built a career without precedent in American musical history. Along with the Eagles (her former back-up band), Jackson Browne, Crosby, Stills, and Nash, and others, she helped create California country-rock, the dominant American music of the 1970s. At the height of her fame, with her picture on the cover of TIME magazine, she broadened her musical outlook, embracing musical theatre, the Great American Songbook, and her Mexican heritage.

Linda Ronstadt sang her last concert in 2009, and shortly thereafter announced her retirement from singing. Unlike most retirements, however, Linda's has been quite busy.

In 2011, she received a Latin Grammy for Lifetime Achievement from NARAS President Neil Portnow. Fellow honorees included Jose Feliciano and Ray Santos, who worked with Linda on her album, Frenesí.

Later that year, Linda signed a book contract with Jonathan Karp at Simon & Schuster and commenced work on her autobiography. Released in 2013, Simple Dreams: A Musical Memoir, made The New York Times bestseller list and kicked off an extensive book tour, including numerous TV appearances, covering both the East and West Coasts, and culminating in her native Arizona.

In December of 2013, Linda was elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The ceremony was held on April 10, 2014 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn and featured an induction speech by Eagles founding member (and ex-Ronstadt band mate) Glenn Frey, as well as a musical tribute to Linda featuring Emmylou Harris, Bonnie Raitt, Stevie Nicks, Sheryl Crow, and Carrie Underwood. Just recently, Linda was honored by President Barack Obama, who awarded her the National Medal of Arts at a White House ceremony on July 28, 2014.

More About Dan Guerrero

The eclectic artist also tours extensively with his autobiographical solo show ¡Gaytino! that travels through decades of Mexican-American/Chicano history and the gay experience from a unique and personal perspective. The storytelling performance piece has been widely embraced by critics and audiences nation wide and there is a television version in the works.

Guerrero is a popular figure on the speaking circuit and has addressed groups and organizations including the National Council of La Raza in Washington, DC, the Southern Arizona LULAC Youth Leadership Conference in Tucson, the California Teachers Association Conference in Palm Springs and the National Education Association conference in Washington, DC, among others.

He most recently added educator to his resume having been appointed to serve as a 2014-2015 Regents' Lecturer, jointly in the UCLA Cesar E. Chavez Department of Chicana/o Studies and the LGBT Departments.

He has been recognized for his activism and career achievements by the California State Senate, the U.S. House of Representatives, the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, the National Council of La Raza, the California Legislature Assembly and the County of Los Angeles Board of Supervisors, in addition to industry honors that include an Imagen Award, an Honorary Local Emmy Award and an Alma Award nomination.

The Dan Guerrero Collection on Latino Entertainment and the Arts has been established in the California Ethnic and Multicultural Archives at the University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB) and The Dan Guerrero Research Collection is housed at the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center that includes his oral history recorded for their LGBT and Mujeres Initiative project.

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