DALLAS, TX.- Stage-worn clothes, a Country Music Association Award and awards commemorating sales milestones highlight a collection of 34 items consigned directly by legendary singer Linda Ronstadt will be auctioned Nov. 12 in
Heritage Auctions' Entertainment and Music Memorabilia Auction in Dallas.
A true musical superstar, Ronstadt began her career in the mid-1960s singing folk-rock, became the first female singer to release an alt-country album and achieved her greatest commercial success in the mid-1970s, when she became the first female rock star and the top-selling female of that decade. She continued to dominate record sales and pop culture well into the 1990s as a Grammy-nominated artist in a variety of genres.
Among the top lots in the collection is an Elaborate Folklorico Costume Worn by the singer for numerous performances and events (est. $2,000), and a special eggplant-colored wool suit (est. $4,000) Ronstadt wore several times on stage during the 1980s. The suit includes a jacket and an ankle-length skirt, each of which is accented by ornate floral embroidery on the front and back. The jacket includes a label that reads "Designed for / Linda Ronstadt / Manuel" (the protégé of Nudie Cohn of Nudie's Rodeo Tailors in North Hollywood, Calif.)
Also offered is a trio of blazers (est. $4,000) Ronstadt wore on stage during the 1980s and 1990s. One is made of red wool, with peaked lapels, single button front closure and Western-style white stitching on front. The second is of raw black silk and has elaborate black floral embroidery on the front and back and is adorned with black beading. The third is made of melon-colored wool, with peaked lapels and Western-style black stitching on front.
Ronstadt's consignment collection includes a pair of National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences Nomination plaques for the 1977 record Blue Bayou. One is in recognition of Blue Bayou being nominated for Record of the Year (est. $2,000). The other is in recognition of Ronstadt being nominated for Best Vocal Performance, Female Pop, Rock and Folk Field (est. $2,000). Each plaque measures 11 inches by 9 inches.
The list includes a 1988 Country Music Association Award (est. $1,000). The base includes a placard that reads "Linda Ronstadt / Trio / Vocal Event of the Year 1988." The award was in honor of her highly regarded 1987 album "Trio" that she made with Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris.
Another award that is available to collectors is a 1977 Billboard Number One Award (est. $1,600) for "Pop Female Artist of the Year." A placard on the base reads "Billboard #1 Music Awards / 1977 / Pop Female Artist of the Year / Hot 100 and Top LP's Combined / Linda Ronstadt Asylum/Capitol Records."
Part of Ronstadt's trademark style stemmed from her fondness for hats. The auction features an Oversized White Sombrero (est. $800) that Ronstadt wore during the 1980s and 1990s. The sombrero is made of white felt, with an elaborate white cord hatband and tan suede chin straps, and housed in its own cardboard hat box with numerous airline and management stickers and tags. The hat is one of the many sombreros used by the singer as an on-stage prop and in various photo shoots during her "Canciones De Mi Padre" and "Más Canciones" era.