It’s time for another of my favorite Meet Me in Montauk features: a deep dive! The latest honoree is Ms. Linda Ronstadt.

So far I’ve given the Deep Dive treatment to Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne, Madonna, Bob Marley, Lana Del Rey, The Rolling Stones, Jim Croce, Jason Isbell, and Dire Straits. That means I’ve listened to and written about every one of their studio albums.

I’ve also done a Shallow Dive of Barbra Streisand, in which I tackled ten of her most popular and/or acclaimed albums (she has 37, which made a full Deep Dive impractical).

This Ronstadt exploration splits the difference. I have listened to and will write about all 31 of her studio albums, but I will do it all in three weeks, covering multiple albums in some posts (like this one).

Before I start, I have to say that this was my most rewarding Deep Dive yet, given my lack of familiarity with the subject and the astounding depth and breadth of her talent. I ended up convinced that Ronstadt is one of the most versatile and singular talents in American popular music history.

She started out in the mid 60s as a teenager in Tucson, Arizona, singing with her brother and sister in a bluegrass/folk trio called The Three Ronstadts. At 14, she met guitarist Bobby Kimmel (20), who was so impressed by her talent that he invited her to join him in California. A few years later, she did just that.

With Kimmel and Kenny Edwards, Ronstadt formed The Stone Poneys, a folk trio that released three albums between 1967 and 1968. The first two (The Stone Poneys and Evergreen, Volume 2) featured three-part harmonies and just a few leads by Ronstadt. They did produce one hit, though.

That was ‘Different Drum,’ a song written by Michael Nesmith of The Monkees but turned down by the rest of his band. Ronstadt generally sang a folk version with her bandmates, but when it came time to record it, a producer pushed for a more baroque pop treatment. The result, which did not include Kimmel or Edwards but was credited to The Stone Poneys nonetheless, ended up reaching #13 on the Hot 100.

It also made Ronstadt a rising star, so the third (and final) Stone Poneys album was titled Linda Ronstadt, Stone Poneys and Friends, Vol. III and moved her front and center. The song selection shifted from folk to country rock, and Edwards and Kimmel — reading the writing on the wall — eventually left the band.

The first two albums are quaintly lo-fi, the sort of earnest folk the Coen Brothers depicted so lovingly in the Gaslight Cafe scenes of Inside Llewyn Davis. The third album finds Ronstadt stepping into the power and range of her voice, setting the table for the solo work to come.

The one essential song from this era is ‘Different Drum,’ a delightful classic.