Tony nominated singer-songwriter Ann Hampton Callaway has done a couple of concerts in her adopted hometown of Tucson.
But this weekendโs โLinda Ronstadt Songbookโ concert feels bigger than her.
โItโs not just going to be a concert. Iโm thinking of it as a happening,โ said Callaway, who called Saturdayโs concert her biggest solo show since moving to Tucson in summer 2018. โI want this to feel like a real love fest for Linda.โ
Two years ago, Callaway traded the hustle and hassle of New York City for the calm of Tucson and the Southwest desert. And on Saturday, Oct. 26, the jazz-pop singer-songwriter will pay tribute to one of Tucsonโs most revered natives, Grammy-winning, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Linda Ronstadt.
Callaway, 61, has been doing the Ronstadt tribute show since last year and has gotten positive response from audiences and critics alike, including from Ronstadt, who reached out to Callaway to give her her blessings.
โShe said she was honored that someone of my caliber was singing her songs so that makes me feel really happy and grateful because itโs one thing to do my tributes to Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee and Sara Vaughan โ great singers who are no longer with us,โ said Callaway, whose songwriting credits include โThe Nannyโ sitcom theme song and Barbra Streisandโs wedding song โIโve Dreamed of You.โ โBut when you are singing a living legend, it is slightly less an easy thing.โ
โLinda Ronstadt Songbookโ will feature some of Ronstadtโs most iconic songs, dating back to her early Stone Poneys days (โDifferent Drumโ and โLong Long Timeโ) to her pop/rock classics (โYouโre No Good,โ โDesperadoโ) to Ronstadtโs unforgettable classics from her three critically acclaimed Nelson Riddle albums (โWhatโs Newโ and โAm I Blueโ).
Callaway also will team up with her longtime music director Billy Stritch to recreate some of Ronstadtโs duets, including โSomewhere Out There.โ
โThat song just haunted me so much,โ she said. โI really love some of her gorgeous ballads.โ
In addition to Stritch, Callaway will share the stage with Ronstadtโs longtime guitarist and arranger Bob Mann and bass player Trey Henry, who supported Ronstadt in her final tours several years ago.
โWe are all really excited and Trey and Bob are really excited to get to do these songs in her hometown,โ Callaway said.
โIโm really feeling emotional because ... I feel so honored to be able to celebrate Linda in her hometown. So Iโm kinda nervous.โ
