Imagine a musical collaboration so legendary, it could have redefined the very essence of supergroups. Linda Ronstadt, the powerhouse vocalist with a career spanning genres and generations, once dreamed of forming a trio that would have been nothing short of magical. But here’s where it gets intriguing: this wasn’t just any trio—it was to include the iconic Bette Midler and the timeless Rosemary Clooney. And this is the part most people miss: their combined talents could have produced something far more eclectic and groundbreaking than even Ronstadt’s celebrated country trio with Emmylou Harris and Dolly Parton.
Linda Ronstadt’s career is a testament to her unparalleled versatility. From cutting-edge collaborations with Frank Zappa to touring with The Doors, and from jazz-rock experiments with Carla Bley to operetta performances in The Pirates of Penzance, Ronstadt’s résumé reads like a who’s who of musical brilliance. Even after her voice was tragically silenced by progressive supranuclear palsy in the early 2010s, her legacy endures, with over 100 million records sold. Her ability to adapt her voice to any project made her the ultimate duet partner, as evidenced by her 2014 Duets compilation, featuring luminaries like Don Henley, James Taylor, and Frank Sinatra.
Ronstadt’s foray into supergroups began in the mid-1970s, culminating in the 1987 release of Trio, her country collaboration with Emmylou Harris and Dolly Parton. The album’s rustic, southern charm won hearts, and its 1994 follow-up, Trio II, cemented its place in music history. Yet, Ronstadt’s creative ambitions didn’t stop there. In 2003, she and Bette Midler recorded Irving Berlin’s ‘Sisters’ from White Christmas as a tribute to Rosemary Clooney, a close friend of Ronstadt’s.
But here’s the bittersweet twist: Ronstadt revealed in a 2014 Parade interview that she had always envisioned a three-way collaboration with Midler and Clooney. “I wish Rosemary could have heard that,” she lamented, “because I knew her really well. Every time I’d go to LA, one of us would be out of town. We never got to have that great dish on the sofa, which would’ve been more fun than anything.”
Midler, meanwhile, paid her own homage to Clooney with the 2003 album Bette Midler Sings the Rosemary Clooney Songbook, produced by Barry Manilow. Inspired by a dream following Clooney’s death, the album reimagined classics like ‘This Ole House,’ ‘Tenderly,’ and ‘Mambo Italiano.’ Clooney, much like Ronstadt, was a boundary-pusher, collaborating with Manilow on ‘Green Eyes’ and even teaming up with outsider artist Wild Man Fischer for ‘It’s a Hard Business.’
Now, here’s the controversial question: Could a Ronstadt-Midler-Clooney supergroup have outshone even the legendary Trio? The alchemy of their distinct styles—Ronstadt’s adaptability, Midler’s theatrical flair, and Clooney’s timeless elegance—might have produced a body of work even more daring and diverse. It’s a tantalizing ‘what if’ that leaves fans yearning for the collaboration that never was.
What do you think? Could this hypothetical trio have been the most groundbreaking supergroup of all time? Share your thoughts in the comments—let’s spark a debate!
