We didn't have MTV back in 73 but we had the Midnight Special. LOL

I think this is her best live performance of this song on KZfaq. Linda Ronstadt is incredible.

Sherlie Matthews and Clydie King on those amazing backing vocals.

Words cannot express the talent on this one stage. This version should have been released as a single.

Incredible performance by Linda and the whole band!!

During the instrumental break in the middle I thought the band was gonna blow up the stage. What a great live performance by all involved.

She always had the greatest musicians around her.

Let's see?????...you have Skunk Baxter on congas and Richie Hayward from Little Feat on drums with Andrew Gold on guitar....you MIGHT just get funky !!!!!!

Back up singers are so badass 😊

Skunk Baxter on congas, what? Outstanding!!🎶👍✌️💕

Best female voice ever! She could sing anything and make it her own song!❤

I remember the night this aired. I'd never heard Ronstadt before and was knocked out. As soon as I was able, I went to some record stores to acquire this great song -- and it wasn't available. It wasn't until months later that Linda did a proper studio recording, and it was around a *year* later that I finally heard it on the radio. It would never happen today for an artist to perform a song on national television without having "product to sell," as they say.

I looked forward to The Midnight Special every week!

Only Linda can have one of the greatest guitar players of the world like Jeff "The Skunk" Baxter playing congas!

"Our band is so good we don't even let Skunk Baxter play the guitar!" I'm sure I saw this as it happened because I watched Midnight Special religiously back then. I just assumed there would always be singers like Linda Ronstadt. I did realize then what a generational talent she was. Thanks for posting!

Just killing it. Screaming from the depths of her soul "I'm gonna say it again"

That is one powerful groove and rhythym. And who would not want to hear and see Linda unleash the powerful and tuneful pipes of hers. Fantastc

The backup singers are adorable

I know exactly where I was when this played live... I was in the Marines just before Xmas and I wasn't going home... So, I was down at the EM club drinkin beers, playin pool and this came on and I fell in love with her right then and there. One of those points in time...that sticks with you... It was the first time I was even aware of her as an artist...not to mention how good she looked.

There is SO MUCH talent on that stage. Wow.

Notice what Linda is wearing? Blue jeans and an off the rack blouse. Just couldn’t imagine Beyoncé or Taylor Swift trying to pull that off.

A dream of a singer, and an A-list band behind her. Lots of firepower, lots of fun. The percussion drives it.

Linda is the most talented lady singer I've ever heard. I saw her in 1982 at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, and her voice was so incredible live. I've seen so many artists that disappoint you with their live vocals, but Linda was so very good. She had an incredible band - Andrew Gold on guitar, Waddy Wachtel, on guitar Lee Sklar on bass, Don Grolnick on keyboards and Ricky Marotta on drums, and Dan Dugmore on guitar. She was also drop-dead gorgeous, and I had third-row seats. Shout out here to Clyde King on background vocals and super funky dancing. Clydie is on so many albums that I own by so many different artists.

Just wow. The voice. The phrasing. The power. The authenticity. Ronstadt’s the GOAT.

This is so good. Linda had it all, the voice, the looks, the camera just loves her.

Now that's what singing looks like.

She's Just Freakin' AMAZING!

WOW! That is Jeff Skunk Baxter playing Bongos! Dang! I never knew a guitar hero like Baxter could ripp it hard on percussion! Nice!!!

Rare and remarkable vocalist. When Linda sang the whole musical team was lifted up. Her many live versions of this signature song are each a bit different, each wonderful. Soon after this appearance Ronstadt became a reluctant superstar because of those pipes. OMG those pipes!

Slamming the vocals and letting her band shine. Clear, confident and on the verge of Superstardom. Linda never swam in her own reflection - it was the musical groove that mattered.

No doubt about it, Linda Ronstadt was a Superstar. I also watched this live on Midnight Special. I always tried to stay up late to watch Midnight Special because the Artist were Great.

That's the anthem for EVERY WOMAN.. THANK YOU LINDA❤❤❤❤❤❤

Linda just slays

How Remarkable Linda Was and you see she has her clothes on and isn’t singing about b/s not like ALL OF THE FEMALE SINGERS OF TODAY PURE TALENT ❤❤❤ FROM HER HEART AND SOUL

This is a perfect blend of r&b and rock n roll

Love when she puts that dog on! She growls like nobody else!!

Back musician. Conga : Jeff "Skunk" Baxter Doobie Bros. Drums : Ritchie Hayward Little Feat. Guitar : Andrew Gold A wonderful and unusual combinatio !

Massive talent

The back up singer in gold is gorgeous!!

Oh her voice !

Linda Ronstadt is undeniably great here, but it's her backup band that is really on fire.

Clydie King, baby:) Linda had some of the purest vocals of her era.

Fantastic song, artists, and era. Thankful it was part of my era.

Love, love, love

I was 7 years old and I swear I remember this. My dad was a massive LR fan and we never missed her----her TV performances, albums, songs on the radio turned up a bit more. She had a voice for the ages. Perfection comes to mind!

She looks real good,real good, real good

Really laying it down.

An amazing lady artist on the Midnight Special 🎉🎉

Is that Richie Hayward on drums ? From Little Feat. What a supporting band ?

Geez. So much talent on that stage

Linda was the best. Thank Midnight Special ❤

Other girl singers bore me to death after one tune. Ahhh, but Linda Ronstadt remains in constant rotation. Rockin' or crooning she was just sensational especially live. We believed her. So glad this stuff is posted - much appreciated.

This is soooooo good! That's all I got to say about that.

She had one powerful voice! That band and backup vocals. This is how perfection was achieved back in those days! Thank you for sharing! 💖

Greetings from Jacksonville Florida USA. This must be one of the greatest live performances of all time. She was amazing, and the others were right there with her. Still knocking them out on KZfaq 30 years later…

Damn ! This is a jam !

This imo is by far the best version of this song

I love the studio version, but she is great live, and the band.❤❤❤❤❤

Excellent excellent excellent

Linda's wonderful as usual, thank you for sharing these great moments in history of music.

Just frickin awesome!

Jeff Skunk Baxter from Steely Dan/Doobie Bros on bongos, lol. Andrew Gold on guitar. Wow!

I need to watch this twice a day for the rest of my life.

this performance is fire 🔥⚡🔥⚡🔥‼️ i saw this on television ( i was almost 4 yrs old ) when it aired 📺 My Folks & all of the adults all of us - everyone was stomping and hollering and Dancing Clapping Singing omgoodness ❇️🏵️✨🔸 it was magical 🌌✳️🔹

Cookin’ with fire 🔥

Awesome singer with perfectly back up vocals ❤❤❤

what a performance! by everybody on that stage

Amazing talent along with a great backing band. What a voice.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LINDA!!!!!!! YOU ARE STILL THE VIBRANT ONE!!!!!

miss her voice so much. Thanks for sharing this again.

Thank you for keeping the original ratio! Perfect Square!

it's been a while, but still wonderful to hear.Linda is very talented, the song awakens beautiful memories.❤

Back when music was about music and the musicians’ talent, not about a big corporation trying to sell something, or about choreographers or audio engineers or publicists.

drummer is feeling evevery second of it

Whew, this was my anthem for player men when I was younger, thanks Linda!!

Happy drummer = GREAT MUSIC.

I love Linda Ronstadt!

This is THE ONE 🔥🌹 THANK YOU sO ' much ✨⚡🤘⚡✨ Midnight Special h€££ yEah ⚡🖤⚡ sO heLLa rAd ✨🔥⚡☀️⚡🔥✨

have her 8 tracks. cassettes, DVDs, Itunes and youtube...can't get enough...

Linda was such a babe, her name fits her well

Queen of her scene and she wore her fame so casually. Just listen - great pipes, great devoted bands and a songwriter's champion. Linda sigh.

Just amazing singer

I want that black Strat Andrew Gold's playing. It was Linda's personal guitar.

Richie Hayward on drums!

Skunk was everywhere back then, he also laid down the Steely Dan classic solo on Rikki Dont Lose That Number.

I prefer this first version with Sherlie Matthews and Clydie King in the backing vocal this gives a hint of soul The January 10, 1975 version is also good, but this I prefer with Sherlie Matthews and Clydie King !!!! LINDA RONSTADT sang a lot !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jeff "The Skunk" Baxter on percussion !

Fantastic song!🎶🎶♥️♥️

50 years later

Loved Linda we all sang this she was tops!

We love you Linda❤

The beauty and her pipes. The GOAT

Everyone in that groove...@1:40.

No enhanced anatomy anywhere to be seen, Skunk Baxter on congas, and Linda knocking it out of the park...geezoman

This preformance will be 50 years old in a few months. Still more golden than 75% of the live preformances you hear nowadays completely lacking musicianship and unfiltered raw talent in over half of the preformances and concerts where they just rap or sing over their own studio recorded voice over a beat from stadium speakers smh. I grew up in the 2000s and 2010s and can still see that the Golden era of music was the 1950s through the 1990s. Sure we have good stuff here and there nowadays and the music underground beyond the top 40 is as good but it never charts like it did in those days, but you cant beat the raw talent and musicianship that bands and even pop stars themselves had in that Golden era of music.

Janice and Mama Cass left a huge vacuum that was quite ably filled by this young lady.

Alot of musical chops on that stage, they sounded amazing together.

Oh my so good. I have seenL all of the live versions of this song and this one stands out. Its NOT blues based so much... its up-tempo jam almost motown style. The black girls singing backup (OMG that girl can dance!), along with the percussion players cuz Linda grew up with that latin thing... I'm just saying that Linda herself or some manager made some very cool adjustments for this big TV showcase. I like it so much. I also like maybe a bit more the Woody breakdowns in other live performances. It's all good really. Love the different angle on this one. It's great art.

I'm a fan of record and when her band plays 2 guitar parts with Gold on one, this is more jam version with backup singers, and of course Jeff Baxter on congas, got to tell you, congas bruise hands, not something I'd do to my hands but hey that's Skunk!

SICK BREAK IN THIS