Linda Ronstadt added to MerleFest lineup
Grammy Award-winning singer to close festival with Mariachi Los Camperos
de Nati Cano

Music icon Linda Ronstadt will make her first appearance at MerleFest on the Watson Stage on Sun., April 26, closing the four-day festival on a high note with a performance consisting entirely of traditional mariachi songs sung in Spanish. Joining her will be the Grammy®-winning Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano.

Ronstadt has staged this production periodically over the last 20 years, reflecting her love of the traditional folk music she learned while growing up in her Mexican American family in Tucson. The colorful musical production includes stagings of the stories told in song on her Grammy®-winning Canciones de Mi Padre (1987) and Mas Canciones (1991), complete with the violins, trumpets, vihuela and guitarUon of mariachi music.

“We are delighted to welcome Linda Ronstadt and the Mariachi Los Camperos to MerleFest this year,” said Festival Director Ted Hagaman.  “MerleFest has always honored traditional folk music from a variety of cultures, including Celtic and Cajun music, and we know that this performance of traditional Mexican American folk music will delight our audience and enrich the MerleFest experience.”

Linda Ronstadt has established one of the most impressive careers in the history of contemporary music. Arguably the most versatile vocalist of the modern era, she has broadened the latitudes of the pop singer, expanding the vocalist’s canvas to include country, rock and roll, big band, jazz, opera, Broadway standards, Mexican and Afro-Cuban influences, leaving no stone unturned in the pursuit of the ultimate song. With worldwide album sales of over 50 million, at least 31 gold and platinum records, and 11 Grammy Awards to her credit, Linda is the consummate American artist. 

Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano is a 10-piece band that has shared Mexican mariachi music with North American audiences for almost 50 years. Led by Mexican born “Nati” Cano, the group has collaborated with Ronstadt on Canciones de Mi Padre and Mas Canciones, promoting those releases and introducing new audiences to mariachi music with performances on The Tonight Show and The Grammy Awards.  They have recorded ten albums, most recently Amor, Dolor y Lágrimas, released in 2008 by Smithsonian Folkways.

MerleFest, celebrating its 22nd year in 2009, is a four-day event that honors the memory of instrumental virtuoso Eddy Merle Watson and the contributions of Doc and the entire Watson Family to the musical traditions of the region and nation. Held on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina, MerleFest began in 1988 as a fundraiser for the college and remains the largest fundraiser for the institution.

This year’s eclectic lineup at MerleFest, featuring over 95 performers, includes Emmylou Harris, Sam Bush, Travis Tritt, Jerry Douglas, Tift Merritt, Blue Highway, The Waybacks, The Carolina Chocolate Drops, John Cowan, Great Big Sea, Jim Lauderdale,

Tony Rice, Peter Rowan, The Greencards, Dailey & Vincent, Ollabelle, The Del McCoury Band, the SteelDrivers, BeauSoleil Avec Michael Doucet, and of course, Doc Watson. The complete lineup, along with ticket information, is available at www.merlefest.org. Early-bird ticket prices are available until March 13.