Before Linda Ronstadt became one of the defining voices of 1970s rock, she was turning heads as the lead singer of the Stone Poneys.

One of the group’s most memorable recordings, “Up to My Neck in High Muddy Water,” arrived in March 1968, when Ronstadt was just 21 years old. Released several months before her 22nd birthday that July, the energetic rock song showcased the confidence and vocal power that would soon propel her to solo stardom.”I never wanted to be anything but a singer,” Ronstadt told Route Magazine. I thought that I would be singing at pizza parlors or Holiday Inns, or something like that. As long as I could make a living as a singer… I didn’t have an ambition when I started.

The song followed the success of the Stone Poneys’ breakthrough hit, “Different Drum.”Still only 21, Ronstadt was establishing herself as one of the most promising young singers in American music. Within just a few years, she would embark on a solo career that produced classics such as “You’re No Good,” “When Will I Be Loved,” and “Blue Bayou,” earning multiple Grammy Awards and becoming one of the best-selling female artists of her generation.