On Saturday evening, May 17th, at 7pm, former Sony Music recording artist Teresa and her band of A-list Nashville musicians will perform a Linda Ronstadt tribute concert at the Knicely Conference Center Theatre on the campus of Western Kentucky University.
With the upcoming Linda Ronstadt Biopic, the release of the documentary, “The Sound of My Voice,” and all the coverage of her battle with Parkinson’s disease that stilled her singing voice in 2009, it’s fair to say that Ronstadt’s public profile is as high as it has been in many years. And the same holds true for the public’s desire to once again hear her music performed in a live setting.
Enter one of the country’s leading Ronstadt tribute bands, Long, Long Time, featuring the award-winning vocal artist, Teresa Suber, known professionally as “Teresa.” Hailing from New England, Teresa has called Tennessee home for more than 30 years while she traveled extensively to concert venues in the U.S. and abroad.
Regarding the challenge of living up to Ronstadt’s legendary vocals, Teresa remarked, “Honestly, I’m almost embarrassed to say I front a tribute band to the greatest vocalist of my lifetime. I mean no one sings like Linda. Not only was her music the soundtrack of my youth, she was the artist who inspired me to chase my own dream of being a professional singer as I was even blessed to have worked with her in the recording studio.”
When asked what brings her to the WKU campus in May, Teresa answered, “Well, there’s a story there. A couple of years ago, Kathleen and Larry Gildersleeve from Bowling Green were in the audience for one of my concerts. Larry is a huge Linda Ronstadt fan, and I’m honored to say he and Kathleen have since traveled to see us perform, including in Orlando at a sold-out concert he arranged. And we’ve become great friends.
“When Larry gave me a signed copy of his award-winning novel Blue by You, I remember thinking ‘I sure hope this is as good as Larry is kind!’ The book sat on my nightstand for several weeks until one night I picked it up and began to read. I could NOT put it down. I read through the night, and loved it so much, I purchased a copy on Amazon just so I could leave a review.
“I truly believe Larry is every bit as gifted an author as Nicholas Sparks. And honestly, Larry’s novel is much more hopeful than any of Sparks’. When he told me months ago that Simon & Schuster would be distributing a second edition in May, I went to him with an idea – an offer, really.”
“Teresa’s idea,” Larry interjected, “was to stage one of her tribute concerts in my hometown to celebrate the book’s re-release. The title is wordplay on the iconic song Blue Bayou, written and initially recorded by Roy Orbison, but more closely associated with Ronstadt. The singer and the song are integral to my story. I was hesitant at first before telling Teresa that since even New York Times bestselling authors have difficulty gathering an in-person audience, I thought it was a novel way to launch a novel.”
“Larry’s being modest,” Teresa threw in. “He entered his book in three prestigious international competitions when it was first released in 2023 and he received award recognition from three. Blue by You can be pre-ordered from Amazon or Barnes & Noble, and I know Larry will be happy to sign your book if you bring it to our concert.”
Because the book will be distributed globally, Larry was recently interviewed by a U.K. magazine. One question was: “Without giving away any spoilers, what message do you hope readers will take away from Blue by You?” Larry answered: “Regardless of how desperate a person’s situation appears to be in the moment, life goes on. There are do-overs in life, and new beginnings.”
Asked for a final comment, Larry replied, “Teresa is a world class entertainer who does great honor to Linda Ronstadt and her music. In her career, she’s performed over a thousand concerts on American college campuses. Let’s welcome her to ours.”
“Thank you, Larry. And to the audience, Larry and I are looking forward to being with all of you on May 17th for our Concert & Book Signing!”
The Knicely Center is located at 2355 Nashville Road in Bowling Green. The intimate theatre has limited seating and tickets are selling quickly.
For tickets, contact Knicely Conference Center Theatre at 270-745-2640.
Tickets may also be purchased online at https://reg.learningstream.com/reg/event_page.aspx?ek=0009-0030-da9491394d30452d87ca9ec0aeae0e11 or by scanning the QR code.
More information can be found at www.teresa.com and www.gildersleeve.com.
-by Lindsay Taylor
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