Ah the 1970s, what an era. Change was occurring, it was no longer the 1960s where it was still rather radical to be breaking out of the suit and the short-back-and-sides haircut, or challenging gender roles, challenging the establishment, keeping things flowing, such as hair and flowery pants, but with a new defiance. This was a decade of political change, of video games, of rock music taking off, of more empowering women on our screens. Now we have decided to take a look back at some of the female stars who most stood out from this unforgettable decade, from musicians to athletes, we put together a little overview of their careers, where they might be now, and what they contributed to the ‘70s.
Linda Ronstadt
Otherwise known as “First Lady of Rock” or the “Queen of Rock”, Linda Ronstadt was the top of her game in the 1970s. She first performed in the same place Elton John got his big break, in the Troubadour in West Hollywood, and that was just the beginning. From that point on Ronstadt went on to bag herself no less than ten Grammys and more than thirty gold and platinum records across her long career. She released her final full album in 2004, and performed her last live concert in 2009. In 2011 Ronstadt discovered she had progressive supranuclear palsy, a degenerative condition that also affects her singing, and she retired from music but continues public speaking. In 2013, Ronstadt published her memoir all about her experiences in the spotlight, called Simple Dreams: A Musical Memoir
Linda Ronstadt
Pam Grier
Pam Grier really became a star in the 1970s where she starred in a line of roles in action-type films. The Big Doll House came out in 1971 and The Bird Cage in 1972. During the filming of the latter film, which was filmed in the Philippines, Grier contracted a fierce tropical disease that actually took her nearly a year to recover from! Thankfully she did though, and in the film Coffy, released just one year later in 1973, Grier was given a glowing review by film critic Roger Ebert, who said that she possessed a kind of ‘physical life’ that many other attractive actresses lack. In August 1975, Grier became the first black woman to appear on the cover of MS Magazine.Grier was diagnosed with cancer in 1988 and told to not expect to live longer than 18 months, but she had vigorous treatments and changed her lifestyle and managed to outlive the odds, and is still doing well today.
Pam Grier
