"I like her music, and am not ranking her against all of the other performers of her day. How does Linda Ronstadt measure up to Joni and Carly and Judy Collins and Joan Baez..."

Perhaps one could add Emmylou Harris and Dolly Parton to that select group.

Of the seven, Linda Ronstadt is the best singer but has virtually no songwriting abiliy. Neither does Emmylou Harris.

Joan Baez and Judy Collins have some fine songs to their credit, "Diamonds and Rust" and "Sweet Sir Galadhad" by Baez are gems. Still, rather few in number.

Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon and Dolly Parton are prolific writers and would be famous for their writing skills, even if they did had never sang.

Joni is the most enigmatic of the bunch, and "Big Yellow Taxi" is simply awful poetry, even if you like the song.

Dolly Parton and Carly Simon must be taken seriously in modern music. Simon's obcession with writing only about "relationships" makes her a bit tedious, but it is a tendancy she shares with most of modern Country Music.