Winner of 1990 Grammy Award performed in transcendent moment at Grammy Awards

By Stephen Pate – It happens – Grammy Award Show performances can outshine the studio recordings and it happened in February 22, 1990 at the Grammys when Linda Ronstadt and Aaron Neville sang their hit “Don’t Know Much.”

Aaron Neville and Linda Ronstadt sing toe-to-toe, looking deeply into each others eyes like lovers.

He is gently holding her hand.

They embrace and dance slowly during the soaring guitar break. At the end, they kiss and she lays her head on his shoulder. That’s a torch song sung to perfection.

Aaron Neville has a high, tremulous voice from God. Linda Ronstadt rose to the occasion by singing arguably better than on the official video, which is later in the story.

It was a beautiful moment in music and television.

Some have reported Linda and Aaron were a “thing” between 1989 and 1992. Rumours abound.

The song is from Linda Ronstadt’s 1989 CD “Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind” which includes four duets with Aaron Neville. It was one of Ronstadt’s best-selling CDs.

The CD was in between two other CDs of Spanish/Mexican music – “Canciones de mi padre” which won the Grammy for Ronstadt and the follow-up “Mas Canciones”

The song was written by the husband and wife team of Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil along with Tom Snow. Barry Mann and Cynthia Weill wrote many great songs including “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin” written with Phil Spector, one of the all-time most played songs on radio.

This is the official video for the song.

The album “Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind” was out of print when this story was originally published but is back on Amazon.com.