Patti Scialfa makes rare appearance at Linda Ronstadt tribute in Nashville
Bruce Springsteen's sweetheart and storied musician, Patti Scialfa, made a rare appearance this week.
Scialfa, 71, was part of a star-studded tribute to Linda Ronstadt at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville. Alongside Trisha Yearwood and other singer-songwriter legends, Scialfa took the stage on July 22 for a spate of heartfelt performances.
Springsteen's longtime wife and collaborator, and a member of the E Street Band, Scialfa sang "To Know Him Is to Love Him" and "Birds" with Yearwood and Emmylou Harris.
Her set also included a duet of "Valerie" with Harris and "The Water Is Wide" with Yearwood, Harris, Rodney Crowell and James Taylor.
The event was co-produced by Yearwood and the Country Music Hall of Fame, and was put on in connection with the museum's newest exhibition, "Western Edge: The Roots and Reverberations of Los Angeles Country-Rock."
"I'm not exaggerating when I say that Linda Ronstadt is the reason I became a singer," Yearwood said, according to the Country Music Hall of Fame. "Celebrating Linda and her fellow LA-based musicians alongside some of my biggest musical heroes is a lifelong dream come true for me."
Scialfa, a New Jersey native, was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a rare blood cancer, in September, and her appearances and performances since have been sporadic.
“This affects my immune system, so I just have to be careful what I choose to do and where I choose to go," said Scialfa in the 2024 documentary "Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band."
"Every once in a while, I come to a show or two and I can sing a few songs onstage, and that's been a treat," she added. "That's the new normal for me right now, and I'm OK with that."
Sciafa's last live performance was in April, when she took the stage to celebrate at the Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music's American Music Honors. Smokey Robinson, John Fogerty, Emmylou Harris, Tom Morello and Joe Ely, in absentia, were bestowed honors by Scialfa, Springsteen, Little Steven Van Zandt and Nils Lofgren.
For fans eager to hear from the red-headed songstress, The Yearwood and Friends Ronstadt salute was filmed and will be available next month on the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum's website and YouTube channel.