"I just recorded this," the woman in a lived-in Betsey Johnson dress shyly said. Then she sang the opening line, "I'm going back someday..."

How dare she sing Roy Orbison, I thought, she is not worthy. But my ears betrayed my instant judgement. Blue Bayou soared with new emotional depth, the voice rich and sonorous.

I knew I was privileged to be there, to hear Linda Ronstadt sing Roy for the first time. And thereby witnessing the passing of the torch from one musical titan to the next, knowing that the legends of the past were safe in her hands.