Team Reba’s Ruby Leigh Delivers Tender Cover Of Linda Ronstadt’s “Long, Long Time”

Hear Voice Star Ruby Leigh Cover Linda Ronstadt’s Emotional Song, “Long, Long Time”

Voice contestant Ruby Leigh may only be 16 years old, but she has a deep love for classic and traditional country music. That love came through in each performance she delivered during her time on the show.

Ruby covered songs such as Patsy Montana’s “I Want to Be a Cowboy’s Sweetheart” and LeAnn Rimes’ “Blue.” These songs gave her ample opportunity to showcase the depth of her talent…and her yodeling skills.

Ruby chose Team Reba after her impressive four-chair-turn blind audition. She then went on to win her battle round and knockout performance.

During one episode, Ruby competed against her fellow members of Team Reba in the playoff round. She chose another classic song to cover, though more folk in style, selecting “Long, Long Time” by Linda Ronstadt.

“Long, Long Time” Has Experienced A Resurgence Lately – Here’s Why

Gary White wrote “Long, Long Time,” which Ronstadt recorded and then released in June 1970. The song spent 12 weeks on the chart, and peaked at the 25th position on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100.

Linda’s performance led to a Grammy nomination in 1971 for Best Contemporary Female Vocal Performance.

“Long, Long Time” experienced a resurgence in popularity this year (2023) after being heavily featured in the HBO series The Last of Us. The song plays in the series’ third episode, which also shares its name.

According to Spotify, streams of “Long, Long Time” increased by 4,900% percent after it was featured in The Last of Us.

Niall Horan Calls Ruby Leigh’s Version Of “Long, Long Time” The Greatest Cover He’s Ever Heard

Considering how beautiful Linda Ronstadt’s performance was, few people have dared to cover “Long, Long Time.” But Ruby rose to the occasion, and delivered a performance that left the Voice coaches in awe.

Her emotional, tender cover of the song featured breaks at the perfect points, and also gave her the chance to show off her range like never before. It was impressive, to say the least.

Niall Horan heaped praise on the young singer, telling her it was “the best” cover of the song he’s ever heard. Reba was clearly amazed as well, because she chose to send Ruby on to the next phase of the competition.

Head below to watch Ruby’s powerful performance of “Long, Long Time.” She was eventually named the runner-up of Season 24!