Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Lynn Raitt (/reɪt/;[1] born November 8, 1949) is an American blues singer, guitarist, and songwriter. In 1971, Raitt released her self-titled debut album. Following this, she released a series of critically acclaimed roots-influenced albums that incorporated elements of blues, rock, folk, and country. She was also a frequent session player and collaborator with other artists, including Warren Zevon, Little Feat, Jackson Browne, the Pointer Sisters, John Prine, and Leon Russell.
Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Lynn Raitt
November 8, 1949
Burbank, California, U.S.
- Singer
- musician
- songwriter
- Vocals
- guitar
1971–present
- Warner Bros.
- Capitol
- Redwing
- Proper
In 1989, after several years of limited commercial success, she had a major hit with her tenth studio album, Nick of Time, which included the song of the same name. The album reached number one on the Billboard 200 chart, and won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. It has since been selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Recording Registry. Her following two albums, Luck of the Draw (1991) and Longing in Their Hearts (1994), were multimillion sellers, generating several hit singles, including "Something to Talk About", "Love Sneakin' Up On You", and the ballad "I Can't Make You Love Me" (with Bruce Hornsby on piano). Her 2022 single "Just Like That" won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year.
As of 2023, Raitt has received 13 competitive Grammy Awards, from 30 nominations, as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.[2] She ranked No. 50 on Rolling Stone's list of the "100 Greatest Singers of All Time"[3] and ranked No. 89 on the magazine's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time."[4] Australian country music artist Graeme Connors has said "Bonnie Raitt does something with a lyric no one else can do; she bends it and twists it right into your heart."[5]
In 2000, Raitt was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She has received the Icon Award from the Billboard Women in Music Awards and the MusiCares Person of the Year Award from The Recording Academy.
Early life[edit]
Bonnie Lynn Raitt was born on November 8, 1949, in Burbank, California.[6] Her mother, Marge Goddard (née Haydock), was a pianist, and her father, John Raitt, was an actor in musical productions such as Oklahoma! and The Pajama Game.[7] Raitt is of Scottish ancestry; her ancestors constructed Rait Castle near Nairn.[8] As a child, Raitt would often play with her two brothers, Steve and David and was a self-described tomboy.[9] John Raitt's job as a theater actor meant Bonnie did not interact with him as much as she would have liked. Raitt grew to resent her mother, as she became the main authority figure of the household whenever John was away.[10]
Raitt's musically inclined parents had a strong influence on her life. From a young age, she and her brothers were encouraged to pursue music.[11] Initially, Raitt played the piano but was intimidated by her mother's abilities.[10] She instead began playing a Stella guitar, which she received as a Christmas gift in 1957 at the age of eight.[7][10] Raitt did not take lessons; she was instead influenced by the American folk music revival of the 1950s. She was also influenced by the beatnik movement, stating "It represented my whole belief [...] I'd grow my hair real long so I looked like a beatnik."[12]
From ages eight through fifteen, Raitt and her brothers attended a summer camp in the Adirondack Mountains called Camp Regis.[10][13] It was there where Raitt learned of her musical talents, when camp counselors would ask her to play in front of the campers.[14] Learning how to play songs from folk albums then became a hobby for Raitt.[14] As a teenager, Raitt was self-conscious about her weight and her freckles, and saw music as an escape from reality.[15] "That was my saving grace. I just sat in my room and played my guitar," said Raitt.[15]
After graduating from Oakwood Friends School in Poughkeepsie, New York in 1967, Raitt entered Radcliffe College of Harvard University, majoring in Social Relations and African studies.[7] She said her "plan was to travel to Tanzania, where President Julius Nyerere was creating a government based on democracy and socialism".[16] She was the lead singer in a campus music group called the "Revolutionary Music Collective" founded by songwriter Bob Telson which played for striking Harvard students during the Student strike of 1970.[17] Raitt befriended blues promoter Dick Waterman.[16] During her second year of college, Raitt left school for a semester and moved to Philadelphia with Waterman and other local musicians. Raitt said it was an "opportunity that changed everything."[16]
Career[edit]
1970–1976[edit]
In the summer of 1970, she played with her brother David on stand-up bass with Mississippi Fred McDowell at the Philadelphia Folk Festival as well as opening for John Hammond at the Gaslight Cafe in New York. She was seen by a reporter from Newsweek, who began to spread the word about her performance. Scouts from major record companies were soon attending her shows to watch her play. She eventually accepted an offer from Warner Bros., who soon released her debut album, Bonnie Raitt, in 1971.[18] The album was warmly received by the music press, with many writers praising her skills as an interpreter and as a bottleneck guitarist; at the time, few women in popular music had strong reputations as guitarists.
While admired by those who saw her perform, and respected by her peers, Raitt gained little public acclaim for her work. Her critical stature continued to grow but record sales remained modest. Her second album, Give It Up, was released in 1972 to positive reviews.[19] One journalist described the album as "an excellent set" and "established the artist as an inventive and sympathetic interpreter".[18] However, it did not change her commercial fortunes. 1973's Takin' My Time was also met with critical acclaim, but these notices were not matched by the sales.[18]
Raitt began to receive greater press coverage, including a 1975 cover story for Rolling Stone, but with 1974's Streetlights, reviews for her work were becoming increasingly mixed.[18] By this point, Raitt was already experimenting with different producers and different styles, and she began to adopt a more mainstream sound that continued through 1975's Home Plate. In 1976, Raitt made an appearance on Warren Zevon's eponymous album.
She was influenced by the playing style of Lowell George, of the band Little Feat, particularly his use of a pre-amp compressor with a slide guitar. B.B. King once called Raitt the "best damn slide player working today".[20][21]
Artistry[edit]
Raitt possesses a contralto vocal range.[42][43][44][45] Music journalist Robert Christgau described Raitt's voice as not particularly beautiful but "textured", capable of shouting, crooning, "carry[ing] a tune or fill[ing] a room".[43] Christgau likened her vocal style to "a loving woman who has the touch, soft and hard at the right times in the right places".[43] Journalist Will Hermes described Raitt's voice as warm and precise.[46] Describing her as a "A master interpreter of other writers’ songs", Chris Hansen Orf of The Arizona Republic note that Raitt is equally skilled at singing blues, folk, country, rock and pop music.[47] Kevin McKeough of the Chicago Tribune observed that blues has "remained the bedrock of all of Raitt's musical excursions", with her voice alternating between "sigh to a call to a sustained cry".[48] Discussing the ability of a singer to make use of her voice, singer Linda Ronstadt stated "Of my own peers, Bonnie Raitt has way more musicianship than I do."[49] Singer and guitarist David Crosby has said that Raitt is his favorite singer of all time.[50]