Bonnie Raitt

• Born: November 8, 1949
• Place of Birth: Burbank, California

AMERICAN ROOTS-ROCK SINGER, SONGWRITER, AND GUITARIST

Raitt revitalized interest in blues and American folk with her breakthrough commercial success during the late 1980s and early 1990s.

The Life

Bonnie Lynn Raitt was born to Broadway musical singing legend John Raitt and pianist-singer Marge Goddard in Burbank, California, and she was raised in Los Angeles. Though she came from a musical family and grew up singing and playing guitar, her main interest was social activism in Africa. Her Quaker upbringing likely led to her early desire to help reverse the destruction of colonialism and mercantilism found in African countries such as Tanzania and to work toward democracy and socialist-based programs. She majored in African studies and social relations at Harvard’s Radcliffe College.

Greatly impressed by the 1963 sound recording Blues at Newport, Raitt played and sang American folk songs and blues while in high school. During her first two years in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Raitt became increasingly interested in the folk-song resurgence of the late 1960s and the activism of local musicians. She met blues promoter Dick Waterman during an interview for Harvard’s radio station WHRB her freshman year, and they became close friends. When Waterman moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Raitt visited him often, eventually taking a semester off to study and play rhythm and blues under Waterman’s mentorship. Her coffeehouse gigs helped her hone her talents and learn more about blues and African American music; so did her experience working directly with traditional blues legends.

Through Waterman, Raitt was introduced to and later opened for John Lee Hooker, Howlin’ Wolf, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Sippie Wallace, Son House, and Muddy Waters. Working with these musicians at gigs and on the road encouraged Raitt to make the decision to leave Radcliffe to become a professional blues musician. By 1971, performances at the Gaslight Café in New York City led to her signing a contract with Warner Bros. Although her first albums received critical acclaim, they were not commercially successful.

Raitt’s recording career meant increased touring and media attention. Though she was active in music scenes in the 1970s, recording seven of her own albums and working as a guest musician on others’ albums (for example, Warren Zevon, which was released in 1976), Raitt appeared to favor performing in small, intimate venues rather than large concert arenas (with the exception of working for fundraisers). With the 1977 success of her rhythm-and-blues cover of Del Shannon’s "Runaway," Warner Bros. was persistent about keeping her signed to its label, countering an offer from Columbia Records. In 1979 she was a key organizer of the MUSE (Musicians United for Safe Energy) concerts at Madison Square Garden. These concerts were so successful that Warner Bros. produced the documentary film No Nukes (1980), and the sound recording achieved a gold album status three times over. By the early 1980s, however, Raitt’s studio recordings were viewed by Warner Bros. as commercial failures, and she was dropped from the label in 1983.

Although Raitt had struggled with drugs and alcohol, by the late 1980s she ended the abuse. She participated as a backup for the special television show Roy Orbison and Friends: A Black and White Night in 1987. During her recording of "Baby Mine" (from the 1941 motion picture Dumbo) on the Disney music tribute album produced by A&M Records, Raitt worked with Don Was of Capital Records.

Her tenth album, Nick of Time (1989), produced by Was, initiated Raitt’s great commercial success. Raitt won three Grammy Awards for the album in 1989, along with a fourth Grammy Award for her duet "In the Mood" on her friend John Lee Hooker’s album The Healer. In the mid-1990s, she won five more Grammy Awards, for Luck of the Draw (1991) and Longing in Their Hearts (1994), which both achieved multiple platinum status. In 1998, she recorded with producers Mitchell Froom and Tchad Blake. Her revitalized career continued with several well-received albums and collaborations in the twenty-first century.

Raitt married actor Michael O’Keefe in 1991; they divorced in 1999. Always the social and political activist, Raitt received attention for her opposition to President George W. Bush. In the 2004 election year, she appeared at the Stockholm Jazz Festival, promising to continue singing her song "Your Good Thing (Is About to End)" until the president left office. Along with performing and recording, she continued to pursue other social causes as well. She encouraged children to learn to play instruments by funding organizations that support free programs and access to musical instruments.

The Music

Raitt’s voice is known for its clarity, strength, and delivery, traits that some critics note she shared with her father. In second soprano range, her voice has a resonant and slightly raspy quality. She makes smooth vocal transitions from low to high register, adding slides, scoops, and blue notes. Raitt’s guitar interpretations—whether on acoustic or electric—also received critical acclaim at a time when women guitarists very rarely received attention. Her guitar playing, which combines folk, country, and blues, is particularly noted for her bottleneck slide technique. She is known primarily as an interpreter of songs written by others, ranging from pure blues to folk and pop, but has written her own material as well.

Bonnie Raitt. Raitt's debut album from 1971 is a straightforward blues record, with several tracks recorded live in order to capture a natural feel. Along with two original songs, there are covers of well-known 1930s blues guitarist Robert Johnson, more obscure 1920s blues singer Sippie Wallace, and contemporary songwriter Stephen Stills. While the album was hailed by blues and rock critics as a promising debut, it was not much of a commercial success. This pattern would be followed by most of Raitt's records in the 1970s.

Sweet Forgiveness. While her earlier records were critically acclaimed, Raitt’s sixth solo studio album, released in 1977, featured her first real hit, a cover of Del Shannon’s "Runaway." Though some critics disliked her slow version, dismissing it as being too inspired by Al Green’s rhythm-and-blues style, "Runaway" was ranked number twenty-five on the Top 40 hits charts. It was produced by Paul Rothchild (who produced for Elektra most of the Doors’ albums). This was a great commercial success for Warner Bros., and it represents how Raitt maintains a unifying sound, sometimes referred to as "blue-eyed soul," while recording a diverse repertoire. The title song, "Sweet Forgiveness," demonstrates gospel influence, while "Two Lives" and "Takin’ My Time" sound like country-rock ballads, in the same vein as the Eagles’ ballads. On "My Opening Farewell," which was originally written and performed by Jackson Browne, Raitt’s vocal delivery and use of expressive range could be compared to Carole King’s. The same vocal sound is accompanied beautifully by Raitt’s dulcimer-like solo acoustic guitar work in "Louise."

Green Light. The last completed album before Raitt was dropped from Warner Bros. in 1983, Green Light (1982) employs the Bump Band, her on-the-road accompanying band during the 1970s. Her opening song, Fred Marrone and Stephen Holsapple’s "Keep This Heart in Mind," a mixture of country and rock, reached number thirty-eight on the US Top 40 chart. It is one of Raitt’s most upbeat albums, with songs such as Eddie Grant’s "Baby Come Back," her New Rhythm and Blues Quintet (NRBQ) covers "Me and the Boys" and "Green Light," and Robbie Williams’s "Talk to Me." All could have easily crossed over successfully into 1980s mainstream pop. Noticeably absent in these tracks is the intimacy of Raitt’s ballads; however, these songs demonstrate that Raitt and her band were having fun performing and recording. It also features Raitt’s convincing blues-rock version of Bob Dylan’s "Let’s Keep It Between Us." Generally, of all her albums, Green Light has caused the most controversy. Some argue that she "sold out" to the New Wave style, while others counter that the album reveals that she could master upbeat rock songs, adding her own personal style.

Nick of Time. In 1989, Raitt returned with strong songs on this album that showcased her at her stylistic best. The title song was ranked number one, and the album was nominated for four Grammy Awards, and it won three, including Album of the Year. "Have a Heart" and "Thing Called Love" also made their way onto hits charts, while "Love Letter" and "Too Soon to Tell" received much radio airtime. Nick of Time appeared to be a welcome return to Raitt’s original intimate, soulful sound, with songs (Raitt’s own and others) that fuse rock, country, blues, and what has become known as adult contemporary. Mature topics about love are a main focus.

Luck of the Draw. A ballad-heavy album, Luck of the Draw (1991) uses a similar formula to her breakthrough success Nick of Time, and won Raitt three more Grammys. It contains one of her best and most memorable ballads, "I Can’t Make You Love Me." The song (written by Michael Reid and Allen Shamblin) focuses on the pain of unrequited love felt in a mature relationship. Raitt’s resonant vocal and expressive ranges are exemplified here, accompanied by Bruce Hornsby on piano. The song’s protagonist asks for one more night together before she goes; the final chord represents her departure. It reached number two on Billboard’s North America hits chart. The album also features several songs by Irish songwriter Paul Brady: "Not the Only One" and "Luck of the Draw." This album contained Raitt’s largest string of hits, including "I Can’t Make You Love Me," "Not the Only One," "Something to Talk About," "Slow Ride," "Come to Me," and "All at Once." It also features well-known musicians of mainstream rock and roll and country, such as Hornsby, Kris Kristofferson, Billy Vera, and Richard Thompson.

Longing in Their Hearts. Raitt received two more Grammy Awards for Longing in Their Hearts (1994), which features the upbeat hit song "Love Sneakin’ Up on You" as the first track. The title song, curiously not the first track, has a strong country influence, while "Feeling of Falling" is a combination of blues and rock. "You" is a ballad written in the same vein as those that appear on Raitt’s previous albums.

Silver Lining and Souls Alike. Raitt returned to a pop sound for the 2002 album Silver Lining, but she also includes blues, rock, and boogie-woogie in the set of songs. Hits include the title song (composed by David Gray), a ballad, and "Time of Our Lives" (composed by Teron Beal and Tommy Sims). Raitt and slide guitarist Roy Rogers composed "Gnawin’ on It," a duel more than a duet between man and woman on slide guitar. Her slide work on this album foreshadows Souls Alike (2005), which received similarly strong reviews.

Slipstream and Dig in Deep. Raitt continued her acclaimed later career resurgence with 2012's Slipstream, which earned praise from many reviewers as her best album in some time. It won a Grammy Award and performed well commercially, making Raitt the best-selling blues artist of the year. She also conducted a successful tour around the album. More praise followed for Dig in Deep (2016), which saw her continue to work with longtime bandmembers including James "Hutch" Hutchinson, Ricky Fataar, and George Marinelli.

Musical Legacy

Raitt is known best for her masterful vocals and both acoustic and electric performances on slide guitar. She has been ranked by many publications, such as Rolling Stone, as one of the greatest singers and guitarists of all time, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. Well-versed and studied in traditional blues (especially Delta blues) and a seasoned rock, country, and folk musician, Raitt exemplifies how popular musical genres can be combined into well-crafted songs. She cofounded the Rhythm and Blues Foundation in 1988, and she established the Bonnie Raitt Guitar Project in 1996 at Boys and Girls Clubs in the United States. Her expertise on guitar and her charitable work to help children with their first steps in musicianship have opened doors for other female guitarists.

Raitt received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022. The following year, her album Just Like That... (2022) received a Grammy nomination for Best Americana Album, while the album's title track "Just Like That" won Song of the Year and Best American Roots Song. (Another song from Just Like That..., "Made Up My Mind," won Best Americana Performance.) In 2024, Raitt was announced as a recipient of the Kenedy Center Honors.

Principal Recordings

ALBUMS: Bonnie Raitt, 1971; Give It Up, 1972; Takin’ My Time, 1973; Streetlights, 1974; Home Plate, 1975; Sweet Forgiveness, 1977; The Glow, 1979; Green Light, 1982; Nine Lives, 1986; Nick of Time, 1989; Luck of the Draw, 1991; Longing in Their Hearts, 1994; Fundamental, 1998; Silver Lining, 2002; Souls Alike, 2005; Slipstream, 2012; Dig in Deep, 2016; Just Like That..., 2022.

Bibliography

Bego, Mark. Bonnie Raitt: Still in the Nick of Time. Lanham, Md.: Cooper Square Press, 2003.

"Bio." Bonnie Raitt, 2017, www.bonnieraitt.com/bio. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.

Gaar, Gillian G. "Smile for the Camera." In She’s a Rebel: The History of Women in Rock and Roll. Seattle, Wash.: Seal Press, 1992.

Kreps, Daniel. "Grateful Dead, Francis Ford Coppola, Bonnie Raitt to Receive 2024 Kennedy Center Honors." Rolling Stone, 18 July 2024, www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/grateful-dead-francis-ford-coppola-bonnie-raitt-2024-kennedy-center-honors-1235063189/. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.

Madarang, Charisma. "Bonnie Raitt Unexpectedly Wins Song of the Year for 'Just Like That' at Grammys 2023." Rolling Stone, 5 Feb. 2023, www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/bonnie-raitt-song-of-the-year-2023-grammys-1234669204/. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.

Mellers, Wilfred Howard. "Women and the Country Music Industry." In Angels of the Night: Popular Female Singers of Our Time. New York: Blackwell, 1986.

Raitt, Bonnie. "Manna from Heaven." In A Hand to Guide Me, edited by Denzel Washington and Daniel Paisner. Des Moines, Iowa: Meredith Books, 2001.