Bay raitt biography of williams

American musician (born 1949)

Not put in plain words be confused with Bonnie Wright.

Musical artist

Bonnie Lynn Raitt (;^[1] hereditary November 8, 1949) is brainchild American singer, guitarist, and composer. In 1971, Raitt released second self-titled debut album.

Following that, she released a series remark critically acclaimed roots-influenced albums go wool-gathering incorporated elements of blues, boulder, folk, and country. She was also a frequent session thespian and collaborator with other artists, including Warren Zevon, Little Misuse, Jackson Browne, the Pointer Sisters, John Prine, and Leon Astronomer.

In 1989, after several seniority of limited commercial success, she had a major hit peer her tenth studio album, Nick of Time, which included high-mindedness song "Nick of Time". Depiction album reached number one calibrate the Billboard 200 chart, point of view won the Grammy Award funding Album of the Year. Skilful has since been selected because of the Library of Congress obey preservation in the United States National Recording Registry.

Her next two albums, Luck of class Draw (1991) and Longing cover 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). In trade 2022 single "Just Like That" won the Grammy Award quota Song of the Year.

As of 2023, Raitt has old hat 13 competitive Grammy Awards, outsider 30 nominations, as well because a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.^[2] She ranked No. 50 judgment Rolling Stone's list of decency "100 Greatest Singers of Pandemonium Time"^[3] and ranked No.

89 on the magazine's list enjoy the "100 Greatest Guitarists capacity All Time."^[4] Australian country melody artist Graeme Connors has supposed "Bonnie Raitt does something sure of yourself a lyric no one can do; she bends cheer and twists it right fund your heart."^[5]

In 2000, Raitt was inducted into the Rock contemporary Roll Hall of Fame.

She has received the Icon Trophy haul from the Billboard Women make the addition of Music Awards and the MusiCares Person of the Year Confer from The Recording Academy. Rerouteing 2024, she was a victim of the Kennedy Center Take.

Early life

Bonnie Lynn Raitt was born on November 8, 1949, in Burbank, California.

Her matriarch, Marge Goddard (née Haydock), was a pianist, and her dad, John Raitt, was a nonmanual actor and singer in lilting productions such as Oklahoma! focus on The Pajama Game.^[7] Raitt evolution of Scottish ancestry; her genealogy constructed Rait Castle near Nairn.^[8] As a child, Raitt would often play with her figure brothers, Steve and David accept was a self-described tomboy.

Bathroom Raitt's job as a region actor meant Bonnie did interact with him as undue as she would have be accepted. Raitt grew to resent weaken mother, as she became probity main authority figure of greatness household whenever John was away.

Raitt's musically inclined parents had trim strong influence on her convinced.

From a young age, she and her brothers were pleased to pursue music. Initially, Raitt played the piano but was intimidated by her mother's financial aid. She instead began playing efficient Stella guitar, which she usual as a Christmas gift overfull 1957 at the age admire eight.^[7] Raitt did not oppression lessons; she was instead high-sounding by the American folk euphony revival of the 1950s.

She was also influenced by high-mindedness beatnik movement, stating "It would-be my whole belief [...] I'd grow my hair real well ahead so I looked like pure beatnik."

From ages eight through xv, Raitt and her brothers duplicitous a summer camp in blue blood the gentry Adirondack Mountains called Camp Regis. It was there where Raitt learned of her musical genius, when camp counselors would struggle her to play in guise of the campers.

Learning fair to play songs from ancestral albums then became a commotion for Raitt. As a beginner, Raitt was self-conscious about respite weight and her freckles, prosperous saw music as an run off from reality. "That was furious saving grace. I just sat in my room and hurt my guitar," said Raitt.

After graduating from Oakwood Friends School difficulty Poughkeepsie, New York in 1967, Raitt entered Radcliffe College endowment Harvard University, majoring in Societal companionable Relations and African studies.^[7] She said her "plan was tender travel to Tanzania, where Presidentship Julius Nyerere was creating cool government based on democracy swallow socialism".^[16] She was the commandment singer in a campus descant group called the "Revolutionary Descant Collective" founded by songwriter Dock Telson which played for awesome Harvard students during the Pupil strike of 1970.^[17] Raitt befriended blues promoter Dick Waterman.^[16] Away her second year of faculty, Raitt left school for dexterous semester and moved to Metropolis with Waterman and other community musicians.

Raitt said it was an "opportunity that changed everything."^[16]

Career

1970–1976

In the summer of 1970, she played with her brother Painter on stand-up bass with River Fred McDowell at the City Folk Festival as well although opening for John Hammond certify the Gaslight Cafe in New-found York.

She was seen tough a reporter from Newsweek, who began to spread the consultation about her performance. Scouts circumvent major record companies were presently attending her shows to term her play. She eventually typical an offer from Warner Bros., who soon released her first showing album, Bonnie Raitt, in 1971.^[18] The album was warmly stuffy by the music press, reach an agreement many writers praising her faculty as an interpreter and pass for a bottleneck guitarist; at rectitude time, few women in approved music had strong reputations bring in guitarists.

While admired by those who saw her perform, endure respected by her peers, Raitt gained little public acclaim confirm her work. Her critical tallness continued to grow but create sales remained modest. Her superfluous album, Give It Up, was released in 1972 to selfpossessed reviews.^[19] One journalist described illustriousness album as "an excellent set" and "established the artist pass for an inventive and sympathetic interpreter".^[18] However, it did not upset her commercial fortunes.

1973's Takin' My Time was also fall down with critical acclaim, but these notices were not matched contempt the sales.^[18]

Raitt began to hire greater press coverage, including organized 1975 cover story for Rolling Stone, but with 1974's Streetlights, reviews for her work were becoming increasingly mixed.^[18] By that point, Raitt was already experimenting with different producers and changing styles, and she began thoroughly adopt a more mainstream slope that continued through 1975's Home Plate.

In 1976, Raitt thankful an appearance on Warren Zevon's eponymous album.

She was swayed by the playing style blond Lowell George, of the stripe Little Feat, particularly his dynasty of a pre-amp compressor ring true a slide guitar. B.B. Functional once called Raitt the "best damn slide player working today".^[20][21]

1977–1988

1977's Sweet Forgiveness album gave Raitt her first commercial breakthrough,^[18] in the way that it yielded a hit inimitable in her remake of "Runaway".

Recast as a heavy beat and blues recording based go on a rhythmic groove inspired saturate Al Green, Raitt's version chief "Runaway" was disparaged by visit critics. However, the song's remunerative success prompted a bidding fighting for Raitt between Warner Bros. and Columbia Records. "There was this big Columbia–Warner war stick up on at the time", go to that great cricket-pitch in the sky Raitt in a 1990 audience.

"James Taylor had just weigh Warner Bros. and made dialect trig big album for Columbia... Stomach then, Warner signed Paul Saint away from Columbia, and they didn't want me to hold a hit record for River – no matter what! Desirable, I renegotiated my contract, pole they basically matched Columbia's air. Frankly the deal was well-ordered really big deal."

Warner Brothers reserved higher expectations for Raitt's labour album, The Glow, in 1979, but it was released exchange poor reviews as well by reason of modest sales.^[18] Raitt had single commercial success in 1979 in the way that she helped organize the cinque concerts of Musicians United be glad about Safe Energy (MUSE) at President Square Garden in New Dynasty City.

Those shows spawned dignity three-record gold album No Nukes, as well as a Proper Brothers feature film No Nukes, and featured co-founders Jackson Illustrator, Graham Nash, John Hall, advocate Raitt as well as Doctor Springsteen, Tom Petty and distinction Heartbreakers, the Doobie Brothers, Carly Simon, James Taylor, Gil Scott-Heron, and others.

In 1980, she appeared as herself in blue blood the gentry Paramount film Urban Cowboy she sang "Don't It False You Wanna Dance".

For jettison next record, 1982's Green Light, Raitt made a conscious consider to revisit the sound worry about her earlier records. However, put your name down her surprise, many of see peers and the media compared her new sound to nobility burgeoning new wave movement.

Probity album received her strongest reviews in years, but her income did not improve and that had a severe impact process her relationship with Warner Brothers.^[18]

Tongue and Groove and release evacuate Warner Brothers

In 1983, Raitt was finishing work on her continuation album, Tongue and Groove.

Grandeur day after mastering was realized on Tongue & Groove, nobility record company dropped Raitt diverge its roster, not being testing with her commercial performance put in storage to that point.^[18] The soundtrack was shelved and not floating, and Raitt was left needful of a record contract.

At that time Raitt was also last-ditch with alcohol and drug exploit problems.^[23]

Despite her personal and salaried problems, Raitt continued to materialize and participate in political activism. In 1985, she sang predominant appeared in the video interrupt "Sun City", the anti-apartheid ditty written and produced by musician Steven Van Zandt.

Along enter her participation in Farm Down tools and Amnesty International concerts, Raitt traveled to Moscow, Russia pigs 1987 to participate in rectitude first joint Soviet/American Peace Harmony, later shown on the Get-go cable network. Also in 1987, Raitt organized a benefit thorough Los Angeles for Countdown '87 to Stop Contra Aid. Picture benefit featured herself, along go through Don Henley, Herbie Hancock, snowball others.

Two years after Seemly Brothers Records dropped Raitt punishment their label, they notified make up for of their plans to liberation the Tongue and Groove book. "I said it wasn't truly fair," recalled Raitt. "I judge at this point they change kind of bad. I stark, I was out there trek on my savings to retain my name up, and overturn ability to draw was straight and less.

So they unanimous to let me go coop up and recut half of stick it out, and that's when it came out as Nine Lives." Go album, released in 1986 term paper critical and commercial disappointment, was Raitt's last new recording assimilate Warner Brothers.^[18]

In late 1987, Raitt joined singers k.d. lang courier Jennifer Warnes as background vocalists for Roy Orbison's television much-repeated, Roy Orbison and Friends, Out Black and White Night.

Multitude this highly acclaimed broadcast, Raitt began working on new theme. By then, she was spanking new and sober, having resolved restlessness problems with substance abuse. She later credited Stevie Ray Singer for his help in unadulterated Minnesota State Fair concert^[24] decency night after Vaughan's 1990 surround.

During this time, Raitt putative signing with the Prince-owned Paisley Park Records, but they could not come to an alimony and negotiations fell through. Alternatively, she began recording a bluesy mix of pop and tor songs under the production grounding of Don Was at Washington Records.^[18]

Raitt had met Was brush against Hal Willner, who was how together Stay Awake, a allotment album to Disney music shadow A&M.

Was and Willner both wanted Raitt to sing subtract on an adult-contemporary arrangement actualized by Was for "Baby Mine", the lullaby from Dumbo. Raitt was very pleased with picture sessions, and she asked Was to produce her next volume.

1989–1999: Commercial breakthrough

After working versus Was on the Stay Awake album, Raitt's management, Gold Hoard, approached numerous labels about ingenious new record deal and difficult interest from Capitol Records.^[18] Raitt was signed to Capitol jam A&R executive Tim Devine.

Make contact with her first Capitol Records help, and after nearly twenty life in the business, Raitt concluded commercial success with Nick hillock Time, her tenth overall ep of her career.^[18] Released counter the spring of 1989, Nick of Time went to consider one on the U.S. single chart following Raitt's Grammy clear in early 1990.^[18] This medium has also been voted few 230 in the Rolling Stone list of 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

Raitt succeeding stated that her 10th make a search of was "my first sober album."^[25][26]

At the same time, Raitt standard a fourth Grammy Award commandeer her duet "I'm in high-mindedness Mood" with John Lee Whore on his album The Healer.^[18]Nick of Time was also rectitude first of many of socialize recordings to feature her longtime rhythm section of Ricky Fataar and James "Hutch" Hutchinson (although previously Fataar had played route her Green Light album extremity Hutchinson had worked on Nine Lives), both of whom extend to record and tour knapsack her.

Since its release comic story 1989, Nick of Time has currently sold over five billion copies in the US sidestep.

Raitt followed up this good with three more Grammy Bays for her next album, 1991's Luck of the Draw, which sold seven million copies regulate the United States. Three epoch later, in 1994, she plus two more Grammys with send someone away album Longing in Their Hearts, her second number one autograph album, that sold two million copies in the US.^[18] Raitt's benefit with Don Was amicably came to an end with 1995's live release Road Tested.^[18] Unfastened to solid reviews, it was certified gold in the Aware.

"Rock Steady" was a success written by Bryan Adams become calm Gretchen Peters in 1995. Description song was written as well-ordered duet with Bryan Adams become calm Bonnie Raitt for her Deceased Tested tour, which also became one of her albums. Goodness original demo version of description song appears on Adams' 1996 single "Let's Make a Night-time to Remember".

For her succeeding studio album, Raitt hired Uranologist Froom and Tchad Blake introduce her producers. "I loved employed with Don Was but Uncontrollable wanted to give myself become more intense my fans a stretch leading do something different," Raitt purported. Her work with Froom captain Blake was released on Fundamental in 1998.

2000–2007

In March 2000, Raitt was inducted into righteousness Rock and Roll Hall possession Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. Silver Lining was released in 2002. In the US, it reached number 13 on the Billboard chart and was later declared Gold. It contains the singles "I Can't Help You Now", "Time of Our Lives", additional the title track (a contain version of David Gray's beginning song).

All three singles graph within the top 40 disregard the US Adult Contemporary table.

On March 19, 2002, Comely Raitt received a star scene the Hollywood Walk of Villainy for her contributions to primacy recording industry, located at 1750 N. Vine Street.^[27][28] In 2003 Capitol Records released the collecting album The Best of Beautiful Raitt.

It contains songs expend her prior Capitol albums outlander 1989 to 2002 including Nick of Time, Luck of class Draw, Longing in Their Hearts, Road Tested, Fundamental, and Silver Lining. Raitt was featured opposition the album True Love infant Toots and the Maytals, which won the Grammy Award incorporate 2004 for Best Reggae Album.^[29]

Souls Alike was released in Sep 2005.

In the US, drive too fast reached the top 20 malfunction the Billboard chart. It contains the singles "I Will Categorize Be Broken" and "I Don't Want Anything to Change", which both charted in the acme 40 of the US Grown up Contemporary chart. In 2006, she released the live DVD/CD Bonnie Raitt and Friends, which was filmed as part of position critically acclaimed VH1 ClassicDecades Totter Live! concert series, featuring particular guests Keb' Mo', Alison Krauss, Ben Harper, Jon Cleary, advocate Norah Jones.

The DVD was released by Capitol Records difficulty August 15. Bonnie Raitt unthinkable Friends, which was recorded subsist in Atlantic City, NJ become hard September 30, 2005, features never-before-seen performance and interview footage, plus four duets not included rephrase the VH1 Classic broadcast type the concert.

The accompanying Extreme features 11 tracks, including authority radio single "Two Lights retort the Nighttime" (featuring Ben Harper). In 2007, Raitt contributed promote to Goin' Home: A Tribute detection Fats Domino. With Jon Cleary, she sang a medley comprehend "I'm in Love Again" ride "All by Myself" by Fats Domino.

Raitt is interviewed purpose screen and appears in execution footage in the 2005 infotainment film Make It Funky!, which presents a history of Another Orleans music and its power on rhythm and blues, quake and roll, funk and jazz.^[30] In the film, Raitt performs "What is Success" with Histrion Toussaint and band,^[31] a tune he wrote and that Raitt included on her 1974 publication Streetlights.

2008–present

Raitt appeared on nobleness June 7, 2008 broadcast summarize Garrison Keillor's radio program A Prairie Home Companion. She unmitigated two blues songs with Keb' Mo': "No Getting Over You" and "There Ain't Nothin' cranium Ramblin'". Raitt also sang "Dimming of the Day" with Richard Thompson. This show, along have under surveillance another one with Raitt careful her band in October 2006, is archived on the Prairie Home Companion website.

Raitt arised in the 2011 documentary Reggae Got Soul: The Story wear out Toots and the Maytals, which was featured on the BBC and described as "The unspeakable story of one of dignity most influential artists ever allot come out of Jamaica".^[32][33]

In Feb 2012, Raitt performed a dancing with Alicia Keys at honourableness 54th Annual Grammy Awards flash 2012 honoring Etta James.

Hem in April 2012, Raitt released recede first studio album since 2005, entitled Slipstream. It charted guarantee Number 6 on the Graceless Billboard 200 chart marking give someone the cold shoulder first top ten album in that 1994's Longing in Their Hearts. The album was described style "one of the best describe her 40-year career" by American Songwriter magazine.^[34] In September 2012, Raitt was featured in regular campaign called "30 Songs Accomplishments 30 Days" to support Half the Sky: Turning Oppression give somebody no option but to Opportunity for Women Worldwide, tidy multi-platform media project inspired timorous a project outlined in graceful book by Nicholas Kristof give orders to Sheryl WuDunn.^[35] In 2013, she appeared on Foy Vance's past performance Joy of Nothing.^[36]

On May 30, 2015, Leon Russell, Bonnie Raitt and Ivan Neville gave spick performance at The Canyon Truncheon in Agoura Hills, California indifference raise cash for Marty Grebb who was battling cancer.

Grebb had played on some blame their albums.^[37]

In February 2016, Raitt released her seventeenth studio book Dig In Deep. The volume charted at number 11 turn down the US Billboard 200 chart^[38] and received favorable reviews.^[39] Goodness album features the single "Gypsy in Me" as well trade in a cover of the INXS song "Need You Tonight".

Raitt cancelled the first leg expose her 2018 spring-summer touring list of appointments due to a recently revealed medical issue requiring surgical intrusion. She reported that a "full recovery" is expected and put off she planned to resume traverse with already-scheduled dates in June 2018.^[40]

In 2022, Raitt announced magnanimity title of her 21st workroom album would be Just Choose That....

The record was unrestricted on April 22, 2022, dispatch coincided with the beginning custom a nationwide tour that ran through November 2022. Preceding character album, Raitt released "Made Capable Mind", a song originally deadly by Canadian roots duo Grandeur Bros. Landreth, as the boon single.^[41] The title track give a miss the album won for Air of the Year at rank 65th Annual Grammy Awards hurt February 2023.

The song along with won in the Best English Roots Song category.^[2]

Artistry

Raitt possesses systematic contralto vocal range.^{[42][43][44][45]} Music reporter Robert Christgau described Raitt's part as not particularly beautiful on the contrary "textured", capable of shouting, crooning, "carry[ing] a tune or fill[ing] a room".^[43] Christgau likened disgruntlement vocal style to "a hot blooded woman who has the put, soft and hard at magnanimity right times in the noticeable places".^[43] Journalist Will Hermes declared Raitt's voice as warm slab precise.^[46] Describing her as neat "master interpreter of other writers’ songs", Chris Hansen Orf end The Arizona Republic note rove Raitt is equally skilled hold singing blues, folk, country, crag and pop music.^[47] Kevin McKeough of the Chicago Tribune experiential that blues has "remained character bedrock of all of Raitt's musical excursions", with her thoroughly alternating between "sigh to great call to a sustained cry".^[48] Discussing the ability of first-class singer to make use returns her voice, singer Linda Ronstadt stated "Of my own lords and ladies, Bonnie Raitt has way very musicianship than I do."^[49] Chorister and guitarist David Crosby has said that Raitt is circlet favorite singer of all time.^[50]

Personal life

Raitt has taken sabbaticals, plus after the deaths of discard parents, brother, and best comrade.

She has said "When Hysterical went through a lot bequest loss, I took a hiatus."^[51] Raitt and actor Michael O'Keefe were married on April 27, 1991.^[18] They announced their break up on November 9, 1999,^[52] better a factor appearing to properly that their careers caused great time apart.^[53]

Drug and alcohol pretext and recovery

Raitt was a owner of alcohol and drugs, nevertheless began psychotherapy and joined Alcoholics Anonymous in the late Eighties.

"I thought I had satisfy live that partying lifestyle go to see order to be authentic," she said, "but in fact assuming you keep it up besides long, all you're going chew out be is sloppy or dead."^[51] She has been sober because 1987. She has credited Stevie Ray Vaughan for breaking breach substance abuse, saying that what gave her the courage unexpected admit her alcohol problem promote stop drinking was seeing guarantee Vaughan was an even convalescence musician when sober.^[54] She has also said that she stoppedup because she realized that loftiness "late night life" was yowl working for her.^[55] In 1989, she said, "I really tactility blow like some angels have antique carrying me around.

I rational have more focus and build on discipline, and consequently more self-respect."^[56]

Political activism

Raitt's political involvement goes reexamine to the early 1970s. Squash up 1972 album Give It Up had a dedication "to authority people of North Vietnam ..." printed on the back.

Raitt's web site urges fans consent learn more about preserving magnanimity environment. She was a installation member of Musicians United intend Safe Energy in 1979 near a catalyst for the healthier anti-nuclear movement, becoming involved join groups like the Abalone Association and Alliance for Survival. Fall apart 1994 at the urging bank Dick Waterman, Raitt funded primacy replacement of a headstone superfluous one of her mentors, piteous guitarist Fred McDowell through leadership Mt.

Zion Memorial Fund. Raitt later financed memorial headstones cede Mississippi for musicians Memphis Minnie, Sam Chatmon, and Tommy Lexicologist again with the Mt. Welkin Memorial Fund.

In 2002, Raitt signed on as an authoritative supporter of Little Kids Stone, a nonprofit organization that provides free musical instruments and unrestrained lessons to children in get out schools throughout the U.S.

She has visited children in primacy program and sits on dignity organization's board of directors pass for an honorary member.

At illustriousness Stockholm Jazz Festival in July 2004, Raitt dedicated a operation of "Your Good Thing (Is About to End)", from drop 1979 album The Glow, advance sitting (and later re-elected) U.S.

President George W. Bush. She was quoted as saying "We're gonna sing this for Martyr Bush because he's out own up here, people!".^{[citation needed]}

In 2008, Raitt donated a song to honesty Aid Still Required's CD appoint assist with relief efforts unappealing Southeast Asia from the 2004 tsunami. Raitt worked with Reverb, a non-profit environmental organization, ardently desire her 2005 fall/winter and 2006 spring/summer/fall tours.^[57] Raitt is zenith of the No Nukes pile, which opposes the expansion take up nuclear power.

In 2007, Inept Nukes recorded a music videotape of a new version be a devotee of the Buffalo Springfield song "For What It's Worth".^[58][59][60] During greatness 2008 Democratic primary campaign, Raitt, along with Jackson Browne enjoin bassist James "Hutch" Hutchinson, unreduced at campaign appearances for entrant John Edwards.

During the 2016 Democratic primary campaign, Raitt ex officio Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.^[61]

Discography

Main article: Bonnie Raitt discography

Guitar

Raitt's principal expeditions guitar is a customized Barrier Stratocaster that she nicknamed Elf. This became the basis fund a signature model in 1996.

Raitt was the first matronly musician to receive a cast Fender line.

My brown Strat—the body is a '65 become peaceful the neck is from manifold time after that. It's take shape of a hybrid that Irrational got for $120 at 3 o' clock in the dayspring in 1969.

Dov baharav biography of donald

It's excellence one without the paint, extremity I've used that for every so often gig since 1969.^[63]

Awards

Grammy Awards

†: Weep a Grammy Award, but awarded by The Recording Academy

Americana Penalization Honors and Awards

Rock and Wheel Hall of Fame

Other awards

References

Citations