MEMORABLE MONDAYS: Bonnie Raitt

 We are re-entering the heartland for this one, and how can we discuss blues rock and not discuss Bonnie Raitt? She has won 13 Grammy awards, was a frequent session player, and collaborated with many from Little Feat, The Pointer Sisters, to John Prine and Leon Russell. She did not obtain commercial success until her tenth album. It shows a great deal of perseverance to continue forward through that! She was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and has received various awards honoring her icon status. 

Bonnie Lynn Raitt was born November 8th, 1949 in Burbank, California. Her mother was Marge Goddard, a pianist and her father John Raitt was an actor in musicals. Her ancestory is Scottish, and she was known for being a tomboy as a child. Her father's theater job caused him to be more absent in her life, and she grew to resent her mother since she became the authority figure when he was away. The musical incline of her parents had a strong influence on her own life. Her and her two brothers were encouraged to pursue music. She initially was learning piano, but intimidated by her mother's capabilities, she began playing a Stella guitar she received in 1957 as a Christmas present. She did not take lessons, and was instead inspired by the folk music revival in the 50s. She was also inspired by the beatnik movement. As a teen, she was very self-concious about her weight and freckles, and music was an escape from reality for her. 

She graduated in 1967, and entered Radcliffe College of Harvard University. She majored in social relations and African studies. She has planned to travel to Tanzania, where the president was creating a government based on democracy and socialism. She became the lead singer in campus music group called the "Revolutionary Music Collective", founded by songwriter Bob Telson. They played for the striking Harvard students during the Student strike of 1970. She befriended blues promoter Dick Waterman, and during her second year of college, left for a semester to move to Philadelphia with Waterman and other musicians. It was an opportunity that changed the course of her life. 

In 1970, she played with her brother on stand up bass with Mississippi Fred McDowell at the Philadelphia Folk Festival, and opened for John Hammond as the Gaslight Cafe. She was seen by a reporter from Newsweek, who began to spread the work about her. Scouts from major labels were soon attending her shows and seeing her play. She eventually accepted an offer from Warner Bros., and released her self-titled debut album in 1971. She was warmly received by the music press, who admired her guitar work. Few women at the time had a strong reputation for their guitar playing. 

While she was admired for her work from critics and respected by peers, her work saw little public acclaim. Her second album, Give It Up, released in 1972 and her third, Takin My Time, released in 1973 felt a familiar fate. While being showered with critical praise and peer support, the sales did not match up. She began receiving more press coverage, but with Streetlights, released in 1974, she was beginning to receive mixed reviews on her work. She began experimenting with new producers and styles, and adopting a more mainstream sound with 1975's Home Plate. She appeared on Warren Zevon's self-titled album as well. She had also been inspired by Lowell George's slide guitar. B.B. King considered her one of the best slide players.

She began to see a commercial breakthrough with Sweet Forgiveness, released in 1977. It yielded the hit in her remake of Runaway, originally made famous by Del Shannon. It was disparaged by many critics, but the commercial success led to a bidding war between Warner Bros. and Columbia Records for her. At the time there was a small war going on at the time, James Taylor had left Warner and made a a big release for Columbia, and Warner signed Paul Simon away from Columbia. Warner Bros. did not want Raitt to go to Columbia, so they matched Columbia's offer and it was a very big deal for her. 

Her next album, the Glow, released in 1979, was met with poor reviews and modest sales. It was also one of the first albums to be recorded and mixed digitally. Her next release, 1982's Green Light, she attempted to return to the sound of her earlier work. However, many compared her sound to the burgeoning new wave movement. It received her strongest reviews in years, but her sales remained lackluster and her Warner Bros. relationship became strained. In 1983, Warner Bros. dropped her from the roster, not being happy with her commerical performaance. It caused the album Tongue and Groove to be shelved. Two years after she was dropped, they informed her of their intent to release her shelved album. She complained it was not fair, so they agreed to let her recut the album. It was released as Nine Livves in 1986, to critical and commercial disappointment. It was her final recording for Warner Bros. During this time, she was also struggling with drug and alcohol addiction. She credits Stevie Ray Vaughan for breaking her substance abuse. He gave her the courage to admit her alcohol problem and see how he was an even better musician when he was sober. She felt she had to live a partying lifestyle to be authentic in Hollywood. She said after her therapy and treatment she had more focus, discipline, and self-respect. 

After her treatment, she began looking for a new label as she used her own savings to tour and keep her name going. She considered signing with Prince-owned Paisley Park Records, but they could not come to an agreement. She ended up producing some new ideas under the guidance of Don Was, who was from Capitol Records. She ended up signing with the label after her work on Stay Awake, a tribute album to Disney music. Her first release with them, Nick of Time, released in 1989. became her commercial breakthrough. Raitt noted this was her first sober album. It swept the Grammys and is considered one of the top albums of all time by Rolling Stone. 

Her next release, Luck of the Draw, continued her success in 1991. It sold seven million copies in the US and won her three more Grammys. Her follow up to this, Longing in Their Hearts, was also a number one album. Her work with Was amicably came to an end after the live release Road Tested in 1995. 1998's release Fundamental would be her first without Was since joining Capitol Records. 

After being inducted into the Rock and Roll hall of fame in 2000, she had worked on her next release. Silver Lining released in 2002, and was later certified gold. She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contributions to the recording industry. She was featured on True Love by Toots and the Maytals, which won the Grammy for best Reggae album in 2004. 

She released Souls Alike in 2005, which reached the top 20 on billboard and charted two singles in the top 40. She continued her work with a live DVD/CD Bonnie Raitt and Friends, which was filmed as part of the acclaimed special VH1 Classic Decades Rock Live! concert series. It featured special guests Keb Mo, Alison Krauss, Ben Harper, Jon Ceary, and Norah Jones. 

In 2012, Raitt performed a duet with Alicia Keys honoring Etta James. She released her first album since 2005, Slipstream. Some considered it one of her best albums. It charted at number 6, her first top ten album since 1994s Longing in Their Hearts. She released her next album, Dig In Deep, to favorable reviews and charted at 11 on the Billboard charts. She had to cancel her 2019 touring schedule due to a medical issue, but made a full recovery. 

Her most recent release, Just Like That... released in 2022. It coincided with a nationwide tour. The title track won song of the year at the Grammys, continuing her long-time critical success. 

If you have not tried this storied, seasoned, persevering blues-rock artist yet, it is never too late! Sometimes life experiences help bring the greatest success and her story is a strong reminder that the end is not always the end we think it is.