Bonnie Raitt is one of the 10 Solo Living Artists inducted into the Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame (FARHOF) over the weekend of April 19 and 20, 2024 at the Boch Center in Boston. She is the last solo artist discussed in this series but she is second to none in stature.
Bonnie was born on November 8, 1949. She is often thought of as a master blueswoman and deservedly so. She has mastered most every facet of the blues from Robert Johnson to Motown. Early in her career she performed with Howlin’ Wolf, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Sippie Wallace, Son House, Muddy Waters, and John Lee Hooker. She learned some valuable lessons about life and invaluable techniques of performance.
I’m certain that it was an incredible gift for me to not only be friends with some of the greatest blues people who’ve ever lived, but to learn how they played, how they sang, how they lived their lives, ran their marriages, and talked to their kids. I was especially lucky as so many of them are no longer with us.
Bonnie Raitt
The influences of those who have gone before her may be apparent in her playing but there is no denying she has a style uniquely her own. Looking back now it is hard to believe her self-titled debut album was only a modest success at best. The music press, intrigued in part by the fact there were few women guitarists of her caliber, warmly received the album. They also hailed her skill as an interpreter of songs.
Bonnie Raitt was released on the Warner Bros. label, as were her next seven albums. Throughout this time, Bonnie was admired by those who saw her perform, respected by her peers, and her stature as a musician grew. Record sales remained modest. A cover of Del Shannon’s “Runaway” from the Sweet Forgiveness album saw moderate success and raised public awareness for her. Even Grammy nominations for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance in 1980 and 1983 did little to spur sales.
A change of record labels – from Warner Bros. to Capitol Records – brought a change of fortune for Bonnie as well. The Don Was-produced Nick Of Time was released in March of 1989 and sold five million copies. The album featured songs that smoothed out some of her rough, bluesy edges and had understated rock and jazzy tones. The result was three more Grammy nominations this time accompanied by three Grammy Awards in 1990. She received a fourth Grammy Award for her “I’m In The Mood” duet with John Lee Hooker on his album The Healer.
Grammy nominations, awards, and best selling albums would add to Bonnie’s legacy in the following years. As of this writing, she has been nominated 30 times with 13 wins. Most recently – in 2023– she received 3 Grammy awards from her 2022 album Just Like That. She won both Song Of The Year and Best American Roots Song for the title track “Just Like That” and Best Americana Performance for “Made Up My Mind.”
Her Song Of The Year Grammy win for “Just Like That” stunned almost everyone – including Bonnie Raitt. She has been known as an interpreter of songs rather than a songwriter. “To be 73 years old and get Song of the Year for my songwriting when I’m barely a songwriter is just… after five decades,” she said after the win. Yet, “Just Like That” is a heartwarming song about grace and redemption beautifully and powerfully sung by Bonnie. The award was well deserved.
For the record, Bonnie has written 39 songs including “Nick Of Time,” “Longing In Their Hearts,” “Finest Lovin’ Man,” and “Gnawin’ On It.”
Bonnie has been a lifelong social activist. She continues to work on issues of safe energy and environmental protection, peace and social justice, women’s, Native American and human rights as well as Artists’ rights and music education. She has performed in protest of the Vietnam War and also to ensure Vietnam veterans received their due benefits. She has long supported environmental causes. She was a founding member of Musicians United for Safe Energy (MUSE) in 1979 and a catalyst for the larger anti-nuclear movement.
In 1994 at the urging of Dick Waterman, Bonnie funded the replacement of a headstone for blues guitarist Mississippi Fred McDowell, one of her mentors, through the Mt. Zion Memorial Fund. She later financed memorial headstones in Mississippi for musicians Memphis Minnie, Sam Chatmon, and Tommy Johnson.
In the music business there is often the notion it is not enough to succeed if one’s friends don’t fail. The late JD Souther once noted that Bonnie Raitt (and Jackson Browne) was genuinely thrilled when her friends did well. Whether it was Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Browne, Norah Jones, Keb’ Mo’, or James Taylor, she welcomed their success as much as she did her own.
Bonnie Raitt was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000 and the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame in 2001. She also received a Lifetime Achievement Award For Lifetime Performance in 2012, part of the Americana Music Honors and Awards.
[Material in this article was obtained from the following: The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll (3rd Edition); Hotel California by Barney Hoskins (2006); Bonnie Raitt’s web site; Forbes; and Berkshire Magazine]
Next up – Frank Hamilton, the Paul Robeson Artist/Activist Award Winner
