The Beginning
Bonnie Raitt, the daughter of the Broadway star John Raitt, began playing the guitar at the age of twelve. She soon developed a liking for the blues genre. In 1967, she relocated from Los Angeles to Radcliffe for studies. However, she dropped out of the university and shortly afterwards was seen playing at local blues and folk clubs. It was during one of her performances at a bar that she caught the attention of the blues artist and manager, Dick Waterman. Having gauged her potential, Waterman signed her to play along legendary blues artists as Sippie Wallace and Howlin’ Wolf. Bonnie soon became a well known name in the Philadelphia and Boston music circuit. Eventually she was signed by the renowned record label, the Warner Bros.
Debut
Bonnie Raitt made her debut with her self-titled album that largely consisted of carefully selected covers. Her modern interpretation of songs like Del Shannon’s ‘Runaway’ and various others by artists including John Prine and Ric Kaz impressed the critics a great deal. But despite receiving recognition from the media, Raitt struggled to achieve commercial success.
Commercial Breakthrough
The first commercial breakthrough for Bonnie Raitt came with the 1977 album, ‘Sweet Forgiveness.’ The record consisted of a heavy rhythm and blues version of the song ‘Runaway’ which was a huge hit. This success of the single prompted a bidding war for a contract with the rising star between two of the country’s most prestigious record labels, the Columbia Records and the Warner Bros. Eventually she was signed by the latter.
Commercial acclaim continued for Bonnie when she organized the Musicians United for Safe Energy (MUSE) concerts at the Madison Square Garden, New York. Other prominent co-founder artists featured in the show included names like Bruce Springsteen, The Doobie Brothers and James Taylor.
Bonnie’s next contract was with the Capitol Records under which she released the album that would place her among the top female musicians in the US. Titled ‘Nick of Time’, it earned the singer three Grammys. The record topped the music charts and sold around four million copies.
During the 90s, Bonnie produced a number of albums including ‘Longing in Their Hearts,’ ‘Fundamental’ and the Platinum certified, ‘Luck of the Draw.’ She won another Grammy for her collaborative tribute album to Stevie Ray Vaughn with friends Pete Seeger and Keb’ Mo.
Recent Years
In 2003, Bonnie Raitt came up with her greatest hits compilation album, ‘The Best of Bonnie Raitt on Capitol 1989-2003.’ This was followed by another collaborative venture ‘Bonnie Raitt and Friends,’ in which she recorded performances alongside Alison Krauss, Ben Harper and Keb’Mo.
The year 2012 saw the release of Bonnie’s sixteenth studio album ‘Slipstream.’ It won a number of awards including a Grammy in the category of ‘Best Americana Album.’ During her over forty decades’ career, Bonnie has treated the fans with outstanding live performances. She is also recognized for the numerous shows she holds to raise funds for charity causes.
The legendary musician whose songs have been covered by famous contemporary artists like Katy Perry and Adele has now embarked on a live tour, for which Bonnie Raitt tickets are up for sale. Like all her previous contributions to the music world, this tour is expected to be another fun-filled event, packed with amazing guitar riffs, soulful vocals and touching lyrics.