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| Born | Bonnie Lynn Raitt (1949-11-08)November 8, 1949 (age 76) Burbank, California, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1971–present |
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| Website | bonnieraitt |
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Bonnie Lynn Raitt (/reɪt/;[1] born November 8, 1949) is an American singer-songwriter. In 1971, Raitt released herself-titled debut album. Following this, she released a series of critically acclaimedroots-influenced albums that incorporated elements ofrock,blues,country, andfolk. She was also a frequent session player and collaborator with other artists, includingWarren Zevon,Little Feat,Jackson Browne,the Pointer Sisters,John Prine, andLeon Russell.
In 1989, after several years of limited commercial success, she had a major hit with her tenth studio album,Nick of Time, which included the song "Nick of Time". The album reached number one on theBillboard 200 chart, and won theGrammy Award for Album of the Year. It has since been selected by theLibrary of Congress for preservation in the United StatesNational Recording Registry. Her following two albums,Luck of the Draw (1991) andLonging in 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" (withBruce Hornsby on piano). Her 2022 single "Just Like That" won theGrammy Award for Song of the Year.
As of 2025, Raitt has received 13 competitiveGrammy Awards, from 31 nominations, as well as aGrammy Lifetime Achievement Award.[2] She ranked No. 50 onRolling Stone's list of the "100 Greatest Singers of All Time"[3] and ranked No. 89 on the magazine's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time."[4] Australian country music artistGraeme Connors has said "Bonnie Raitt does something with a lyric no one else can do; she bends it and twists it right into your heart."[5]
In 2000, Raitt was inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame. She has received theIcon Award from theBillboard Women in Music Awards and theMusiCares Person of the Year Award fromThe Recording Academy. In 2024, she was a recipient of theKennedy Center Honor.
Bonnie Lynn Raitt was born on November 8, 1949, inBurbank, California.[6] Her mother, Marge Goddard (née Haydock), was a pianist, and her father,John Raitt, was a professional actor and singer inmusicals, including the original Broadway lead roles inCarousel andThe Pajama Game.[7] Raitt is ofScottish ancestry, a descendant of the Rait Clan that builtRait Castle nearNairn in the13th Century.[8] As a child, Raitt would often play with her two brothers, Steve and David, and was a self-describedtomboy.[9] John Raitt's job as a theatre actor meant that Bonnie did not interact with him as much as she would have liked. She came to resent her mother, who became the main authority figure in the family whenever John was away.[10]
Raitt's musically-inclined parents had a strong influence on her life. From a young age, she and her brothers were encouraged to pursue music.[11] Initially, Bonnie played the piano, but she felt intimidated by her mother's abilities.[10] Instead, she began playing aStella guitar, which she received as a Christmas gift in 1957 at the age of eight.[7][10] Raitt did not take lessons, and instead fashioned her style after musicians from theAmerican folk music revival of the 1950s. She was also influenced by thebeatnik movement of that period, stating "It represented my whole belief [...] I'd grow my hair real long so I looked like a beatnik."[12]
From ages eight through fifteen, Raitt and her brothers attended an annualsummer camp in theAdirondack Mountains called Camp Regis.[10][13] It was there where Raitt learned of her musical talents, when camp counselors would ask her to play in front of the campers.[14] Learning how to play songs then became a hobby for Raitt.[14] As a teenager, Raitt was self-conscious about her weight and herfreckles, and saw music as an escape from reality.[15] "That was my saving grace. I just sat in my room and played my guitar," said Raitt.[15] At age 14, she listened to the albumBlues at Newport 63, which instilled an interest inblues music and theslide guitar technique.[7]
In 1967, Raitt enrolled atRadcliffe College inMassachusetts, majoring insocial relations andAfrican studies.[7] While at Radcliffe, she joined a musical group called the Revolutionary Music Collective, which played for striking students from neighboringHarvard University during thenational anti-Vietnam War student strike of 1970.[16] Despite her abilities, Raitt did not consider music to be anything more than a hobby.[17] Her plan after graduation was to travel toTanzania, and work to improve the government under presidentJulius Nyerere.[17] During her first year of college, Raitt befriended blues promoterDick Waterman, and in her second year, left school for a semester to travel to Philadelphia with Waterman and other local musicians. Raitt said it was an "opportunity that changed everything."[17]
In the summer of 1970, she played with her brother David on stand-up bass withMississippi Fred McDowell at thePhiladelphia Folk Festival as well as opening forJohn Hammond atthe Gaslight Cafe in New York. She was seen by a reporter fromNewsweek, who began to spread the word about her performance. Scouts from major record companies were soon attending her shows to watch her play. She eventually accepted an offer fromWarner Bros., who soon released her debut album,Bonnie Raitt, in 1971.[18] The album was warmly received by the music press, with many writers praising her skills as an interpreter and as a bottleneck guitarist; at the time, few women in popular music had strong reputations as guitarists.
While admired by those who saw her perform, and respected by her peers, Raitt gained little public acclaim for her work. Her critical stature continued to grow but record sales remained modest. Her second album,Give It Up, was released in 1972 to positive reviews.[19] One journalist described the album as "an excellent set" and "established the artist as an inventive and sympathetic interpreter".[18] However, it did not change her commercial fortunes. 1973'sTakin' My Time was also met with critical acclaim, but these notices were not matched by the sales.[18]
Raitt began to receive greater press coverage, including a 1975 cover story forRolling Stone, but with 1974'sStreetlights, reviews for her work were becoming increasingly mixed.[18] By this point, Raitt was already experimenting with different producers and different styles, and she began to adopt a more mainstream sound that continued through 1975'sHome Plate. In 1976, Raitt made an appearance onWarren Zevon'seponymous album.
She was influenced by the playing style ofLowell George, of the bandLittle Feat, particularly his use of an MXR Dyna Comp pre-ampcompressor with aslide guitar.B.B. King once called Raitt the "best damn slide player working today".[20][21]
1977'sSweet Forgiveness album gave Raitt her first commercial breakthrough,[18] when it yielded a hit single in her remake of"Runaway". Recast as a heavyrhythm and blues recording based on a rhythmic groove inspired byAl Green, Raitt's version of "Runaway" was disparaged by many critics. However, the song's commercial success prompted a bidding war for Raitt betweenWarner Bros. andColumbia Records. "There was this big Columbia–Warner war going on at the time", recalled Raitt in a 1990 interview. "James Taylor had just left Warner Bros. and made a big album for Columbia... And then, Warner signedPaul Simon away from Columbia, and they didn't want me to have a hit record for Columbia – no matter what! So, I renegotiated my contract, and they basically matched Columbia's offer. Frankly the deal was a really big deal."[22]
Warner Brothers held higher expectations for her next album,The Glow, in 1979, but it was released to poor reviews as well as modest sales.[18] Raitt had one commercial success in 1979 when she helped organize the five concerts ofMusicians United for Safe Energy (MUSE) atMadison Square Garden in New York City. Those shows spawned the three-record gold albumNo Nukes, as well as a Warner Brothers feature filmNo Nukes, and featured co-foundersJackson Browne,Graham Nash,John Hall, and Raitt as well asBruce Springsteen,Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers,the Doobie Brothers,Carly Simon,James Taylor,Gil Scott-Heron, and others.
In 1980, she appeared as herself in theParamount filmUrban Cowboy where she sang "Don't It Make You Wanna Dance".
For her next record, 1982'sGreen Light, Raitt made a conscious attempt to revisit the sound of her earlier records. However, to her surprise, many of her peers and the media compared her new sound to the burgeoningnew wave movement. The album received her strongest reviews in years, but her sales did not improve and this had a severe impact on her relationship with Warner Brothers.[18]
In 1983, Raitt was finishing work on her follow-up album,Tongue and Groove. The day after mastering was completed onTongue & Groove, the record company dropped Raitt from its roster, not being happy with her commercial performance up to that point.[18] The album was shelved and not released, and Raitt was left without a record contract. At this time Raitt was also struggling with alcohol and drug abuse problems.[23]
Despite her personal and professional problems, Raitt continued to tour and participate in political activism. In 1985, she sang and appeared in the video of "Sun City", the anti-apartheid song written and produced by guitaristSteven Van Zandt. Along with her participation inFarm Aid andAmnesty International concerts, Raitt traveled toMoscow, Russia in 1987 to participate in the first joint Soviet/American Peace Concert, later shown on theShowtime cable network. Also in 1987, Raitt organized a benefit inLos Angeles for Countdown '87 to StopContra Aid. The benefit featured herself, along withDon Henley,Herbie Hancock, and others.
Two years after Warner Brothers Records dropped Raitt from their label, they notified her of their plans to release theTongue and Groove album. "I said it wasn't really fair," recalled Raitt. "I think at this point they felt kind of bad. I mean, I was out there touring on my savings to keep my name up, and my ability to draw was less and less. So they agreed to let me go in and recut half of it, and that's when it came out asNine Lives." That album, released in 1986 to critical and commercial disappointment, was Raitt's last new recording for Warner Brothers.[18]
In late 1987, Raitt joined singersk.d. lang andJennifer Warnes as background vocalists forRoy Orbison's television special,Roy Orbison and Friends, A Black and White Night. Following this highly acclaimed broadcast, Raitt began working on new material. By then, she was clean and sober, having resolved her problems with substance abuse. She later creditedStevie Ray Vaughan for his help in aMinnesota State Fair concert[24] the night after Vaughan's 1990 death. During this time, Raitt considered signing with thePrince-ownedPaisley Park Records, but they could not come to an agreement and negotiations fell through. Instead, she began recording a bluesy mix of pop and rock songs under the production guidance ofDon Was atCapitol Records.[18]
Raitt had met Was throughHal Willner, who was putting togetherStay Awake, a tribute album toDisney music forA&M. Was and Willner both wanted Raitt to sing lead on an adult-contemporary arrangement created by Was for "Baby Mine", the lullaby fromDumbo. Raitt was very pleased with the sessions, and she asked Was to produce her next album.
After working with Was on theStay Awake album, Raitt's management, Gold Mountain, approached numerous labels about a new record deal and found interest fromCapitol Records.[18] Raitt was signed to Capitol by A&R executiveTim Devine. With her first Capitol Records release, and after nearly twenty years in the business, Raitt achieved commercial success withNick of Time, her tenth overall album of her career.[18] Released in the spring of 1989,Nick of Time went to number one on the U.S. album chart following Raitt's Grammy sweep in early 1990.[18] This album has also been voted number 230 in theRolling Stone list of 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Raitt later stated that her tenth try was "my first sober album."[25][26]
At the same time, Raitt received a fourthGrammy Award for her duet "I'm in the Mood" withJohn Lee Hooker on his albumThe Healer.[18]Nick of Time was also the first of many of her recordings to feature her longtime rhythm section ofRicky Fataar andJames "Hutch" Hutchinson (although previously Fataar had played on herGreen Light album and Hutchinson had worked onNine Lives), both of whom continue to record and tour with her. Since its release in 1989,Nick of Time has currently sold over five million copies in the US alone.
Raitt followed up this success with three more Grammy Awards for her next album, 1991'sLuck of the Draw, which sold seven million copies in the United States. Three years later, in 1994, she added two more Grammys with her albumLonging in Their Hearts, her second number one album, that sold two million copies in the US.[18] Raitt's collaboration with Don Was amicably came to an end with 1995's live releaseRoad Tested.[18] Released to solid reviews, it was certifiedgold in the US.
"Rock Steady" was a hit written byBryan Adams andGretchen Peters in 1995. The song was written as a duet with Bryan Adams and Bonnie Raitt for her Road Tested tour, which also became one of her albums. The original demo version of the song appears on Adams' 1996 single "Let's Make a Night to Remember".
For her next studio album, Raitt hiredMitchell Froom andTchad Blake as her producers. "I loved working withDon Was but I wanted to give myself and my fans a stretch and do something different," Raitt stated. Her work with Froom and Blake was released onFundamental in 1998.
In March 2000, Raitt was inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame inCleveland, Ohio.Silver Lining was released in 2002. In the US, it reached number 13 on theBillboard chart and was later certified Gold. It contains the singles "I Can't Help You Now", "Time of Our Lives", and the title track (acover version ofDavid Gray's original song). All three singles charted within the top 40 of the US Adult Contemporary chart.
On March 19, 2002, Raitt received a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame for her contributions to the recording industry, located at 1750 N. Vine Street.[27][28] In 2003 Capitol Records released the compilation albumThe Best of Bonnie Raitt. It contains songs from her prior Capitol albums from 1989 to 2002 includingNick of Time,Luck of the Draw,Longing in Their Hearts,Road Tested,Fundamental, andSilver Lining. Raitt was featured on the albumTrue Love byToots and the Maytals, which won theGrammy Award in 2004 for Best Reggae Album.[29]
Souls Alike was released in September 2005. In the US, it reached the top 20 on theBillboard chart. It contains the singles "I Will Not Be Broken" and "I Don't Want Anything to Change", which both charted in the top 40 of the US Adult Contemporary chart. In 2006, she released the live DVD/CDBonnie Raitt and Friends, which was filmed as part of the critically acclaimedVH1 ClassicDecades Rock Live! concert series, featuring special guestsKeb' Mo',Alison Krauss,Ben Harper,Jon Cleary, andNorah Jones. The DVD was released by Capitol Records on August 15.Bonnie Raitt and Friends, which was recorded live inAtlantic City, NJ on September 30, 2005, features never-before-seen performance and interview footage, including four duets not included in the VH1 Classic broadcast of the concert. The accompanying CD features 11 tracks, including the radio single "Two Lights in the Nighttime", featuring Ben Harper. In 2007, Raitt contributed toGoin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino. WithJon Cleary, she sang a medley of "I'm in Love Again" and "All by Myself" byFats Domino.
Raitt is interviewed and appears in performance footage in the 2005 documentary filmMake It Funky!, which presents a history ofNew Orleans music and its influence onrhythm and blues,rock and roll,funk andjazz.[30] In the film, Raitt performs "What is Success" withAllen Toussaint and band,[31] a song he wrote and that Raitt included on her 1974 albumStreetlights.
Raitt appeared on the June 7, 2008 broadcast ofGarrison Keillor's radio programA Prairie Home Companion. She performed two blues songs withKeb' Mo': "No Getting Over You" and "There Ain't Nothin' in Ramblin'". Raitt also sang "Dimming of the Day" withRichard Thompson. This show, along with another one with Raitt and her band in October 2006, is archived on thePrairie Home Companion website. Raitt appeared in the 2011 documentaryReggae Got Soul: The Story ofToots and the Maytals, which was featured on theBBC and described as "The untold story of one of the most influential artists ever to come out of Jamaica".[32][33]
In February 2012, Raitt performed a duet withAlicia Keys at the54th Annual Grammy Awards in 2012 honoringEtta James. In April 2012, Raitt released her first studio album since 2005, entitledSlipstream. It charted at Number 6 on the USBillboard 200 chart marking her first top ten album since 1994'sLonging in Their Hearts. The album was described as "one of the best of her 40-year career" byAmerican Songwriter magazine.[34] In September 2012, Raitt was featured in a campaign called "30 Songs / 30 Days" to supportHalf the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, a multi-platform media project inspired by a project outlined in a book byNicholas Kristof andSheryl WuDunn.[35] In 2013, she appeared onFoy Vance's albumJoy of Nothing.[36]
On May 30, 2015, Raitt,Leon Russell, andIvan Neville gave a performance at The Canyon Club inAgoura Hills, California to raise money forMarty Grebb who was battling cancer. Grebb had played on some of their albums.[37]
In February 2016, Raitt released her seventeenth studio albumDig In Deep. The album charted at number 11 on the USBillboard 200 chart[38] and received favorable reviews.[39] The album features the single "Gypsy in Me" as well as a cover of theINXS song "Need You Tonight".
Raitt cancelled the first leg of her 2018 spring-summer touring schedule due to a recently discovered medical issue requiring surgical intervention. She reported that a "full recovery" is expected and that she planned to resume touring with already scheduled dates in June 2018.[40]
In 2022, Raitt announced the title of her 21st studio album would beJust Like That.... The record was released on April 22, 2022, and coincided with the beginning of a nationwide tour that ran through November 2022. Preceding the album, Raitt released "Made Up Mind", a song originally written by Canadian roots duoThe Bros. Landreth, as the lead single.[41] The title track of the album won forSong of the Year at the65th Annual Grammy Awards in February 2023. The song also won in theBest American Roots Song category.[2]
In 2025, Raitt appeared in the feature documentaryLilith Fair: Building a Mystery – The Untold Story, which reflects on the legacy of the all-female music festival.[42]
Raitt possesses acontralto vocal range.[43][44][45][46] Music journalistRobert Christgau described Raitt's voice as "not particularly beautiful" but "textured", capable of "shouting, crooning, carry[ing] a tune or fill[ing] a room".[44] Christgau likened her vocal style to "a loving woman who has the touch, soft and hard at the right times in the right places".[44] JournalistWill Hermes described Raitt's voice as warm and precise.[47] Describing her as a "master interpreter of other writers' songs", Chris Hansen Orf ofThe Arizona Republic noted that Raitt is equally skilled at singing blues, folk, country, rock and pop music.[48] Kevin McKeough of theChicago Tribune observed that blues has "remained the bedrock of all of Raitt's musical excursions", with her voice alternating between "sigh to a call to a sustained cry".[49] Discussing the ability of a singer to make use of her voice, singerLinda Ronstadt stated "Of my own peers, Bonnie Raitt has way more musicianship than I do."[50] Singer and guitaristDavid Crosby has said that Raitt is his favorite singer of all time.[51]
Raitt has takensabbaticals, including after the deaths of her parents, brother, and best friend. She has said "When I went through a lot of loss, I took a hiatus."[52] Raitt and actorMichael O'Keefe were married on April 27, 1991.[18] They announced their divorce on November 9, 1999,[53] with a factor appearing to be that their careers caused considerable time apart.[54]
Raitt was a user of alcohol and drugs, but beganpsychotherapy and joinedAlcoholics Anonymous in the late 1980s. "I thought I had to live that partying lifestyle in order to be authentic," she said, "but in fact if you keep it up too long, all you're going to be is sloppy or dead."[52] She has been sober since 1987. She has creditedStevie Ray Vaughan for breaking her substance abuse, saying that what gave her the courage to admit her alcohol problem and stop drinking was seeing that Vaughan was an even better musician when sober.[55] She has also said that she stopped because she realized that the "late night life" was not working for her.[56] In 1989, she said, "I really feel like some angels have been carrying me around. I just have more focus and more discipline, and consequently more self-respect."[57]
Reflecting her anti-war sentiments, Raitt's 1972 albumGive It Up featured a dedication "to the people ofNorth Vietnam ..." printed on the back of the album. She was a founding member ofMusicians United for Safe Energy in 1979, and a catalyst for the largeranti-nuclear power movement. She worked with anti-nuclear groups like theAbalone Alliance and theSouthern California Alliance for Survival, performing at Survival Sunday benefit concerts at theHollywood Bowl.
In 1994 at the urging ofDick Waterman, Raitt funded the replacement of a headstone for one of her mentors, blues guitaristFred McDowell through theMt. Zion Memorial Fund. Raitt later financed memorial headstones in Mississippi for musiciansMemphis Minnie,Sam Chatmon, andTommy Johnson again with the Mt. Zion Memorial Fund.
In 2002, Raitt signed on as an official supporter ofLittle Kids Rock, a nonprofit organization that provides free musical instruments and free lessons to children in public schools throughout the U.S. She has visited children in the program and sits on the organization's board of directors as an honorary member.
At theStockholm Jazz Festival in July 2004, Raitt dedicated a performance of "Your Good Thing (Is About to End)", from her 1979 albumThe Glow, to sitting (and later re-elected) U.S. PresidentGeorge W. Bush. She was quoted as saying "We're gonna sing this for George Bush because he's out of here, people!".[citation needed]
In 2008, Raitt donated a song to theAid Still Required's CD to assist with relief efforts in Southeast Asia from the2004 tsunami. Raitt worked withReverb, a non-profit environmental organization, for her 2005 fall/winter and 2006 spring/summer/fall tours.[58] Raitt is part of theNo Nukes group, which opposes the expansion of nuclear power. In 2007, No Nukes recorded a music video of a new version of theBuffalo Springfield song "For What It's Worth".[59][60][61] During the2008 Democratic primary campaign, Raitt, along withJackson Browne and bassistJames "Hutch" Hutchinson, performed at campaign appearances for candidateJohn Edwards.
During the2016 Democratic primary campaign, Raitt endorsed Vermont SenatorBernie Sanders.[62]
Raitt's principal touring guitar is a customizedFender Stratocaster that she nicknamed Brownie. This became the basis for a signature model in 1996. Raitt was the first female musician to receive a signature Fender line.
My brown Strat—the body is a '65 and the neck is from some time after that. It's kind of a hybrid that I got for $120 at 3 o' clock in the morning in 1969. It's the one without the paint, and I've used that for every gig since 1969.[64]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | "You're Gonna Get What's Coming" | Best Female Rock Vocal Performance | Nominated |
| 1983 | "Green Light" | Nominated | |
| 1987 | "No Way to Treat a Lady" | Nominated | |
| 1990 | Nick of Time | Album of the Year | Won |
| Best Female Rock Vocal Performance | Won | ||
| "Nick of Time" | Best Female Pop Vocal Performance | Won | |
| "I'm in the Mood" (withJohn Lee Hooker) | Best Traditional Blues Recording | Won | |
| 1992 | Luck of the Draw | Album of the Year | Nominated |
| Best Rock Vocal Solo Performance | Won | ||
| "Something to Talk About" | Record of the Year | Nominated | |
| Best Female Pop Vocal Performance | Won | ||
| "Good Man, Good Woman" | Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal | Won | |
| Bonnie Raitt | MusiCares Person of the Year† | Won | |
| 1995 | Longing in Their Hearts | Album of the Year | Nominated |
| Best Pop Vocal Album | Won | ||
| "Love Sneakin' Up On You" | Record of the Year | Nominated | |
| Best Female Rock Vocal Performance | Nominated | ||
| "Longing in Their Hearts" | Best Female Pop Vocal Performance | Nominated | |
| 1996 | "You Got It" | Best Female Pop Vocal Performance | Nominated |
| 1997 | Road Tested | Best Rock Album | Nominated |
| "Burning Down the House" | Best Female Rock Vocal Performance | Nominated | |
| "SRV Shuffle" | Best Rock Instrumental Performance | Won | |
| 1999 | "Kisses Sweeter Than Wine" (withJackson Browne) | Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals | Nominated |
| 2003 | "Gnawin' on It" | Best Female Rock Vocal Performance | Nominated |
| 2004 | "Time of Our Lives" | Nominated | |
| 2006 | "I Will Not Be Broken" | Best Female Pop Vocal Performance | Nominated |
| 2013 | Slipstream | Best Americana Album | Won |
| 2022 | Herself | Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award | Won |
| 2023 | "Just Like That" | Song of the Year | Won |
| Best American Roots Song | Won | ||
| Just Like That... | Best Americana Album | Nominated | |
| "Made Up Mind" | Best Americana Performance | Won |
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Herself | Lifetime Achievement Award for Performance | Won |
| 2016 | Herself | Artist of the Year | Nominated |
| 2023 | "Just Like That" | Song of the Year | Won |
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Herself | Hall of Fame induction | Won |
