Do you ever feel when you hear a song the first time that the singer is speaking directly to you? As if she's maybe been poking around in your diary, taking notes on your personal successes and failures, and using them as fodder for back-breakingly accurate blues ballads? No? Well then you haven't been listening to Bonnie Raitt (or your romantic life is less tumultuous than my own). But there's no question that 62-year-old blues singer and guitarist Bonnie Raitt has been showing the boys how its done for more than 40 years.
After growing up in a Quaker family and arriving at Harvard to study African culture in the late 1960's, Raitt met blues promoter Dick Waterman, who convinced her to leave school* and embark on a career that has (so far) resulted in nine Grammys. I would have loved to see an early Bonnie Raitt show at some little dive bar in Manhattan in 1971, but in today's video, filmed in 1995, Raitt's years of experience shine. She's relaxed, playful, because she's basically been playing the blues since before you learned your colors. And to look at her website, which is under construction and announces a new album coming out this spring, you'd think she was just getting started.
Beyond the self-assurance and community respect that comes with spending four decades in the spotlight, Bonnie Raitt embodies an attitude toward men and relationships that, as a woman paddling through the murky metropolitan dating pool, I deeply appreciate. After all, the blues tell a story, and the very best blues artists exhibit not only musical talent but also storytelling skills. As one of the most prominent female blues musicians in the history of ever, Raitt obviously has a lot of stories to tell, and dammit if they're not ripped straight from my diary. "The men that I've been seeing, baby, got their soul up on a shelf," she croons, "You know they could never love me when they can't even love themselves." AMEN, SISTER.
I'm guessing she picked up some of this attitude as an undergrad at Harvard, where the male : female ratio was 1 : 4 when she arrived on campus, right after the summer of love. While in college she was discovered by blues promoter Dick Waterman. At the time, in the early 1970's, not many women were out there playing guitar, particularly with the talent and assurance of Raitt, and she quickly became a respected member of the east coast blues community, releasing her self-titled debut in 1971. She must have thought she peaked in 1975, when Rolling Stone featured on its cover:
But that was only the beginning. After 13 studio albums and 2 live/compilation albums -- almost an album every other year -- Bonnie Raitt was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. She's released four albums since then, not including 2012's Slipstream, which will hit your local record shop, as well as your digital music service, in April.
So ladies, let this be a reminder to make sure your man is treating you right. Sing it, Bonnie: "I need someone to love me, someone to really understand, who won't put himself above me -- Who’ll just love me like a man."
* Kids, no matter what Bonnie Raitt and Bill Gates, say, stay in school -- especially if you get into Harvard!
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