Bonnie Raitt Biography

Born in Burbank, CA, on November 8, 1949, Bonnie Raitt is the daughter of celebrated Broadway singer John Raitt (Carousel, Oklahoma!) and accomplished pianist/singer Marge Goddard. It is not surprising then that she would gravitate towards music. Attending college at Radcliffe, Raitt got her start in the folk clubs of Cambridge, Mass., in the 1960s, playing Country Blues and bottleneck guitar. Three years after entering college, Bonnie left to commit herself full-time to music, and shortly afterward found herself opening for surviving giants of the blues: Mississippi Fred McDowell, Sippie Wallace, Son House, Muddy Waters, and John Lee Hooker.

"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"

In 1977, she had her first hit single, a bluesy cover of Del Shannon's "Runaway". Although her subsequent work received critical acclaim, Bonnie did not begin to win the comparable commercial success due her until the release of the aptly titled 1989 blockbuster, "Nick of Time." Seven grammy awards and numerous hit singles later, she continues to be one of the top blues musicians of the modern era. On March 6, 2000 she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

If you are unable to hear the audio clip as the biography page opens click HERE to download the wave file.
To return to the Walkin' Blues Biographies click Here.