Bonnie Raitt: Blues with Red Hair

Bonnie Raitt was born in Burbank, California. She was raised in an environment full of Quaker traditions, respect for the arts and commitment to social activism. When she was eight, she was given a Stella guitar which is to blame for her first true passion for music. In the late 60’s, she moved to Massachusetts. Here, she got involved in the city’s political and cultural activities as she was studying Social Relations and African Studies. It was then when Bonnie started her first contacts with folk music and blues.

Soon after this musical encounter, Bonnie began exploring more and more about the music genres she liked. She became quite popular in the local bars thanks to her insights into blues guitar. By 1971, she was popular enough as to sign and release her debut album with Warner Bros. She impressed almost every music critic, and they all agreed that “the presence of intriguing tunes by contemporary songwriters, as well as several examples of her own writing, indicated that this artist would not be restricted to any one pigeonhole or style”.

Ever since, Bonnie Raitt was a machine of hits, beautiful songs with the greatest arrangements and numerous Grammy nominations, from which she won nine. There have been several awards and honors, decades of non-stop touring, the reason why now Bonnie had decided it is time to take a break. Nevertheless, she still helps other artists with their projects and still plays a major role in political activism.