Bonnie Raitt

Born: November 8, 1949 Burbank, CA, USA

Bonnie Raitt was born into a family of musicians and social awareness. She was raised in L.A., in a time of political turmoil and social upheaval. Her love for music began to show at an early age, and she was introduced to the guitar by the age of twelve. Her father, who had been a star of the Broadway stage, encouraged her to learn the instrument. She seemed to pick up the instrument naturally, and her singing style was always very raspy and bluesy, even in her adolescence. She tried college for a while, but dropped out to play music in the local club circuit. She played blues, and she began to get noticed when she started playing slide guitar with a bottleneck. She drew the attention of many of the blues legends she looked up to, such as Howlin' Wolf and Sippie Wallace. In 1971, she released her self-titled debut album, which was rough at best. In 1972, however, her more polished follow-up album, Give It Up, featured Jackson Browne and some other rock musicians. Seven albums later, Raitt is still releasing new material.

Instruments Played / Skills: Guitar Songwriter Vocals Genres: Pop/Top40 Female Blues Country-Rock

Bonnie Raitt Has Worked With: Jimmie Vaughan Waddy Wachtel Michael Duke Robillard

Bonnie Raitt Was Influenced By: Howlin' Wolf Odetta Joan Baez Charles Brown John Lee Hooker Mississippi Fred McDowell Tom Waits Sippie Wallace Muddy Waters

Artists That Were Influenced By Bonnie Raitt: Joanna Connor