Raitt, Bonnie (1949–)

views updated

Raitt, Bonnie (1949–)

American musician. Born Nov 8, 1949, in Burbank, CA; dau. of John Raitt (singer) and Marjorie Haydock; attended Radcliffe College; m. Michael O'Keefe (actor), April 1991 (div. 2000).

Began playing guitar at 12; performed with blues legends Howlin' Wolf and Sippie Wallace; signed with Warner Bros. and released albums Give It Up (1972) and Home Plate (1975); had gold album, Sweet Forgiveness (1977); founded M.U.S.E. (Musicians United for Safe Energy); after album Nine Lives flopped (1986), dropped by Warner's; bounced back with Nick of Time (1989), which topped the charts and won 4 Grammys, including Album of the Year (1990); released Luck of the Draw (1991), which included hit singles, "Something to Talk About" and "I Can't Make You Love Me," and won 3 Grammys; followed that with platinum album, Longing In Their Hearts (1994); speaks out on such issues as nuclear power and environment; other albums include Green Light (1982), Road Tested (1995) and Fundamental (1998). Inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2000).