Nick-of-time career path puts Raitt in Rock Hall of Fame
By Gary Graff
DETROIT (Reuters) - Bonnie Raitt, headed for induction in the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame next week, admits such honors never
beckoned in the days when she could hold her own with a bottle
as well as a bottleneck slide guitar.
``You pick this lifestyle so you can stay up all night,'' said
the 50-year-old singer-songwriter, back home in northern
California following a recent trip to North Africa. ``Rock 'n'
roll is an excuse to not grow up for a long time.''
Raitt's story is one of perseverance and triumph over the whims
of the marketplace and her own bad habits.
During the past 30 years, she has weathered middling, even
disappointing, record sales and a grinding life of never-ending
travel and parties. Dropped by Warner Bros. Records, her first
label, in the mid-1980s, Raitt entered a treatment program to
overcome her substance addictions.
She emerged from all of that with her 1989 album ``Nick of Time,''
a multimillion-selling, chart-topping, Grammy-gobbling smash that
established Raitt as a superstar on the pop scene, and she
continued that run throughout the '90s.
And now she'll be part of the Hall of Fame's 15th class of inductees,
along with Eric Clapton, James Taylor, the Lovin' Spoonful, Earth,
Wind & Fire, the Moonglows, Arista Records chief Clive Davis,
Billie Holiday, Nat ``King'' Cole. The actual Hall of Fame is
located in Cleveland, but the ceremony will be held Monday in
New York.
Raitt said in a recent interview she was surprised and thrilled to be
receiving the honor.
``I didn't get nationally that significant in the public's eye until
10 years ago,'' she said. ``But I don't know whether (the Hall of
Fame) is about the public. It's industry people. In that sense, I'm
really thrilled to have made the cut.''
Born in Burbank, Calif., she was surrounded by music; her father is
John Raitt, the Broadway star best known for his appearances in
``Oklahoma,'' ``Kiss Me Kate,'' and ``Carousel.'' She began playing
guitar at age 8 and developed her singing voice as well, making
occasional TV appearances with her father.
But Raitt's real love was folk music and the blues, and after she
entered Radcliffe College in 1967, she spent much of her time
performing in clubs and coffee houses. She also befriended and was
mentored by such legends as John Lee Hooker, Otis Rush and Son House.
``Great singer, great player, a good partner to play with,'' recalled
Hooker, with whom Raitt shared a Grammy in 1990 for a duet on his
album, ``The Healer.'' ``Even when she was just starting out, Bonnie
sounded like somebody who had been playing for years and years.''
Singer-songwriter John Prine, whose ``Angel From Montgomery'' is one
of Raitt's signature songs, said, ``You loved it when she sings
something you wrote because she puts so much of herself into it and
makes it sound better than you thought it could.''
Despite high regard from peers and critics, Raitt's commercial
success during the '70s and early '80s was modest at best. When
Warner Bros. ultimately dropped her in 1986, Raitt said, she'd
reached rock bottom both on stage and off.
``My professional problems caused havoc in my personal life,''
she recalled. ``My physical and emotional health was ravaged by all
these avoidance techniques. Hell -- I partied too much!''
Therapy and Alcoholics Anonymous pulled Raitt out of the bottle and
instilled a new personal confidence. Hooking up with producer Don Was,
she went on to record ``Nick of Time,'' whose success she credits in
part to her switch to Capitol Records.
Since then, Raitt has managed to keep her career trajectory high.
The albums have sold well. Singles continued to be played on the radio,
and the Grammys kept coming.
Raitt also married actor Michael O'Keefe in 1991. However, the two
have been separated for the better part of a year and are planning
to divorce.
``We just kind of grew apart.'' Now, Raitt said, she's starting ``a
new chapter,'' both personally and creatively.
During the past year she's toured with an ensemble that included Jackson
Browne, Bruce Hornsby and Shawn Colvin. Her travels have taken her to
Cuba, Ireland, and most recently to Mali -- a ``life-changing'' trip
that she said has planted a few seeds for her next album.
But first, she said, ``I want to just travel and soak up and interact
with people, and also have some personal life after a year and a half
of touring.''
The Hall of Fame honor, then, is a pleasant break from that pursuit.
But Raitt said it will be just a quick, nostalgic look back before
she returns to moving forward.
``This is one of the most fun parts of my life,'' she said. ''I don't
think I've ever been happier. I'm just so excited about what lies ahead.''
Reuters/Variety
--
gender is just an excuse, relationship shouldn't just be an excuse,
love is often an excuse, although sometimes these excuses are all
we have to hold onto,
death is the reason and living is the celebration
- Beth Orton
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