Bonnie Raitt - Bonnie Raitt (1971)

Bonnie Raitt is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.

The daughter of Broadway star John Raitt, Bonnie Raitt took up guitar at an early age. In 1967 she went to Harvard, which is where she met and befriended promoter Dick Waterman, a major figure of the 60s blues revival. She became part of the community of musicians which surrounded Waterman, and by the late 60s was regularly peforming at folk and blues clubs in the Boston area, and had the chance to meet and perform alongside blues legends such as Howlin' Wolf and Mississippi Fred McDowell.
By 1970 she had attracted the attention of several major record companies, and eventually she signed to Warner Bros. Her debut album came out in 1971, showcasing her laid-back and bluesy roots-rock style. Produced by pianist Willie Murphy, it was recorded live straight to tape at an empty summer camp, giving it a natural and spontaneous feel. It was almost entirely made up of covers, mostly songs by blues artists including Robert Johnson and Sippie Wallace, but also with a great reworking of Stephen Stills' old Buffalo Springfield tune "Bluebird", and a number by Motown girl group The Marvelettes ("Danger Heartache Dead Ahead").
It sold modestly, but the critics were quick to recognise her talent, not just as a singer and song enterpreter but also as a bottleneck slide guitarist. At the time there were very few women in popular music with reputations as guitarists. As the album was recorded when she was just twenty one years old, it was most definately a strong and promising start to her career.

|> Give It Up (1972)
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