Americana is an amalgam of roots musics formed by the confluence of the shared and varied traditions that make up the American musical ethos; specifically those sounds that are merged from folk, country, blues, rhythm and blues, rock and roll and other external influential styles such as bluegrass.^[1] Americana is popularly referred to, especially in print, as alternative country, alt-country or sometimes alt.country. ^[1]

Americana as a radio format[link]

Americana, as defined by the Americana Music Association (AMA), is "music that honors and is derived from the traditions of American roots music. It is music inspired by American culture traditions which is not only represented in classic man made / roots based sounds but also through new and contemporary artists whose music is clearly inspired by these great traditions. It is a great genre, vast, like jazz which encompasses a wide range of music.American roots music based on the traditions of country." ^[2] Americana as a radio format developed during the 1990s as a reaction to the highly polished sound that defined the mainstream music of that decade." Because of listener interest in the artists who do not fit as comfortably in the country or rock genres, a radio format called "Americana" was developed by the AMA and reported by R&R (Radio & Records, a radio trade publication). Born out of the Triple A, non-commercial, country and other formats, the Americana format is the sum of the parts that have showcased Americana music since its inception.

The AMA grew out of the format as an effort to bring all Americana music supporters, performers, and professionals together to expand the visibility and viability of the music. The radio format, including the term "Americana," began in early 1995 through the efforts of Rob Bleetstein of San Francisco, and Jon Grimson of Nashville. Bleetstein became the first Americana chart editor as Gavin magazine (a former radio trade publication) created the first Americana radio chart, which was published on January 20, 1995. This came about when KFAT (defunct) radio in Gilroy, California went off the air, and Bleetstein went to the Gavin Report, asserting that they were missing a category of music. He described the KFAT format, which had the widest playlist of any station in the country, and most of whose artists whose music would come to be known as Americana. Bleetstein worked closely with KFAN "Texas Rebel Radio" in Texas and KPIG in California in developing the Americana format. Both stations had been on the air with their own versions of an independent format for several years and had been instrumental in the development of the AAA format as well. The publisher agreed and gave Bleetstein the job of creating and running the chart. Grimson coined the term Americana and became the first Americana radio promoter after having promoted the music previously at Warner Brothers Records Nashville, and promoting those releases that WB worked to radio formats outside the mainstream country stations. The AMA was later established to expand the musical format outside of strictly radio, but still including the radio aspect as well.

Americana artists[link]

Some of the significant artists in the genre are:

• Johnny Cash
• Dave Alvin^[3]
• Neko Case^[4]
• Justin Townes Earle^[5]
• Alison Krauss^[4]
• Gillian Welch^[4]

See also[link]

• Alternative country
• Country rock
• Roots rock
• Heartland rock
• Southern rock

Notes and references[link]

External links[link]

• Americana Music Association
• Americana Radio Airplay Chart
• The Never-Ending Revival: Rounder Records and the Folk Alliance by Michael F. Scully, University of Illinois Press, 2008

Black Lightning (Jefferson Pierce) was one of the first major African American superheroes to appear in DC Comics.^[1] He debuted in Black Lightning #1 (April 1977), and was created by Tony Isabella and Trevor Von Eeden.^{[2] [3]}

Publication history[link]

The original candidate for DC Comics' first headlining black superhero was a character called the Black Bomber, a black hero who was actually a white racist and later described by comics historian Don Markstein as "an insult to practically everybody with any point of view at all."^[4] When the editor who had approved the Black Bomber left the company before the character had seen print, Tony Isabella (whose previous writing experience included Luke Cage, Marvel Comics' first black superhero with his own title) was asked to salvage the character. Isabella managed to convince editors of his Black Lightning character which he had been working on for some time, mentioning that his characters along the way were merely stepping stones.^[5]

Tony Isabella wrote the first 10 issues of Black Lightning, before handing it over to Dennis O'Neil. Only one O'Neil-scripted issue came out before the series was canceled in 1978 as part of a general large-scale pruning of the company's superhero titles known as the DC Implosion (which also canceled the debut of Vixen, which would have been DC's first title starring a female black superhero).^{[citation needed]} Issue #12 was published in Cancelled Comic Cavalcade and World's Finest Comics #260.

Black Lightning made a number of guest appearances in various titles over the next few years, including a string of issues of World's Finest Comics written by O'Neil, then shifting to Detective Comics and a two-part story in Justice League of America in which the League invited him to join, but he turned them down.

In 1983, with his powers restored, he regularly appeared again as a member of the Batman-led superhero team the Outsiders. When The Outsiders ended, he returned to making occasional guest appearances.

In 1995, a new Black Lightning series began, with art by Eddy Newell, again written by Tony Isabella,^[6] who was fired after the eighth issue with the series then being written by Australian writer Dave de Vries. After Isabella left, the series was canceled five issues later, the decision being made before these issues had seen print. Isabella has stated that he believes the editor fired him because of a wish to bring in a new writer to "create his own power base at DC Comics".^[7]

A "Black Lightning: Year One" six-issue limited series, written by Jen Van Meter and illustrated by Cully Hamner^[8] saw a bi-weekly release in 2009, and was nominated for two Glyph Awards^[9] in 2010.

Fictional character biography[link]

Year One[link]

A gold medal-winning Olympic decathlete, Jefferson Pierce returned to his old neighborhood in the Southside (Suicide Slum) section of the city of Metropolis, with his wife Lynn Stewart and his daughter Anissa to become the principal of Garfield High School. Southside as it was once known was where his father renowned journalist Alvin Pierce had been murdered. Guilt over this event was a factor in his decision to leave the city of Metropolis. Suicide Slum was being torn apart by a local organized criminal gang called the 100, shady corporations, and crooked local politicians like Tobias Whale. Peter Gambi, a family friend and tailor, had taught a much younger Jefferson how to suppress his inborn metahuman abilities so that he would not accidentally hurt any of the people he cared about.^[10] Upon his return Gambi suggested to Jefferson that he should use his powers to help the neighborhood, and refers him to a plaque with the paraphrased Milo Sweetman quote "Justice, like lightning should ever appear to some men hope, to other men fear", the original text of which was "Justice, like lightning, ever should appear to few men's ruin, but to all men's fear. Of mortal justice if thou scorn the rod, believe and tremble, thou art judged of God." Appalled by the public murder of Earl Clifford, one of his more promising students, Pierce tried to intervene on behalf of the schoolchildren, but quickly learned that the 100 objected violently to any interference.^[2][11] Pierce adopts the costumed identity "Black Lightning". Years later, he would tell fellow African American superhero Mister Terrific that he chose the name Black Lightning because he "was the only one of us around" at the time, and he "wanted to make sure everyone knew who they were dealing with."^[12]

Outsiders[link]

After his own series was canceled, Black Lightning lost his electrical powers, but continued fighting without them. The loss eventually turned out to be psychosomatic, a symptom of a crisis of confidence resulting from the accidental death of a female bystander named Trina Shelton during an altercation between Black Lightning and some gun-wielding thugs. Batman, wanting to recruit him to rescue Lucius Fox in Markovia, helped him regain his powers; this eventually led him to join the Batman's Outsiders.^[2] During his time with the Outsiders, a group of villains called the Masters of Disaster captured Black Lightning at the behest of the parents of Trina Shelton to avenge the death of their daughter;^[13] however, upon learning that he still regretted what happened and was willing to be executed by them, they sacrificed their lives to save him. During the Invasion! crossover, the Dominators detonated a Gene-Bomb that wreaked havoc with anyone possessing the metagene by making them lose control of their powers.^[14] After the breakup of the Outsiders, Black Lightning moved to Brick City to continue his solo career in 1995's Black Lightning #1.^[15]

Secretary of Education[link]

When Lex Luthor was elected President of the United States in 2000, he appoints Jefferson Pierce as Secretary of Education, Pierce accepting as he concludes that he can do more good working within the system than outside it.^[2] He resigned amidst controversy over his "worst-kept secret in Washington" identity as Black Lightning, and his alleged inadvertent killing of a criminally-minded corporate CEO, for which President Pete Ross (who had since succeeded Luthor) then pardoned him.

Making frequent guest appearances in several DC series, Pierce has appeared in Green Arrow (who had a one night stand with his niece, a successful attorney named Joanna Pierce). Pierce helped Green Arrow track down Dr. Light in the Green Arrow "Heading into the Light" story arc. He also appeared in the new Outsiders, of which his daughter, Anissa (using the alias Thunder), is a member. He came to fight the new Sabbac and help his daughter alongside Captain Marvel Jr. and the Outsiders. He had on an outfit that mixed his second outfit with the colors of the first. After teaming up with the Outsiders, incoming President Pete Ross asked him to resign as Secretary of Education and he did.

At some point prior to his resignation, Pierce used his pull in Washington to deny powerful metahuman gangster known as Holocaust permits to build a Casino on Paris Island in Dakota. This would come back to haunt Pierce sometime later when the enraged Holocaust attacked him while he was giving the graduation speech at Ernest Hemingway Highschool.^[16]

Infinite Crisis[link]

In issue #5 of the Infinite Crisis storyline, it was shown that Black Lightning was one of the eight people Batman had considered to aid him in destroying the Brother Eye satellite, which controlled the OMACs. Booster Gold, who was not on the list of eight, but knew about the candidates from his knowledge of the future, contacted Lightning before Batman did, as historical data from the future had shown who had aided Batman. Lightning accepted, arriving at the Bat cave to await orders. He then forged an uneasy yet effective alliance with Mister Terrific, combining their powers of electrical manipulation and invisibility technology to strike the villainous AI from the inside.

After the third Society of Super Villains was formed, Black Lightning as a member of Brad Meltzer's new Justice League began using his status as Lex Luthor's former Secretary of Education to gain information from super villains.^[17]

Outsiders redux[link]

In Outsiders (vol. 3) #45, it was revealed that three years have passed since Jefferson's niece Joanna Pierce was murdered, and that upon initially learning of her death, Jefferson went after the corrupt businessman Martin Somers, the man who was responsible. He had intended to wound Somers with his lightning shot, but apparently ended up killing him. Jefferson turned himself in to the authorities. However, it is revealed that Deathstroke was responsible for Somers' death by firing a dart of toxin to Somers moments before Jefferson shot his lightning. Hence, he was dead before he hit the ground. Jason Todd discovered the truth while eavesdropping on the assassin's conversation with Lex Luthor (who was really Alexander Luthor, Jr. in disguise) and contacted Nightwing with this information. When Nightwing and Anissa told Jefferson of this in prison, he disbelieved it and intended to pay for Somers' death. Anissa herself intended to break her father out of Iron Heights Prison. Upon learning from Todd that other inmates were about to carry out a contract hit on Pierce (whose identity as an inmate had leaked to unknown parties), the Outsiders resolved to assist her. They freed him from jail and with the audio recording of Deathstroke's conversation cleared his name.

Justice League of America[link]

Years ago, Green Arrow brought Black Lightning to the attention of the Justice League of America, who extended an offer of membership to the protector of Suicide Slum. He turned down the offer, preferring to work as a loner and focus on street-level crime.^[18] Most recently, however, Black Lightning has joined the JLA, once again appearing with a modified costume.^[2] He appears to be primarily based in Washington DC again. Black Lightning assists the JLA with intelligence gathered from the criminal community. Many super villains still believe he is 'in' with Lex Luthor and are willing to cooperate. Jefferson also helps the team in a battle against Amazo. He was the first member of the League to respond to the recent attacks made by the Amazons of Themyscira, and he also saved the President of the United States in this event.

Black Lightning was the focus of the one-shot Final Crisis: Submit, in which he helped the new Tattooed Man and his family escape at the cost of his own freedom. He is subsequently shown in issue 4 of Final Crisis under Darkseid's thrall.

Outsiders[link]

Recently, Black Lightning was recruited by Alfred Pennyworth to join a new version of the Outsiders following an attack by Doctor Hurt which left Thunder comatose. Unlike previous iterations of the team, these Outsiders must live "off the grid" and stay out of contact with friends and family for months at a time. It is confirmed that, due to this new commitment, Black Lightning has left the Justice League.^[19]

Black Lightning's daughters[link]

Jefferson has had two daughters by his ex-wife Lynn Stewart, both of whom have followed in his footsteps and become superheroes. His oldest daughter Anissa Pierce has taken on the name "Thunder" and served on an incarnation of his team the Outsiders^[20] and his sixteen year old younger daughter, Jennifer Pierce, was recently recruited by the Justice Society of America under the code name "Lightning".^[21] A version of Lightning first appeared in Kingdom Come a 1996 miniseries published by DC Comics.

In Justice League of America vol. 2 #27, Pierce claims that people frequently ask him if he is the father of Static, much to his chagrin. It is later revealed that Static is in fact a fan of Black Lightning, and has a poster of the hero in his room in Titans Tower.^[22]

Powers and abilities[link]

Originally,^[23] he was described as having no innate powers, using a belt that allowed him to generate a force field and project electrical bolts. This power was later revealed to exist as a result of the Metagene, according to Invasion! #3.^[24]

According to Black Lightning: Year One, Jefferson Pierce is in current continuity a metahuman who was born with the ability to generate and magnify external localized electromagnetic phenomena, by manipulating intense bio-electric fields generated by his body. This is a power that he internalized and kept hidden for much of the early part of his adult life.^[25] Exactly how much electrical energy Black Lightning can generate is unknown but he can easily stun or kill a man with his internal powers, and on one occasion he was able to restart Superman's heart after the Man of Steel had suffered from a near-fatal Kryptonite exposure. He can also generate a powerful electro-magnetic force field capable of stopping projectiles, however, this act requires considerable effort and concentration.^[2] He has demonstrated the ability to create an electromagnetic repulsion field which grants him limited flight capabilities. Pierce also maintains his Olympic-level physical conditioning, giving him above average strength, speed, and stamina. Under Batman's tutelage, he has become a highly skilled hand-to-hand martial artist and combatant.

Reception[link]

IGN listed Black Lightning as the 85th greatest comic book hero of all time, describing him as a true hero and a born badass that has earned his spot on the Justice League.^[26]

Other versions[link]

• Black Lightning has appeared in the Justice League Unlimited spin-off comic book. His appearances are in issues #15^[27] and #27.^[28]
• During a JLA mission, the Vixen encounters an alternate version of Black Lightning called the "Brown Bomber", a contemporary version of the original Black Bomber envisioned prior to Tony Isabella's involvement with the character.^[29][30]

In other media[link]

Television[link]

• Black Lightning appears in the Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode "Enter the Outsiders!" voiced by Bumper Robinson. He seems to be the lead of the trio composed of him, Katana, and Metamorpho. They work for a sewer dweller named Slug at first, but turn on him when Wildcat convinces them to fight for good. Black Lightning later uses his electricity to save Wildcat's life with instructions from Katana when the elder falls victim to a heart attack. Black Lightning and his comrades are later seen training with Batman in the teaser of "Duel of the Double Crossers!". Black Lightning's hatred for society is shown in "Inside the Outsiders!". Black Lightning had a fleeting cameo in "The Siege of Starro! Part One" (as one of the heroes under Starro's mind control) in which he blasted Firestorm with lightning and was shown to have a new costume. He reappeared in the teaser of "Requiem for a Scarlet Speedster!", in which he and the rest of the Outsiders (Katana, Metamorpho, Geo-Force, and Halo) help Batman stop Kobra and his cultists from completing a ritual. He and Geo-Force save Batman from being crushed by a snake. Though Batman compliments Black Lightning's ability to lead, the Outsiders forgot to take out the bridge behind them, resulting in reinforcements coming in.

• Both the animated versions of Black Lightning and Static share a shout-out joke; as they both wear a blue and yellow outfit (trench coat & jacket). In addition, the pilot episode of Static Shock features a scene where Static tries on a costume that looks similar to Black Lightning's, while Black Lightning in Batman: The Brave and the Bold jokes he needs more than a "little static shock" to defeat his enemies (By the same token, Wildcat jokes that it was going to take "a whole lot more than a little static shock to slow this old man down!").

• Prior to appearing in Batman: The Brave and the Bold in 2009, Black Lightning had never appeared in any of the many television series based on DC Comics superheroes. This in itself is not unusual for a character of Black Lightning's relative obscurity, but is notable because at least three such series have contained specially-created black superheroes with electrical powers who weren't Black Lightning - series regular Black Vulcan in Super Friends (Hanna-Barbera did not want to pay the larger licensing fee required to cover the royalty due to the creators, so decided to create its own version of the character^{[citation needed]}); Soul Power, who appeared in Static Shock and was originally intended to have been Black Lightning, but DC Comics would not permit the use of Black Lightning^{[citation needed]}; and Juice in Justice League Unlimited, based on Black Vulcan.

• Black Lightning appears in an episode of Mad voiced by Gary Anthony Williams. In the "That's What Super Friends Are For" segment, he and Plastic Man lead the other heroes in a musical number where they ask Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman about why their group is called the "Super Friends."

• Black Lightning will appear in animated shorts for the DC Nation block on Cartoon Network.^[31]

• Black Lightning regularly appears in the Adult Swim TV series Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law as a meta-joke.

• Black Lightning appears in Young Justice: Invasion. In "Happy New Year," he is shown as a member of the Justice League five years later from Season One.

• Sinbad played Black Lightning in a Saturday Night Live skit when he hosted. The skit took place at Superman's funeral and apparently, nobody knew who Black Lightning was, so he was kicked out of the funeral by Jimmy Olsen.

Film[link]

• Actor Terrence Howard (who previously played the Marvel Comics character Jim Rhodes in 2008's Iron Man) has expressed interest in playing Black Lightning in a potential film adaptation, remarking, "I don’t think he’s really been explored."^[32]
• LeVar Burton provides the voice of Black Lightning in his single speaking line in the animated movie, Superman/Batman: Public Enemies. He is one of the heroes who agrees to work for Lex Luthor after the supposedly reformed villain is elected President.^[33]
• An evil version of Black Lightning known as Black Power appears as a member of the Crime Syndicate of America in the animated film Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths. The heroic Black Lightning also makes an appearance, along with Aquaman, Black Canary, Firestorm (Jason Rusch), and Red Tornado, presumably as backup members of the Justice League, although their actual membership status is never explicitly stated.^[34] Black Lightning, and the other backups, appear again after the final battle as Batman suggests initiating a membership drive. While Black Lightning does not have any lines his grunts are provided by Cedric Yarbrough, who was credited only in his role as Firestorm.

Video Game[link]

• Bumper Robinson reprises his role of Black Lightning in Batman: The Brave and the Bold – The Videogame.
• Alexander Brandon voices Black Lightning in the DC Universe Online video game.

Comic strip[link]

• Black Lightning's earliest appearances outside of his own title in 1977 were in The World's Greatest Superheroes newspaper comic strip. There, he met Batman and other heroes before his rejection of Justice League of America membership.

Homages/parodies[link]

• Sinbad once appeared on NBC's Saturday Night Live dressed as Black Lightning, crashing Superman's funeral (with the episode airing the same time as The Death of Superman storyline). The other dignitaries and superheroes did not recognize him, even though he claimed to have taught Superman how to fly. As the funeral breaks up so that the superheroes can stop the Legion of Doom in their attack on Metropolis Civic Arena, he is spotted grabbing the free shrimp from the buffet table.

• In the commercial of Alltel there is a character similar to Black Lightning, he brings Chad the spokesperson to tell the family about the offer and zaps away the competition.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Black Lightning at Cosmic Teams
• Black Lightning at the DCU Guide
• Black Lightning at the Comic Book DB
• Fanzing: Black Lightning history
• Black Lightning Index
• Fanzing: Diversity In The DC Universe: 1961 - Today
• Database and Cover gallery for both Black Lightning series
• Tony Isabella at World Famous Comics
• The Outer Observatory A fansite for The Outsiders
• Black Lightning at the Internet Movie Database

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (March 2009)

Gretchen Peters (born November 14, 1957 in Bronxville, New York) is a singer-songwriter in the folk/country genre. She was born in New York and raised in Boulder, Colorado, but moved to Nashville in the late 1980s. There, she found work as a songwriter, composing hits for Martina McBride, Etta James, Trisha Yearwood, Patty Loveless, George Strait, Anne Murray, as well as for rock singers Neil Diamond and co-writing songs with Bryan Adams.^[1] She also won the Country Music Association Song Of The Year award for McBride's "Independence Day" in 1995.^[2]

In addition, Peters has released seven studio albums of her own. The title track of her 1996 debut album The Secret of Life was later recorded by Faith Hill in 1999, for whom it was a Top 5 country hit.^{[citation needed]}

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

Singles[link]

Guest singles[link]

Music videos[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Web Site
• Gretchen Peters at the Internet Movie Database

This article about an American country singer is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Amy Cook (born January 30, 1979) is an American musician and singer-songwriter living in Austin, Texas.

Biography[link]

Amy Cook is an American musician and singer-songwriter who relocated to Austin, Texas in 2005 from Los Angeles. Since moving to Texas, she has also spent a lot of time in Marfa, which is also where she did much of the writing and recording of The Sky Observer’s Guide.^[1] A documentary on Cook, Amy Cook: The Spaces In Between, was released in July 2009. The documentary, directed by Todd Robinson (film director), followed Cook and the band on a short tour across the Southwest and premiered on The Documentary Channel on July 6, 2009.^[2] Cook also provided the soundtrack to the Emmy-winning feature length documentary Amargosa, also directed by Todd Robinson (film director).^[3] Amy Cook’s songs have appeared in several television shows such as Dawson's Creek, Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County, and Veronica Mars.^[4] She met Leisha Hailey of Showtime Networks' The L Word while in Marfa, and soon her song “Million Holes in Heaven” was played on the show by Leisha’s character during her radio program.^[5] Cook was also featured in Out magazine's Top 100 of 2008.^[6]

Cook's past recordings include The Sky Observer's Guide, The Bunkhouse Recordings, The Firefly Sessions and From the 52nd Story.^[7][8]

Her latest album, Let The Light In, was released on April 6, 2010.^[9] The album was produced by Alejandro Escovedo, who also contributed to the music on the recording, as did other local Austin musician friends of Cook such as Patty Griffin and the Tosca String Quartet.^[10] Ben Kweller also co-wrote one track. The first single of the album, "Hotel Lights", was made available in advance of the album's release.^[11]

Amy Cook: The Spaces in Between[link]

The feature music documentary Amy Cook: The Spaces in Between was released by The Documentary Channel in 2009. The film was directed by Todd Robinson (film director) and produced by Julian Adams and Todd Robinson (film director).^[12]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• "Amy Cook: The Spaces in Between" on IMDB
• Amy Cook's "Hotel Lights" on WXPN's My Morning Download

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (July 2010)

Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Raitt performing live in 2007
Background information
Birth name	Bonnie Lynn Raitt
Born	(1949-11-08) November 8, 1949 (age 62) Burbank, California, United States
Genres	Blues, country, folk-rock
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, musician, political activist, philanthropist
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, slide guitar
Years active	1971–present
Labels	Warner, Capitol
Website	bonnieraitt.com

Bonnie Lynn Raitt (born November 8, 1949) is an American blues singer-songwriter and a renowned slide guitar player. During the 1970s, Raitt released a series of acclaimed roots-influenced albums which incorporated elements of blues, rock, folk and country, but she is perhaps best known for her more commercially accessible recordings in the 1990s including "Nick of Time", "Something to Talk About", "Love Sneakin' Up on You", and the slow ballad "I Can't Make You Love Me". Raitt has received nine Grammy Awards in her career and is a lifelong political activist.

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

Raitt, the daughter of Broadway musical star John Raitt and his first wife, pianist Marjorie Haydock, began playing guitar at an early age, something few of her high school female friends did. Later she would become famous for her bottleneck-style guitar playing. "I had played a little at school and at camp", she later recalled in a July 2002 interview. The camp Raitt refers to is Camp Regis-Applejack, located in the heart of the Adirondacks.

Pre-recording career[link]

After graduating from Oakwood Friends School in Poughkeepsie, New York, in 1967 Raitt entered Harvard's Radcliffe College as a freshman, majoring in African Studies. "My plan was to travel to Tanzania, where President Julius Nyerere was creating a government based on democracy and socialism", Raitt recalled. "I wanted to help undo the damage that Western colonialism had done to native cultures around the world. Cambridge was a hotbed of this kind of thinking, and I was thrilled."

One day, Raitt was told by a friend that blues promoter Dick Waterman was giving an interview at WHRB, Harvard's college radio station. An important figure in the blues revival of the 1960s, Waterman was also a resident of Cambridge. Raitt went to see Waterman, and the two soon became friends, "much to the chagrin of my parents, who didn't expect their freshman daughter to be running around with 65-year-old bluesmen," recalled Raitt. "I was amazed by his passion for the music and the integrity with which he managed the musicians."

During Raitt's sophomore year, Waterman relocated to Philadelphia, and a number of local musicians he counted among his friends went with him. Raitt had become a strong part of that community, recalling that "... these people had become my friends, my mentors, and though I had every intention of graduating, I decided to take the semester off and move to Philadelphia .... It was an opportunity that young white girls just don't get, and as it turns out, an opportunity that changed everything."

By now, Raitt was also playing folk and rhythm and blues clubs in the Boston area, performing alongside established blues legends such as Howlin' Wolf, Sippie Wallace, and Mississippi Fred McDowell, all of whom she met through Waterman.

Signing with Warner Bros.[link]

In the fall of 1970, while opening for McDowell at the Gaslight Cafe in New York, she was seen by a reporter from Newsweek Magazine, who began to spread word of her performance. Scouts from major record companies were soon attending her shows to watch her play. She eventually accepted an offer with Warner Bros. who soon released her debut album, Bonnie Raitt, in 1971. The album was warmly received by the music press, many of whom praised her skills as an interpreter and as a bottleneck guitarist; at the time, very few women in popular music had strong reputations as guitarists.

While admired by those who saw her perform, and respected by her peers, Raitt gained little public acclaim for her work. Her critical stature continued to grow but record sales remained modest. Her second album, Give It Up, was released in 1972 to universal acclaim; though many critics still regard it as her best work, it did not change her commercial fortunes. 1973's Takin' My Time was also met with critical acclaim, but these notices were not matched by the sales.

Raitt was beginning to receive greater press coverage, including a 1975 cover story for Rolling Stone Magazine, but with 1974's Streetlights, reviews for her work were becoming increasingly mixed. By now, Raitt was already experimenting with different producers and different styles, and she began to adopt a more mainstream sound that continued through 1975's Home Plate.

In 1976, Raitt made an appearance on Warren Zevon's eponymous album with his friend Jackson Browne and Fleetwood Mac's Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks.

Commercial success[link]

Berkeley Community Theater, 1976-1977

1977's Sweet Forgiveness gave Raitt her first commercial breakthrough when it yielded a hit single in her cover of 's "Runaway." Recast as a heavy R&B recording based on a rhythmic groove inspired by Al Green, Raitt's version of "Runaway" was disparaged by many critics, but its commercial success prompted a bidding war between Warner Bros. and Columbia Records. "There was this big Columbia – Warner war going on at the time", recalled Raitt in a 1990 interview. "James Taylor had just left Warner Bros. and made a big album for Columbia...And then, Warner signed Paul Simon away from Columbia, and they didn't want me to have a hit record for Columbia — no matter what! So, I renegotiated my contract, and they basically matched Columbia's offer. Frankly the deal was a really big deal."

Warner Bros. held higher expectations for Raitt's next album, 1979's The Glow, but it was released to poor reviews as well as modest sales. Raitt would have one commercial success in 1979 when she helped organize the five MUSE (Musicians United for Safe Energy) concerts at Madison Square Garden. The shows spawned a three-record gold album as well as a Warner Bros. feature film, No Nukes. The shows featured co-founders Jackson Browne, Graham Nash, John Hall, and Raitt as well as Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, The Doobie Brothers, Carly Simon, James Taylor, Gil Scott-Heron, and numerous others.

For her next record, 1982's Green Light, Raitt made a conscious attempt to revisit the sound of her earlier records, but to her surprise, many of her peers and members of the press would compare her new sound to the burgeoning New Wave movement. The album received her strongest reviews in years, but her sales did not improve and this would have a severe impact on her relationship with Warner Bros.

Drop from Warner Bros.[link]

In 1983, as Raitt was finishing work on her follow-up album, entitled Tongue & Groove, Warner Bros. "cleaned house", dropping a number of major artists from their roster. Van Morrison and Arlo Guthrie were two of the most high-profile cases, and the day after mastering was completed on Tongue & Groove, Raitt was notified that she was to be dropped too. The album was shelved indefinitely, and Raitt was left without a label. By then, Raitt was also struggling with alcohol and drug abuse.^[1]

Despite her personal and professional problems, Raitt continued to tour and participate in political activism. In 1985, she sang and appeared in the video of "Sun City", the anti-apartheid record written and produced by Steven Van Zandt. Along with her participation in Farm Aid and Amnesty International concerts, Raitt would later travel to Moscow in 1987 as part of the first joint Soviet/American Peace Concert later shown on Showtime television. Also in 1987, Raitt would organize a benefit in Los Angeles, for Countdown '87 to Stop Contra Aid, featuring herself, Don Henley, Herbie Hancock, Holly Near and others.

[edit] Tongue and Groove's name change and release

Bonnie Raitt at 1990 Grammy Awards

Two years after dropping her from their label, Warner Bros. notified Raitt of their plans to release Tongue & Groove. "I said it wasn't really fair," recalled Raitt. "I think at this point they felt kind of bad. I mean, I was out there touring on my savings to keep my name up, and my ability to draw was less and less. So they agreed to let me go in and recut half of it, and that's when it came out as Nine Lives." A critical and commercial disappointment, 1986's Nine Lives would be Raitt's last new recording for Warner Bros.

In late 1987, she joined k.d. lang and Jennifer Warnes as female background vocals for Roy Orbison's television special, Roy Orbison and Friends, A Black and White Night. Following this highly acclaimed broadcast, she began working on new material. By then, Raitt was clean and sober, having broken her substance abuse — for which she credited Stevie Ray Vaughan in a Minnesota State Fair concert^[2] the night after Vaughan's 1990 death. During this time, Raitt considered signing with Prince's own label, Paisley Park, but negotiations ultimately fell through. Instead she began recording a bluesy mix of pop and rock under the production guidance of Don Was at Capitol Records.

Raitt had met Was through Hal Wilner, who was putting together Stay Awake, a tribute album to Disney music for A&M. Was and Wilner both wanted Raitt to sing lead on an adult-contemporary arrangement created by Was for "Baby Mine", the lullaby from Dumbo. Raitt was very pleased with the sessions, and she asked Don to produce her next album.

Peak commercial success[link]

After nearly 20 years, Bonnie Raitt achieved belated commercial success with her tenth album, Nick of Time. Released in the spring of 1989, Nick of Time went to the top of the U.S. charts following Raitt's Grammy sweep in early 1990. At the same time, she walked away with a fourth Grammy Award for her duet "In the Mood" with John Lee Hooker on his album The Healer. Nick of Time was also the first of many of her recordings to feature her longtime rhythm section of Ricky Fataar and James "Hutch" Hutchinson (Although previously Fataar had played on her Green Light album and Hutchinson had worked on Nine Lives). Nick of Time has sold over six million copies in the US alone.

She followed up this success with three more Grammy Awards for her 1991 album, Luck of the Draw which has currently sold nearly 8 million copies in the United States. Three years later, in 1994, she added two more Grammys with her album Longing In Their Hearts, her second no. 1 album. Both of these albums were multi-platinum successes. Raitt's collaboration with Was would amicably come to an end with 1995's live release, Road Tested. Released to solid reviews, it sold well enough to be certified gold.

For her next studio album, Raitt hired Mitchell Froom and Tchad Blake as her producers. "I loved working with Don Was but I wanted to give myself and my fans a stretch and do something different," Raitt said. Her work with Froom and Blake was released on Fundamental in 1998.

Current era[link]

Raitt performing onstage in 2004

In March 2000, Raitt was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Silver Lining was released in 2002 while Souls Alike was released in September 2005.

Australian Country Music Artist Graeme Connors has said, "Bonnie Raitt does something with a lyric no one else can do; she bends it and twists it right into your heart." (ABC Radio NSW Australia interview with Interviewer Chris Coleman on 18 January 2007)^[3]

In 2007, she accepted an invitation to contribute to Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino. With Jon Cleary, she sang a medley of "I'm in Love Again" and "All by Myself".

Raitt appeared on the June 7, 2008 broadcast of Garrison Keillor's radio program "A Prairie Home Companion". She performed two blues songs with Kevin "Keb' Mo'" Moore: "No Getting Over You" and "There Ain't Nothin' in Ramblin'." Raitt also sang Dimming of the Day with Richard Thompson. This show, along with another on which Raitt with her band in October 2006, is archived on the Prairie Home Companion web site.

In February 2012, Raitt performed a duet with Alicia Keys at the 2012 Grammys honoring Etta James.^[4]

In April 2012, Raitt released her first studio album since Souls Alike in 2005. Entitled Slipstream, the new album was released in North America on April 10. Slipstream has been praised as "her best album in years and one of the best of her 40-year career" by American Songwriter Magazine.^[5]

Political activism[link]

Raitt's political involvement goes back to the early seventies. Her 1972 album "Give it up" had a dedication "to the people of North Vietnam ..." printed on the back.

Raitt's web site urges fans to learn more about preserving the environment. She was a founding member of Musicians United for Safe Energy in 1979 and a catalyst for the larger anti-nuclear movement, becoming involved with groups like the Abalone Alliance and Alliance for Survival.

In 1994 at the urging of Dick Waterman, Raitt funded the replacement of a headstone for one of her mentors, Fred McDowell through the Mt. Zion Memorial Fund. Raitt would later finance memorial headstones in Mississippi for Memphis Minnie, Sam Chatmon, and Tommy Johnson again with the Mt. Zion Memorial Fund.

At the Stockholm Jazz Festival in July 2004, she dedicated a classic to sitting (and later re-elected) U.S. President George W. Bush. She was quoted as saying, "We're gonna sing this for George Bush because he's out of here, people!" before she launched into the opening licks of "Your Good Thing (Is About to End)", a cover that was featured on her 1979 album The Glow. In 2002, she signed on as an official supporter of Little Kids Rock, a nonprofit organization that provides free musical instruments and free lessons to children in public schools throughout the U.S.A. She has visited children in the program and sits on the organization's board of directors as an honorary member.

In 2008, she donated a song to Aid Still Required's CD to assist with the restoration of the devastation done to Southeast Asia from the 2004 Tsunami.

Raitt worked with Reverb, a non-profit environmental organization, for her 2005 Fall/Winter and 2006 Spring/Summer/Fall tours.^[6]

Raitt is part of the No Nukes group which is against the expansion of nuclear power. In 2007 the group recorded a music video of a new version of the Buffalo Springfield song "For What It's Worth".^[7][8][9]

During the 2008 Democratic primary campaign Raitt, along with Jackson Browne and bassist James "Hutch" Hutchinson, performed at campaign appearances for candidate John Edwards.

Personal life[link]

Raitt and actor Michael O'Keefe were married on April 27, 1991, and announced their divorce on November 9, 1999.^[10]

Discography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Bonnie Raitt

• Official website
• Official Facebook Page
• Allmusic Guide Profile
• Bonnie's Pride

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