Bonnie Raitt is just happy to be included at the Grammys this year.
“It’s nice to represent the oldsters!” she joked as she talked to PEOPLE’s Janine Rubenstein and Jeremy Parsons on the red carpet at the Grammys Sunday night.
Raitt, 73, is nominated for song of the year for “Just Like That,” on which she is credited as both singer and songwriter.
“I’m always really proud to be acknowledged,” she told PEOPLE of the nomination. “To be acknowledged for song of the year this time is pretty big – so, for one of my tunes? That’s a big thing for me, so I’m very proud.”
However, it’s a bittersweet night for the 10-time Grammy Award winner, even as she’s celebrating four more nominations. Raitt is part of the in-memoriam tribute that will honor some of the lives lost in the music industry in 2022, including Fleetwood Mac’s Christine McVie, who died in November after a brief illness.
“There’s some sadness about being part of the in-memoriam tribute to some friends of ours that we lost,” she said of being included in the emotional performance, which will also honor Migos’ Takeoff and Loretta Lynn.
For Raitt, who released her debut album in 1970, just a few years after Fleetwood Mac’s debut, McVie’s death was a shock.
“It was a surprise and you know, we didn’t know she had been ill, so it’s really — so I’m just not gonna turn around and look at her picture when I’m singing,” Raitt told PEOPLE. “She was one of the greatest – one of the most soulful singers. She was just beloved around the world.”
After spending eight months of the year on tour in 2022, Raitt has, even more, to come in 2023. She’s hitting the road across the world, she said, performing in Australia, Ireland, the UK and Canada before making her way back to the U.S. in the fall.
Returning to the stage after the pandemic was an emotional experience for the blues singer.
“After that first show in April, the audience was crying, we were crying, we were just so exalted,” she said. “It was like the most fun New Year’s Eve party you could ever have night after night, for eight months.”
The 65th Grammy Awards air live at 8 p.m. ET on CBS, during which the show will also be available to stream on Paramount+.
Julia Moore has been working as a writer for PEOPLE since 2022. A recent graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, she previously worked for several campus publications and her work has previously appeared in The Washington Post and Block Club Chicago.
“This is just an unreal moment,” Raitt said in her speech. “Thank you for honoring me, the only academy that surrounded me with so much support and appreciates the art of songwriting as I do. I was so inspired for this song by the incredible story of the love and the grace and the generosity of someone that donates their beloved organs to help another person live.”
She added: “The story was so simple and so beautiful for these times. And people have been responding to the song partly because of how much I love and we all love John Prine. And that was the inspiration for the music for this song, telling the story from the inside.
“Just Like That” was also awarded Best American Roots Song, while Raitt also picked up a trophy earlier in the night with “Made Up My Mind” for Best Americana Performance.
“I don’t write a lot of songs but I’m so proud that you appreciate this one and what this means for me and for the rest of the songwriters, who I would not be up here tonight if it wasn’t for the art of the great soul digging, hard working people that put these songs and ideas to music,” Raitt continued. “So I thank my team for helping me get this record out and thank you so much. I’m just totally humbled. I really appreciate it. Thank you.”
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame-inducted singer recorded the title track for Just Like That… — her first album in six years — in Sausalito, California in summer 2021. The musician self-produced the record and recorded alongside bassist James “Hutch” Hutchinson, drummer Ricky Fataar, keyboardist and backing vocalist Glenn Patscha, and guitarist Kenny Greenberg.
Following her acceptance speech, Raitt told the press room that the song was inspired by her need for good news and thanked her loyal fans for sticking by her.
“To be 73 years old and get a song of the year…when I’m barely a songwriter,” she said. “After five decades, I do it because I love it. But I am so lucky to still get to do this for a living. I’m pinching myself.”
Charisma Madarang is the Night Editor at Rolling Stone, covering breaking news in music, culture, and politics. She is the proud daughter of two Filipino immigrants. Before joining Rolling Stone, she wrote for LA Times, KCET, and OC Weekly.
Fleetwood, 75, Crow, 60, and Raitt, 73, took the stage Sunday night at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles for a performance in honor of McVie, who died in November at age 79.
Their choice of song was the 1977 Fleetwood Mac hit, “Songbird,” a tune that was composed solely by McVie. Crow and Raitt sang alternating verses, while Fleetwood played a talking drum.
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Both Fleetwood and Crow were among the dozens of musicians who shared their memories of McVie on social media following her sudden death on Nov. 30 after a brief illness.
Fleetwood, who was the star’s bandmate for more than 50 years, shared an emotional Instagram message upon her death, writing that “part of my heart has flown away today.”
“I will miss everything about you Christine McVie,” he wrote, in part. “Memories abound…They fly to me.”
Later, the rocker and his surviving bandmates — including McVie’s ex-husband John McVie, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks — paid tribute to the star at a Celebration of Life event in Malibu on Jan. 9.
Days later, Fleetwood shared a copy of the remarks he gave at the event along with a recent photo of him and McVie on an airplane.
“When we first learned that we might be losing Christine, there was an immediate coming together of everything in the band and the Fleetwood Mac family with the hope and possibility that we would not lose Chris,” he said. “And NOW since the loss of Christine, we all are still trying to come to terms with the fact she has really flown away.”
Fleetwood said he’d recently reflected to John McVie that the pain came in “the enormity of it all—the enormity of our loss, the enormity of her passion, the enormity of her talents and her unbreakable sense of grace in the way she handled life’s challenges.”
“We all miss her as a family member, as a friend: an artist, a performer and God knows a writer of excellence,” he said. “And those years sharing life together will always be remembered.”
Crow, meanwhile, who in the early 2000s was rumored to possibly be replacing McVie in the band after her temporary departure, remembered the “Everywhere” singer as “a legend and an icon and amazing human being.”
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“I am so sad to hear of Christine McVie going on to heaven,” Crow wrote on Twitter. “The world feels weird without her here. What a legend and an icon and an amazing human being. RIP.”
McVie and Raitt collaborated on the latter’s 1986 album Nine Lives, with McVie contributing background vocals.
The 2023 Grammy Awards are airing live on CBS and Paramount+ Sunday night from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Rachel DeSantis has seven years of experience as an entertainment reporter, and has worked at PEOPLE since 2019.
Rachel got her start as an editorial intern at Entertainment Weekly and worked on the entertainment desk at the New York Daily News before joining PEOPLE as a news writer in 2019. After spending two years on the human interest team as a writer/reporter, she joined the music team in 2021. As a staff writer, Rachel interviews everyone from rock-and-roll legends to up-and-coming stars for magazine feature stories and digital news stories.
She is based in New York City, and has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Maryland.
Bandana Blues is and will always be a labor of love. Please help Spinner deal with the costs of hosting & bandwidth. Visit www.bandanablues.com and hit the tipjar. Any amount is much appreciated, no matter how small. Thank you.
Bonnie has contributed a new recording of "Prison Bound Blues" written by Leroy Carr to a project called Better Than Jail, an extraordinary new album benefiting Free Hearts and Equal Justice USA. Better Than Jail is available everywhere today and features covers of iconic prison songs from Steve Earle, Taj Mahal,Margo Price, The War and Treaty and many more. The album seeks to raise awareness and support for the urgent need to reduce the harm of the criminal justice system. https://found.ee/BetterThanJail.
I'm so proud to have joined in with so many illustrious artists in creating this very special album in support of rural prison reform. Overlooked for far too long, this issue cuts across all cultural and political divides and deserves all our focused attention to finally bring about some swift and meaningful action. Better Than Jail is one of the most inspired and heartfelt albums I've been blessed to be a part of and I hope it sets a fire in hearts far and wide to join in our efforts." ~ Bonnie Raitt
Released on: 2024-10-04 Executive Producer: Brian Hunt Producer: Kenny Greenberg Producer: Wally Wilson Producer: Bonnie Raitt Recording Engineer: Jason Lehning at Sound Emporium Mastering Engineer: Alex McCollough at True East Mastering Production Assistant: Shannon Finnegan Mixer: Justin Niebank at Hounds Ear Music Publisher: Universal Music Corp. Composer, Lyricist: Leroy Carr ℗ Believe Entertainment Group and Wyatt Road Records
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The Fabulous Thunderbirds - Nothing in Rambling Ft. Bonnie Raitt, Taj Mahal, Keb' Mo' & Mick Fleetwood
In celebration of the band’s 50th Anniversary, The Fabulous Thunderbirds have just released Struck Down, their first studio album in eight years on Stony Plain Records. The ten-track album includes a wonderful cover of Memphis Minnie’s “Nothing in Rambling,” featuring longtime friends, T-Birds founding member Kim Wilson, along with Bonnie, Keb’ Mo’, Taj Mahal and Mick Fleetwood. — BRHQ
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Little Feat - Long Distance Call
“I’ve always loved Little Feat and this new incarnation of the band is bringing some serious heat, cred and new blood to their enduring legacy. Every Feat fan loves us some Sam. I’m so glad he’s now gotten a chance to step out front and center and put his spin on these wonderful blues songs. I loved singing "Long Distance Call" with him, always one of my favorites, and Scott slayed on slide. Know you’ll enjoy hanging out with us at Sam’s Place!" -- Bonnie Raitt
“Long Distance Call” was written by blues legend, Muddy Waters. It has Sam Clayton and Bonnie Raitt on vocals, Scott Sharrard on Dobro, Fred Tackett on acoustic guitar, Tony Leone on drums, and Michael “The Bull” LoBue on harmonica. The album also features Bill Payne on piano and Kenny Gradney on bass.
Little Feat have composed an album that’s their love letter to the blues entitled, ‘Sam’s Place.’ “Long Distance Call” plus many other blues classics are on this album. You can stream and order ‘Sam’s Place’ here: https://orcd.co/samsplace
Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows: Songs of John Prine, Vol. 2, the anticipated new John Prine tribute record from Oh Boy Records, is out today. Stream/purchase HERE.
Created as a celebration of Prine’s life and career, the album features new renditions of some of Prine’s most beloved songs performed by Brandi Carlile (“I Remember Everything”), Tyler Childers (“Yes I Guess They Oughta Name A Drink After You”), Iris DeMent (“One Red Rose”), Emmylou Harris (“Hello In There”), Jason Isbell (“Souvenirs”), Valerie June (“Summer’s End”), Margo Price (“Sweet Revenge”), Bonnie Raitt (“Angel From Montgomery”), Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats (“Pretty Good”), Amanda Shires (“Saddle in the Rain”), Sturgill Simpson(“Paradise”) and John Paul White (“Sam Stone”). Proceeds from the album will benefit twelve different non-profit organizations, one selected by each of the featured artists.
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Bonnie Raitt - Write Me a Few of Your Lines/Kokomo Blues
60 years anniversary celebration of Arhoolie
December 10, 2020
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Arhoolie Foundation celebrates it's 60th anniversary (1960-2020) with an online broadcast.
Bonnie Raitt - Shadow of Doubt
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival
October 3, 2020
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass celebrates it's 20th anniversary with an online broadcast titled “Let The Music Play On”.
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Bonnie Raitt & Boz Scaggs - You Don't Know Like I Know
Farm Aid 2020 On the Road
Sam & Dave classic written by Isaac Hayes and David Porter.
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Sheryl Crow & Bonnie Raitt - Everything Is Broken
[Eric Clapton’s Crossroads 2019]
Eric Clapton, one of the world’s pre-eminent blues/rock guitarists, once again summoned an all-star team of six-string heroes for his fifth Crossroads Guitar Festival in 2019. Held at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, the two-day concert event raised funds for the Crossroads Centre in Antigua, the chemical dependency treatment and education facility that Clapton founded in 1998.
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'A Tribute To Mose Allison'
Celebrates The Music Of An Exciting Jazz Master
Raitt contributed to a new album, If You're Going To The City: A Tribute To Mose Allison, which celebrates the late singer and pianist, who famously blended the rough-edged blues of the Mississippi Delta with the 1950s jazz of New York City.
NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro talks to Bonnie Raitt about her friendship with the Mose Allison. They're also joined by Amy Allison — his daughter, who executive produced the album — about selecting an unexpected list of artists to contribute songs to the album.
Recorded on tour June 3, 2017 - Centennial Hall, London - Ontario Canada
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