B.B. King, a man who knew a thing or two about blues guitar playing, once said that – in his view – Bonnie Raitt was the “best damn slide player working today.”
It’s an opinion few argued with at the time, and fewer still would take umbrage with today.
Raitt and King performed together on a number of occasions, one of which was the 2004 International Achievement Summit, which featured an evening concert at Chicago’s House of Blues headlined – in celebration of his induction into the Academy of Achievement (opens in new tab) – by King.
Raitt performed first on her own, before teaming up with King for a spirited rendition of When Love Comes to Town, a song U2 recorded with King for their 1988 album, Rattle and Hum.
Prior to starting the song, Raitt hits King – much to his delight – with some absolutely searing unaccompanied slide licks. “She loves to mistreat me like that,” King jokes with the crowd in response. “She knows I’m crazy about it!”
You can see the video of the performance – which begins with Raitt performing her song, Love Sneakin’ Up on You on her own – below.
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Armed with one of her signature Stratocasters, Raitt doesn’t stop with just the unaccompanied intro. Indeed, King – playing “Lucille,” his legendary Gibson ES-355 with no f-holes – seems more interested in listening to Raitt slide around the fretboard than in playing himself.
Though the cameras never get up close with Raitt, you can still get a great sense of her slide technique and how she – by wearing the guitar slide on her middle finger – switches seamlessly between rhythm and slide playing.
At various points, Raitt’s slide work causes King to egg the crowd into cheering her on mid-solo, and even – at one amusing point – get up out of his chair and dance.
“I taught myself to play, so my hand positions aren’t 100 percent correct – and I put the bottleneck on the wrong finger,” Raitt told Guitar World of her unique slide technique in a 2022 interview.
Bonnie Raitt: “I didn’t see anybody play slide, so I just figured it out in my room – and I put the bottleneck on the wrong finger!”
The blues-rock master takes us inside her bold new album, Just Like That…, and charts her never-ending journey through the world of slide guitar Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Bonnie Raitt returns to some of her beloved musical and lyrical themes on Just Like That…, her first new album in more than six years.
“You can play more if you have it on your ring finger. Fred McDowell used his little finger, but by then I was already down the road with it on my middle finger. I heard Robert Johnson and just tried to make myself sound exactly like whatever he was doing.”
Joe Bonamassa has also sung Raitt’s praises, naming her lead break on Thing Called Love (from Raitt’s 1989 album, Nick of Time) as one of the 10 greatest blues-rock guitar solos of all time.
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“She plays slide, and you know it’s Bonnie Raitt and you just go, ‘How do you do that with a Stratocaster and a glass slide?’” Bonamassa told Guitar World in 2019.
“It’s because she just has a way of phrasing and it’s in the DNA and it’s intrinsic.”
“You hear what she does with this song, a John Hiatt song, and you go, ‘Wow, it’s just super-original.’ It’s very restrained, but super-effective.
“Then you put that voice on top of it and it’s just like, ‘Yes! That’s it!’ To me, Bonnie Raitt is one of the most underrated guitar players of all time.”
Jackson is an Associate Editor at GuitarWorld.com. He’s been writing and editing stories about new gear, technique and guitar-driven music both old and new since 2014, and has also written extensively on the same topics for Guitar Player. Elsewhere, his album reviews and essays have appeared in Louder and Unrecorded. Though open to music of all kinds, his greatest love has always been indie, and everything that falls under its massive umbrella. To that end, you can find him on Twitter crowing about whatever great new guitar band you need to drop everything to hear right now.
It’s been more than 25 years since Taj Mahal performed on Bonnie Raitt’s album Takin’ My Time but the friends are back together again to bring the BonTaj Roulet Tour to the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay on Friday, September 18. Concertgoers will hear each musician in an individual set, and then the pair will take the stage together for a finale with both Raitt’s and Mahal’s backing bands behind them.
Mary Chapin Carpenter once said a concertgoer asked her if her guitar was a prop. Did you deal with any of this same curiosity about female musicians early in your career?
I got asked about it a lot, especially in the beginning, because it was unusual for a woman to play a bottleneck guitar and play styles of guitar that mostly men were doing… I came out of folk music and all those women were great accompanists. It’s about the song and about accompanying yourself and not about chops. It probably set me apart and helped me in a way. I don’t want to say it was a gimmick, but it was something that was unusual and made people pay attention.
What was it like recording albums for nearly 20 years when you were getting critical praise but not as much commercial success?
Well I had my core following, which I amassed from many, many years of staying out on the road… I was so lucky to get a record deal early on, right out of college. It didn’t really matter to me that I didn’t sell a lot. All I cared about was that my record company, which was Warner Bros. at the time, at least put enough records in the store to cover the people who I just worked hard to play to and win over with my concerts. Sometimes it would be frustrating not to get airplay on the FM stations to the levels of my friends like Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou [Harris] when we were all friends and peers and they all seemed equally good.
After the long road to commercial success, what was it like receiving your first Grammy Award?
Of course, it made it really sweet to get that sort of career validation from my peers when I won the Grammys in 1990. Having a record shoot to no. 1 on the charts was a miracle. It was a fantastic opportunity to get a raise for my band and have tremendous repercussions with the political causes that I help. I could actually raise money and bring attention to the Rhythm and Blues Foundation, which I had helped found a few years earlier. That kind of financial windfall and validation is a big weight of responsibility as well as a great joy. I was really glad, as I said in my acceptance speech, that I got it at the age I was, which was 41. A lot of people, when they have that kind of success in their early 20s, they just blow it.
It’s been awhile since you released Souls Alike. When can we expect a new album?
I’ve been on the road non-stop and I had a very serious illness in my family that took a lot of time for me to be with my brother who was suffering from brain cancer for the last eight years. After the planning for this tour and touring all last year for the Senate races, trying to get people out for the vote and promote safe energy and raise some money for those groups, and taking care of my brother, I’m taking a break. I don’t have any plans. After 19 albums in 40 years, I think I get a little break. Am I retiring? No. But I’m just going to take a break.
Do you have a favorite song that your band and Taj Mahal’s have performed together during the stops on this tour?
It’s kind of like picking your favorite kid. They are all different. We’re doing a song that’s really hard to do live, because I’ve needed a whole large band with horns to do it. That is a Calypso Rose tune from my third album, Takin’ My Time. It was done in 1973 and I actually had Taj as my special guest on it and he helped co-produce it. It’s called “Outside Man,” better known as “Wha She Go Do.” That’s probably my personal favorite just because we’ve never gotten to do it live. If you’re familiar with Sippie Wallace or Ruth Brown, it’s kind of the rhythm and blues tradition of women really telling it… It’s that point of view of really strong women telling their man what they will and won’t put up with.
How did you decide to include “I Will Not Be Broken,” written by Gordon Kennedy, Wayne Kirkpatrick, and Tommy Sims, on Souls Alike?
The trio who wrote that song also wrote a single that was on my previous album called “I Can’t Help You Now” and they also wrote Eric Clapton’s hit, “Change The World.” The reason I picked their song is they have incredible musicality and the lyrics really say something a little deeper. “I Will Not Be Broken” is especially poignant for me because of what I was going through personally having lost my folks and my brother’s illness. Also as a person working for the environment and social justice, it’s been a very rough last eight years. It was a terrific rallying cry and it had a lot of resonance for a lot of people. People who were fighting cancer were using it for their marathons and people were playing it and teaching it to kids in school. It had a lot of impact on people, and I’m really proud of it.
Can you tell me a little about the BonTaj Collective Action Fund?
I’ve long been a political activist and a social activist, so I’ve sort of married my career with doing concerts for different causes over the years, because that’s kind of how I was raised as a Quaker. What we did with this particular tour is very exciting. We’ve invited Ticketmaster and Live Nation to kick in and do matching funds along with Taj and myself and the audience. We’ve raised a lot of money, over $100,000 with donations from the concert proceeds and people can go online and vote for which of the four categories they want their donations to go to. We have vetted them very carefully so there is no misuse of funds; they are tried and true groups.
How do you feel about the current state of the blues music scene and what do you think needs to be done to promote it to younger generations?
The scene is both healthy and in a precarious state, and part of that is due to just the economy and the music business in general… People are preferring to download their music and the question then becomes making sure that people know that musicians need to get paid and songwriters need to get paid for their work. I’m one of those artists, like a lot of artists, who makes a living touring, and from what I hear, the blues club scene has a big drought of places to play… On the other hand, with the blues festivals and Bonnaroo, there’s a whole new generation of people who are flocking to see this music. There is really a tremendous number of younger artists who are falling in love with the blues.
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