stephen bruton

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Bonnie Raitt serves up variety of styles at Majestic
Bonnie Raitt dedicated the show to Stephen Bruton, the Texas musician who died of cancer Saturday.

on May 13, 2009 No comments


By Jim Beal Jr.

Bonnie Raitt performs at the Majestic Theatre © Nicole Frugé /San Antonio Express-News

THE SHOW: Bonnie Raitt, Tuesday night, May 12,at the Majestic Theatre,San Antonio, Texas.

ATTENDANCE: About 1,800

FIRST TAKE: Bonnie Raitt and her band dug in and served up playful and serious blues, funky R&B, reggae and more for a most appreciative crowd. Raitt dedicated the show to the memory of her friend Stephen Bruton, the guitar ace, singer, producer and songwriter who died of cancer over the weekend.

But the set was upbeat and driving as she and the smoking band worked through songs including “I Sho Do,” “Thing Called Love,” “One Belief Away,” “Good Man, Good Woman” (a duet with keyboard player Ricky Peterson), “Love Me Like a Man” (with special guest Johnny Nicholas on harmonica) and “Angel from Montgomery.”

Raitt is one of the most engaging artists around. When she takes a stage, every venue is a friendly front porch. The Majestic was a fancy, friendly front porch on Tuesday.

FOR STARTERS: “That was a killer set,” Raitt said about the Paul Thorn Band’s opening set. She told the truth. Tupelo, Miss.-based singer and songwriter Thorn and his band fired up the crowd with a 40-minute set that rocked with plenty of grease, grit and songs such as “A Long Way From Tupelo,” “Rise Up,” “Burn Down the Trailer Park” and a rousing “Mission Temple Fireworks Stand.”

© Nicole Frugé

Here is an excellent audience capture of Bonnie at the Majestic Theater.
This theater has definately better than average acoustics. She sounded
great this tuesday evening, or “schoolnight” as Bonnie mentioned. She
has a top notch band and sound. The crowd was enthusiastic and well behaved.
We really enjoyed this show, and hope you do as well.

Setlist:
I Sho Do
Thing Called Love
One Belief Away
Good Man, Good Woman
Your Good Thing (Is About to End)
Premature
I Feel So Damn Good (I’ll Be Glad When I Get The Blues)
Love Me Like A Man (with Johnny Nicholas)
Papa Come Quick
Angel from Montgomery
I Will Not Be Broken
Something To Talk About
Never Make Your Move Too Soon (with Johnny Nicholas)
I Believe I’m In Love With You (with Johnny Nicholas)
I Can’t Make You Love Me
—Bonnie talks about Stephen Bruton
Too Many Memories
Love Sneaking Up On You

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© Copyright San Antonio Express-News

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Bonnie Raitt pays emotional tribute to Stephen Bruton

on May 10, 2009 No comments

By Michael Corcoran | Sunday, May 10, 2009

A day after her former guitar player and friend of 38 years, Stephen Bruton, passed away, Bonnie Raitt ended her pre-encore set at Bass Concert Hall by thanking the audience for being there. “I’ve been crying all day and I never thought I’d get through this show.’ she said.

She finally broke down in tears after encoring with one of Bruton’s songs, ‘Too Many Memories (For One Heart To Hold).’ The redhead sang it beautifully with tears streaming down her cheeks near the end. A dry eye? Not in this house.

here are those moments and they just never fade
Like the look in her eyes and the way the light played
God moved in that moment and the angels all cried
And they gave you a memory that you’ll have till you die
Now the lesson you learned and you don’t dare forget
What makes you grow old is replacing hope with regret

It was an emotional night and a special one, with the crowd of about 2,300 leaping to their feet after “Angel From Montgomery” (dedicated to Bruton’s wife Mary and mother Kathleen) and stomping along with Raitt and guest Kim Wilson (Fabulous Thunderbirds) on “I Believe I’m In Love With You.” Then, on ‘I Can’t Make You Love Me,’ Raitt aired it out with such pure and powerful purpose that the crowd was overwhelmed by the moment.

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Stephen Bruton one of Austin’s best guitar players passes away

on May 9, 2009 No comments

Stephen Bruton one of Austin’s best guitar players passes away

5/9/2009
By: News 8 Austin Staff

Stephen Bruton passed away Saturday morning in Los Angeles after a long fight with cancer.
He leaves a legacy as both a singer and songwriter, but also a bit of a renaissance man in the music industry.

“He was a musician, a mentor, a gentleman, a producer, a true Texas gentleman,” News 8’s Music Correspondent Andy Langer said. “He was a guy who grew up in Fort Worth, grew up in a record shop and immediately recognized music as his calling.”

Bruton is regarded as one of Austin’s best guitarists and he played a role in a lot other local performers’ success as well.

The musician and music producer worked with artists like Alejandro Escovedo, Marcia Ball, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Hal Ketchum, Storyville, Chris Smither and Bonnie Raitt.

News 8’s Victor Diaz and Andy Langer have more on the legacy Bruton leaves behind.

Stephen and I met when I opened for Kris Kristofferson at the U. of M, Ann Arbor back in 1971. We bonded immediately and grew even closer over the years, hanging at gigs, in Woodstock, LA, Austin and on the road. He has always been one of my closest friends, in music and in sharing our personal lives. We partied together, got sober around the same time and it’s nearly impossible to imagine my life without him.

As a musician, he was one of the deepest, most intuitive, versatile and unique I’ve known. In both his songwriting, which stands alongside the best, and his incredible guitar playing. He truly was a musicians’ musician, vastly underrated but hugely influential to everyone lucky enough to call him friend. I also loved him singing his own songs. His legendary sense of humor, wit, loyalty and generosity as a friend have always been what’s so special about him as well. There’s no one I would rather get into mischief with, and I sometimes couldn’t even look over at him on stage without him cracking me up. He just brought me so much joy, as he did to everyone who knew or heard him. And we got each other through some of our darkest times, of which there have been many.

I will miss him and treasure his place in my heart and music every day of my life. I just hope I get to meet up with him again, and he’ll be playing with Lowell, Stevie Ray and all the others we lost way too soon.

— Bonnie Raitt

Bonnie Raitt Tour 2006
Bonnie Raitt Tour 2006
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Stephen Bruton Epiphany Interview by Elise Ballard

Stephen Bruton was a prolific songwriter, singer, recording artist, and Grammy-nominated record producer who worked and collaborated with Bonnie Raitt, Christine McVie, Kris Kristofferson, Elvis Costello, Carly Simon, Eric Clapton, Alejandro Escovedo, T. Bone Burnett and The Wallflowers among others. Notable artists that have recorded his songs include Raitt, Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, Patty Loveless and Martina McBride. He was a founding member of the band The Resentments and has several solo albums out with the record label, New West. His last projects included the collaboration with Grammy-Award Winner, T. Bone Burnett, as a music producer and composer on the soundtrack for the Jeff Bridges’ movie, Crazy Heart (2010) and sessions for Kristofferson’s album “Starlight and Stone”.

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