Event Archives

Bonnie Raitt says she’s ‘been so deeply moved’ by outpouring love after major Grammys win
After winning song of the year, the singer thanked those who have shared their stories and experience with organ donation.

on February 11, 2023 No comments

The 2023 Grammy Awards was a night to remember for Bonnie Raitt.

The singer-songwriter won song of the year for “Just Like That,” surprising audiences and even herself. Raitt, 73 — who was up against artists like Lizzo, Taylor Swift, Harry Styles and Beyoncé — was visibly shocked to hear her name being announced during the Feb. 5 telecast.

Her win touched many people’s hearts including those who related to the song’s lyrics, which were inspired by a true story about an organ donor.

Bonnie Raitt is shocked to learn she won song of the year Grammy: ‘Are you serious?’

“I’m just totally humbled. I really appreciate it,” she told the audience.

About The Author

Liz Calvario

Liz Calvario is a Los Angeles-based reporter and editor for TODAY.com who covers entertainment, pop culture and trending news. She enjoys rocking a stylish outfit, a good cup of coffee, traveling and the soulful sounds of the Backstreet Boys.

Source: © Copyright Today

But wait, there's more!

Bonnie Raitt Essentials: 11 Songs That Showcase The Breadth And Depth Of The 2023 GRAMMYs Song Of The Year Winner

on February 9, 2023 No comments

by David McPherson

Following Bonnie Raitt’s big night at the 2023 GRAMMYs — where she won three golden gramophones, including the coveted Song Of The Year — GRAMMY.com looks at 11 tracks that showcase the blues icon’s talent.

When first lady Dr. Jill Biden announced the GRAMMY winner for Song of the Year at the 2023 GRAMMYs, attendees exchanged surprised looks throughout the Crypto.com arena — even winner Bonnie Raitt included.

“I’m so surprised, I don’t know what to say,” Raitt said as she took the podium, her hand over her face. After all, her song “Just Like That” beat compositions written by such modern pop stars as Taylor Swift, Lizzo, Harry Styles, Adele, and Beyoncé.

A day later, with three more GRAMMYS in her collection (Raitt also won golden gramophones for Best Americana Roots Song and Best Americana Performance that night) that now totals a lucky 13, the singer was still reeling. The reality? This win was no fluke. It affirmed what longtime fans, critics and many behind-the-scenes already knew; Raitt is the real deal. The significance of this win — and what made it truly special — is it was the artists’ first GRAMMY in the Song Of The Year category.

For more than 50 years, Raitt, 73, has been making records and following her passion. The blues maven is a modern trailblazer — and bandleader — in a genre men traditionally dominate. A 10-time GRAMMY winner and 30-time nominee before this year’s awards, Raitt’s career was already legendary. Not a bad legacy for someone who did not want stardom and did it her way.

Raitt grew up in Los Angeles to parents who both worked in the arts; her dad was a Broadway star and her mom a pianist. Later, she headed east to attend Harvard where she majored in Social Relations and African Studies. Here she met promoter Dick Waterman, who introduced her to the famed Delta Blues singer Son House. During her college days, a worn vinyl copy of Blues at Newport served as her education outside the classroom; Raitt honed her sound playing the coffee houses and folk clubs in the New England area. At 21 years old, she signed a record deal with Warner Bros., and in 1971 released her self-titled debut to critical acclaim. Eight albums followed in the 1970s alone.

Mainstream success — and her first GRAMMYs — came in 1989 with Nick of Time. The record, which just last year the Library of Congress added to its National Recording Registry, won three golden gramophones: Album Of The Year, Best Rock Vocal Performance, and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Three decades later, her latest GRAMMY victories solidify her place as a timeless music legend.

In honor of Raitt’s big night at the 65th GRAMMY Awards, here are 11 Essential songs from the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer — a mix of originals, covers, deep cuts and duets.

“Thank You,” Bonnie Raitt (1971)

One of two originals Raitt penned on her self-titled debut. (The other was “Finest Lovin’ Man.”) The rest of the record was mostly covers: folk, rock and blues artists Raitt admired. This piano ballad is an early indication of Raitt’s talent to pen a song that lingers long.

“Nothing Seems to Matter,” Give it Up (1972)

Recorded at Bearsville Studio in New York, Raitt’s second album showcased more original songs (three of the 10 are self-penned) from the maturing artist whose confidence was growing. “Nothing Seems to Matter” is one of the best. With the singer’s soothing vocals, finger-picking and backed by rich orchestration, Raitt tugs at your heartstrings with this universal love song.

“Angel From Montgomery,” Streetlights (1974)

Written by her good friend John Prine — who she toured with regularly early in her career, which forged a lifelong friendship — this signature song about longing to escape an unsatisfactory life almost became more famous for Raitt than Prine’s original that appeared on his 1971 self-titled debut. The tune is a fan favorite and one Raitt has stated is one of the most important songs she has ever recorded. Her version adds a gospel feel to Prine’s storied song.

“That Song About the Midway,” Streetlights (1974)

Another stunning reimagination, this gorgeous Joni Mitchell song — from the nine-time GRAMMY-winner’s Clouds — was the opening track on Raitt’s 1974 album Streetlights. The blues singer’s version drips with soul. She takes this storied song (inspired by Mitchell meeting Leonard Cohen at the 1967 Newport Folk Festival) and gives this folk masterpiece a new spirit — injecting it with a full band sound that makes Raitt’s version almost outshine the original.

“Nick of Time,” Nick of Time (1989)

The title track from Raitt’s commercial comeback and debut with Capitol Records in 1989 is a rumination on aging and the brevity of time. Inspiration came from deep conversations with friends and observations of her own parents getting older (“I see my folks are getting on and I watch their bodies change.”) Raitt wrote the bulk of the song during a weeklong retreat in a cabin in Mendocino, California. The resulting mid-tempo ballad — with undertones of the blues — is one of the most endearing compositions Raitt has ever written: relatable and honest. The song was a Top 10 hit on the Adult Contemporary charts and won a GRAMMY for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

“Thing Called Love,” Nick of Time (1989)

Raitt took this John Hiatt-penned song — two years after he released it himself — and, like so many other originals before (and after) made it her own. What makes the blues-rocker’s version unique is the live-off-the-floor feel of a small band jamming in a club; yet, the resulting sound is much bigger. Raitt was helped by the engineering prowess of the late great Ed Cherney, who won a GRAMMY for his work on this record. Her rendition resulted in another hit from Nick of Time, landing at No. 11 on Billboard’s Rock charts. The video, starring Dennis Quaid, also helped to ingrain this song into the pop culture canon of the late 1980s.

“I’m in the Mood,” The Healer (1990)

Taken from John Lee Hooker‘s 1990 album The Healer, this duet with the blues legend won the pair a GRAMMY the following year for Best Traditional Blues Performance. Hooker was one of Raitt’s heroes; it was a full-circle moment getting the opportunity to record this classic 38 years after it was first a hit.

“Something to Talk About,” Luck of the Draw (1991)

From the seven-times platinum Luck of the Draw, this catchy hit song was written by Canadian Shirley Eikhard seven years before it eventually resonated with Raitt on a demo tape Eikhard sent the singer. The hooky track served Raitt’s soulful voice seamlessly, creating a combination that resulted in her biggest chart feat to date, landing at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song also took home the GRAMMY for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1992, and more than three decades later it remains Raitt’s top-selling song — eclipsing more than seven million in sales in the U.S. alone.

“I Can’t Make You Love Me” Luck of the Draw (1991)

Raitt followed her biggest pop hit with what would become her biggest ballad. Although Raitt didn’t write the sorrowful piano track, her pained-yet-poised delivery is as poignant as the song’s narrative of unrequited love. The song proved so moving that it has been covered by George Michael, Bon Iver, Boyz II Men and Adele, the latter of whom called it “just perfect in every single way,” and touted Raitt’s “stunning” voice. Now Raitt’s most-streamed song — and a GRAMMY Hall of Fame inductee — “I Can’t Make You Love Me” serves as a testament to Raitt’s ability to capture feeling whether or not she’s behind the pen.

“Gnawin’ On It,” Silver Lining (2002)

Raitt co-wrote this gritty, raw slide-guitar song that oozes so much soul with blues guitarist Roy Rogers, who was named after the famed singing cowboy. (Raitt learned her slide style from one of the masters: “Mississippi” Fred McDowell.) This performance from her 2002 Austin City Limits appearance showcases Raitt’s down-and-dirty vocals, the interplay between two guitar greats and features plenty of memorable riffs. More than 20 years since this performance was captured, it is still a joy to behold.

*Bonnie Raitt accepts the award for song of the year for “Just Like That” at the 65th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023, in Los Angeles.* © Chris Pizzello /AP Photo

“Just Like That,” Just Like That (2022)

“Just like that your life can change,” Raitt softly sings in this title cut from her 2022 album. Inspired by an emotive news story Raitt saw, the narrative tells of a woman who donated her late son’s heart, and years later met the organ’s recipient. With gentle finger-picking providing the melody, Raitt relates this heartwarming tale that echoes the mastery of her mentor and dear departed friend John Prine.

Though Raitt has generated several hits by reimagining other’s songs, “Just Like That” — which she wrote on her own — shows that her own tales are just as powerful and timeless. While her Song Of The Year win may have been shocking to some, Raitt’s recent GRAMMY win confirms the septuagenarian still has something to talk about — and the world is still listening.

About The Author

David McPherson

David McPherson is the author of “The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern: A Complete History.” Ever since attending his first rock concert in 1989 (The Who) and buying his first LP (Freeze Frame by The J. Geils Band), music has become “the elixir of his life.” Over the years, his writing on music has appeared in No Depression, Paste, American Songwriter and Bluegrass Unlimited.

Source: © Copyright The Grammy Awards

But wait, there's more!

The Moms Who Lived Bonnie Raitt’s Grammy-Winning Song
“Just Like That” was inspired by the story of a cardiac transplant recipient who let his donor’s mother listen to her dead child’s heartbeat.

on February 6, 2023 No comments

As Bonnie Raitt tells it, the inspiration for her Grammy-winning Song of the Year, “Just Like That,” was a TV segment in which a mother listened to the beat of her dead son’s heart in a transplant recipient’s chest.

“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 loved one’s organs to help another person live,” Raitt said in her acceptance speech Sunday night. “And the story was so simple and beautiful for these times.”

She sings:

I lay my head upon his chest

And I was with my boy again

Raitt has not said which transplant news story in 2018 led her to pen those lyrics, but there have been plenty since then. The grief and hope she wrote about has been on display in more than a dozen encounters chronicled by local TV stations.

Jody Pelt of Michigan lost her 19-year-old son, Bill Scruggs, when he was shot to death in 2019. Scruggs was the kind of teen who always gave whatever he had in his pocket when he encountered the homeless. He signed on as an organ donor the day he got his driver’s license in 2018. “He comes back from the counter and showed me the little sticker that says, ‘I’m an organ donor,’” Pelt told the Daily Beast on Monday. “He was very proud of himself.”

The teen’s heart went to a man named Bobby Davis at Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute in North Carolina. Pelt and Davis initially communicated through an intermediary, then directly. Davis sent her a recording of her son’s continuing heartbeat made during a check-up.

“The recording is beautiful, but it reminded me of an ultrasound,” she remembered . “Hearing it in real life was even better.”

She was able to do that through a stethoscope when they finally met in person at the hospital in 2021.

“I made that,” she can be heard exclaiming in a video of the moment.

She recalled, “It was sort of bittersweet—very happy for the person who had it now, but also, you very much miss your person.”

She added, “Happy tears all around… I definitely was a happy mom.”Jenny Sullivan of Texas had a similar story. Her son, Amir Aguilar, was 26 when was fatally shot. His heart went to Manny Hardy of Oklahoma, whose own heart was failing when he received a transplant on Father’s Day of 2020.

Hardy returned home from the hospital to find a letter from Sullivan. She came to see him that October and a TV news crew was on hand when they met.

“She just walked over to me and she put her head on my chest while she was hugging me,” Hardy remembered. “She cried and cried and cried.”

Sullivan recalled, “When I hear my son’s heart beating in Manny’s chest, I close my eyes and I feel like I’m having my son,” she said. “It is so precious a feeling, the deep, deep, deep love that I had for my son.”

She said that when she gazed at Hardy’s face it was as if it became translucent. She says she also saw her son’s face.

“It is something only a mother could see,” she said.

She remembered something her son had said when he was a Navy corpsman: “If I save one life with my life, I’m going to be very happy.”

Sullivan and Hardy sat and talked for hours. Hardy’s wife presented Sullivan with a gift.

“My wife went to Build a Bear and had a recording of the heartbeat put in the bear and gave it to her,” Hardy said.

Similar encounters between mothers and heart transplant recipients can be found online by anybody in need of a little inspiration. But there would be many more if there were not a perpetual and critical shortage of donated hearts.

“There’s not nearly enough hearts available,” Dr. Eric Skipper, a cardiac transplant surgeon at the same North Carolina hospital where Pelt listened to her dead son’s living heart.

In national terms, Skipper said, there are under 5,000 transplants a year. The need is close to 35,000 to 40,000. Just getting on the heart transplant list is difficult and as of Sunday the federal transplant network had 3,343 would be recipients waiting.

“You can emphasize enough how vast the need is,” he said. “You’re truly giving them the gift of life.”

The recipient of Bill Scruggs’ gift of life has arranged with the hospital to install a bell along with his photo on the heart transplant floor. What is called “Bill’s Bell”’ is rung after every successful heart transplant.

“I think the bell is an amazing tribute to Bill and I also believe that the patients who get to ring it get some kind of feeling as if they are victorious in the fight,” Pelt said.

Bill’s mother has not yet heard Bonnie Raitt’s song. But Pelt does have the recording of her son’s heartbeat.

“I still listen to it at least two or three times a month,” she said.

About The Author

Michael Daly

Special Correspondent

Michael Daly is a special correspondent with The Daily Beast. He was previously a columnist with the New York Daily News and a staff writer with New York magazine. He was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for commentary in 2002 and has received numerous awards. He is the author of Under Ground and The Book of Mychal. His third book, Topsy, was released in 2013.