Roanoke audiences have waited 30 years to see Bonnie Raitt. In her sold-out 100-minute show on Nov. 15 at the Berglund Performing Arts Theater, the 75-year-old blues legend made her long-anticipated appearance worth the wait. An ecstatic, capacity crowd of 2,151 fans greeted the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer with a standing ovation.
“I don’t play here often enough,” she admitted. “Thank you for coming out to see us and making us feel so welcome.”
Opening with the self-penned “Longing in Their Hearts” from 1994, Raitt followed up with “God Was in the Water” from her 2005 album Souls Alike. It was during the tour for that record that I first saw Bonnie Raitt live. My visit to Roanoke with my dear friend Jeremy Miller was my sixth concert starring the red-haired slide guitar virtuoso.
“For an L.A. person like me,” she said, praising our area, “seeing your beautiful hills in the fall makes me understand why you folks live here.”
Raitt then turned to her latest, triple Grammy-winning 2022 album Just Like That, performing “Made Up Mind,” “Blame It on Me,” and “Livin’ for the Ones Who Didn’t Make It.”
“When I lost my brother in 2009,” she said, speaking of the inspiration for the latter song, “I promised him I would spend the rest of my life grabbing the chances he never got to take.”
“A couple of real-life stories inspired me to write the lyrics to ‘Just Like That,’” Raitt continued, referring to the title track, which won her a pair of Grammy Awards in 2023, including her first for “Song of the Year.” “I wanted to write something like John Prine’s ‘Angel from Montgomery.’ I wish I could have played it for him before we lost him to COVID.”
John Hiatt’s “No Business” from Raitt’s best-selling 1991 album Luck of the Draw was another evening highlight. So was the classic “Love Me Like a Man” from her 1972 sophomore album Give It Up, not to mention “Spit of Love,” another original composition from 1998’s Fundamental.
Raitt launched into her biggest hit, “Something to Talk About,” by omitting the song’s intro altogether, diving straight into the memorable lyrics. The crowd was on its feet throughout.
Switching guitars for nearly every song—from slide to acoustic, electric, and 12-string—Raitt played each one flawlessly, as she did with every song she sang.
“It’s not a fashion choice,” she explained. “Each guitar is pre-tuned to the key of the song.”
At 75, her mezzo-soprano is in as remarkable a shape as her outward appearance. It was clear, however, that she saved her voice for the most important songs, like “Angel from Montgomery,” which brought the crowd to its feet again. Raitt never failed to deliver. Another element not lost with age is her raw sensuality.
“Even at this advanced age,” she said before launching into her 2016 cover of INXS’s “Need You Tonight,” “our thoughts still turn to this.”
She then headed to the piano for my favorite number, “Nick of Time.” As much as I couldn’t help but sing along to most of the songs, I was purposefully quiet during this one, making sure not to miss a single note. Raitt appeared to enjoy it as much as I did.
“I could play that all night,” she said, humming the popular hook she wrote for the title track to her chart-topping 1989 album.
Ending her main set with her cover of Talking Heads’ “Burning Down the House,” Raitt returned to the stage promptly for a three-song encore, which featured the staple ballad “I Can’t Make You Love Me,” earning its own standing ovation.
“I couldn’t leave without singing you this one,” Raitt promised. “Mike Reid, a former football player with the Cincinnati Bengals, wrote this song. He’s this giant guy with a tender voice like Michael McDonald’s.”
She then offered another original, “One Belief Away,” which she wrote with Irishman Paul Brady and the late Zimbabwean Oliver Mtukudzi, who also passed away prematurely from COVID. “One Belief Away” from Fundamental was another real treat.
For her closing number, Raitt invited her opening act, James Hunter, on stage to accompany her on harmonica during the classic blues number “Never Make Your Move Too Soon.” Raitt originally recorded the song for her 1995 live album Road Tested, with the late rhythm and blues pioneers Charles Brown and Ruth Brown.
Before departing her adoring audience, Raitt left us with words of encouragement.
“Be kind to each other and let’s help each other through whatever it is we must overcome,” she said, bidding farewell to Roanoke. “Let’s make a conscious decision to be hopeful and joyful.”
Raitt’s opening act was The James Hunter Six. One member of the band was missing, though.
“He’s suffering from a better gig,” Hunter explained.
Although based in England, Hunter and his band of a pair of saxophonists, drummer, and keyboardist, were deeply immersed in the sounds of Motown and American soul from the ’50s and ’60s. Hunter’s own voice showed hints of Marvin Gaye, Ben E. King, and Levi Stubbs. An episode of The Twilight Zone starring William Shatner inspired his own composition, ironically titled “Nick of Time.”
“If England had sounded that good,” Raitt praised. “We wouldn’t have left.”
Raitt’s last local performance at the hall, almost exactly two years ago to the date of this current show, found the flame-haired singer apologizing throughout the night for the constant cough and vocal issues she was experiencing. As she swigged hot beverages and popped cough drops to counter the problem, she, as a longtime touring warrior and genuine professional, never missed a note or nuance in either her trademark strong, commanding vocal delivery or in her warm and slinky slide guitar playing.
This time, without a trace of any vocal ailments, Raitt and her exquisite five-piece band, on the penultimate stop of their current tour, were about as on the mark and tight as any one of the sometimes loud and raucous audience members in the seats could have asked for. Delivering a steady, two-hour dose of the type of melding of blues and pop music styles Raitt has perfected since her debut album’s release, nearly half a century ago, the longtime professional injected her brand of humor, optimism, and feel-good vibes into the program, thanks to the music she performed and her between-song addresses to the crowd.
Making the fondness she holds for the local music hall known, Raitt made mention of her gratefulness for the way the performance venue was built: “I love how this hall is banked so steep! I can hear you, see you, and feel you!” the singer proclaimed, for which she was met with enthusiastic applause. Raitt has played this venue on multiple occasions in the past and has sold it out to its capacity on every visit. Based on what she gives to her audiences while performing, both in musical prowess and human and relatable interaction, it’s easy to see why audiences keep coming back.
Kicking things off in high gear, Raitt opened her set with “I Sho Do,” a soul song co-written by Teenie Hodges, the late songwriter and former lead guitarist for R&B legend Al Green. Raitt recorded the song as part of her 1994 album, Longing in Their Hearts, and it served as a perfect vehicle to quickly show off that her, husky voice and to give any unknowing patrons a sampling of her sharp and slick slide-playing. Shifting gears, as she so eloquently and tastefully has done for the better part of her career, Raitt then eased her way into the swampy, loping blues of “God Was in the Water,” from her 2005 release, Souls Alike, which perfectly displayed one of the many reasons her fiercely loyal audience has followed her for so long; Raitt is an artist who thrives on stretching out musically, and paying her respects to the wide palette of styles and genres she admires and feels a kinship with.
Wisely surrounding herself with musicians who share her sheer professionalism and musicianship. Raitt benefits from having folks like esteemed session guitarist Duke Levine by her side, and former Beach Boys drummer (and member of The Rutles, the mock band modeled after The Beatles), Ricky Fataar, keeping the beat. However, the longest-standing member of her band is dynamic bassist Hutch Hutchinson, who has been in Raitt’s band for over 40 years. Each musician stood out in their own right and supplemented the warm, cozy sounds Raitt poured out all night, which made for a night of great sounds and fine displays of raw talent.
Raitt’s knack for wisely and expertly tempering the flow of her performances is almost as fascinating as what she’s able to naturally exude through her musical chops. The mixing of deeper album cuts, or covers, with her more well-known pop hits (many of which came after her late-’80s resurgence, following her blockbuster album Nick of Time), is somewhat brilliant in how it keeps all audience members, from the diehards to the more casual fans, rapt and anxious to see where she’ll go next. As soon as the opening chords of “Thing Called Love,” the bawdy John-Hiatt penned romp that served as the lead single for the Nick of Time album, were cranked, a huge wave of applause and vocal approval came from the audience. Playing the song with every ounce of enthusiasm and sass as she has since the song helped catapult her to newfound fame and (long-deserved) mainstream attention, Raitt seemed downright joyous to provide the crowd with a distraction from the ills of the world for a while.
“Let’s get some civility in the world, and some peace” the singer pleaded during one of her more solemn and hopeful between-song messages of the night, a statement that was met with wide approval. Lamenting on lives lost and absent friends, Raitt remembered some of her musical collaborators and cohorts who are no longer among us. She made her admiration for, and the sorrow she still feels following the 2020 death of folk/country troubadour John Prine—who kept a house in nearby Gulfport—known throughout the night. Prine, a renowned and revered singer and songwriter, is responsible for writing one of the first songs for which Raitt earned her earliest acclaim, “Angel From Montgomery,” after she recorded her version of it in 1974.
Further displaying her love of music of all styles, Raitt also called out the losses of reggae legend Toots Hibbert (from Toots and the Maytals fame), and Oliver Mtukudzi, an afro-jazz musician and activist from Zimbabwe with whom she’d collaborated in the past. Performing his composition “Hear Me Lord,” Raitt introduced it as a gospel song and asked for audience participation, which she easily wrangled, for the song’s memorable chorus.
Joking about her age, and the fact that she’s still out on the road, Raitt, who celebrated her 75th birthday a few weeks ago, referred to performing as being in her blood and her genes. “My dad stayed on the road ‘til he was 85. The only reason why he stopped was because his audience passed away,” she joked while remembering her father, performer and star of stage and screen, John Raitt.
For her encore, Raitt provided what was probably the ultimate highlight of the program. Sitting on a stool at the center of the stage, and without her trusty Fender Stratocaster guitar in hand, she delivered her most soaring vocal performance of the night when she dug deep and squeezed every bit of emotion she could muster for a show-stopping reading of “I Can’t Make You Love Me,” the tender ballad from her 1991 platinum-selling album, Luck of the Draw. It’s easy to presume that, if anyone in the venue might have still been unsure of Raitt’s charisma and appeal, this was undoubtedly the moment in which any of those notions were easily dispelled.
Wrapping up the night with “Never Make a Move Too Soon,” a bold blues rocker most-closely associated with late blues legend B.B. King, Raitt gave each of her stupendous band members an opportunity to shine individually by allowing them to take smart, tasteful solos which punctuated the rollocking number. She also asked the night’s opener, James Hunter, to join the band onstage for her closing number, to inject some rousing harmonica work into the night’s final song.
Hunter was met with his own well-earned ovation, thanks to the 45-minute set he warmed the crowd with, prior to the headliner taking the stage. Known for his steeped-in-tradition approach to soul, R&B, blues, and doo-wop, Hunter is every bit the musical chameleon his touring mate is. The British-born singer/songwriter/guitarist seems to have been plucked from another era, based on his musical style and perspective. Once a touring member of Van Morrison’s band, Hunter broke out on his own with his first U.S. released solo album, People Gonna Talk, in 2006, and has been touring and releasing stellar albums ever since.
Widely unknown to this audience, based on chatter heard around the seats prior to his taking the stage, it didn’t take long for Hunter and his no-nonsense band, The James Hunter Six, to make fans of the unknowing patrons. Boasting two sax players, a stand-up bassist, organist and drummer, Hunter’s nattily dressed band looked almost as cool as they sounded. Cramming in 13 songs for his set, Hunter easily navigated through a multitude of genres thanks to a set list that consisted of album tracks from his lengthy repertoire, some covers, and some as-of-yet unreleased songs that are due to appear on his next studio album.
Looking more like a pool hall hustler than a killer R&B musician, Hunter, clad in gray suit, and black shirt, truly looks and sounds like he stepped out of another era. His pure, unadulterated soulful croon on “I Can Change Your Mind” from his 2020 album Nick of Time (a title he mentioned as one he coincidentally shares with the night’s headliner) is reason enough to believe that Hunter is the real deal. Not so much a revivalist, as a bona fide admirer and lover of good, traditional soul music, Hunter is a gift to the cause, and a welcomed bearer of the torch for keeping one of the greatest genres of music alive and well.
His true moment of awe came when he tackled “Baby Don’t Do It,” the 1953 tune originally recorded by American R&B group, The “5” Royales. Crediting the group for inventing soul music, Hunter delivered a scintillating version of the classic, thanks to his towering vocals, which brought to mind the stylings of some of his musical forefathers, Sam Cooke and Jackie Wilson, while adding his own tasty blues guitar licks throughout. Pretty staggering stuff, which was happily welcomed by the somewhat unexpecting audience. Adding covers by other luminaries like blues legend Clarence Gatemouth Brown and smooth R&B crooner Percy Mayfield, Hunter, like Raitt, did a fine job of mixing his own material with selections from the songbooks of other artists, and did so in fine style.
One of his as-of-yet-released selections entitled “Off the Fence” somehow managed to smartly mix gritty soul music with a samba beat, and the result was quite sumptuous, making his next release something to look forward to.
Based on the warm and hearty reaction Hunter and his band received, it’s safe to say that this audience will not only be awaiting his next recorded work but will more than likely be in attendance the next time he graces a local stage with his charismatic presence.
I was born on a Sunday Morning. I soon received The Gift of loving music. Through music, I Found A Reason for living. It was when I discovered rock and roll that I Was Beginning To See The Light. Because through music, I’m Set Free. It’s always helped me keep my Head Held High. When I started dancing to that fine, fine music, my life was saved by Rock And Roll. I’ll love it until the day I Ride Into The Sun….and That’s The Story Of My Life…
“I am an old woman named after my mother”—this wasn’t the kind of opening line you heard very often from a male vocalist in the 1970s or any other period in pop music. Taking the perspective of another gender was rare enough, but choosing to do so through the eyes of a character who was also past their prime and embittered took the guts and imagination of one of the great songwriters of his era.
That man was John Prine, and the song was ‘Angel From Montgomery’, a country-folk classic from Prine’s self-titled debut album in 1971. He was just 24 years old when he recorded it and still reliant on his day job as a postal worker in Chicago, but Prine’s heartfelt portrayal of a frustrated woman in a dead-end marriage made a lasting impression on a new audience.
Within a few years of its release, several artists, including Carly Simon and John Denver, had already covered’ Angel From Montgomery’. The song found its ideal pairing, however, in 1974, when Bonnie Raitt recorded her fourth studio album, Streetlights.
“As a young feminist,” Raitt later told Uncut, “The idea that this young man [Prine] could inhabit the world of a middle-aged woman in a thankless marriage really resonated with me.”
Raitt, like Prine, was just 24 when she first sang ‘Angel From Montgomery’, but her voice always carried a maturity and world-weariness well beyond its years. Though the song’s opening line identifies the speaker as an “old woman,” Prine explained that this was more of a commentary on how the woman—someone more likely in her 40s or 50s—had come to see herself.
“I had this really vivid picture of this woman standing over the dishwater with soap in her hands and just walking away from it all,” Prine said, as quoted in the book More Songwriters On Songwriting. “I just kept that whole idea image in mind when I was writing the song, and I just let it pour out of that character’s heart.”
There’s flies in the kitchen, I can hear ’em there buzzing And I ain’t done nothing since I woke up today How the hell can a person go to work in the morning And come home in the evening and have nothing to say?
As decades passed, ‘Angel’ remained a regular part of the performing repertoire for both Prine and Raitt. And even though Raitt enjoyed an unlikely breakthrough into mainstream pop stardom in the late ‘80s, she had also grown into the age of the character in the song, making it all the more meaningful to perform for her now expanding fan base.
“‘Angel From Montgomery’ has probably meant more to me and my fans than any song I’ve ever done,” Raitt said before inducting Prine into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2019. “It’s a masterpiece. And I’ve dedicated it to you, as you have to me, and to so many women working to try and get lives that have more choices than the woman in that song. As we get older, the grey areas are what come to the fore, and that’s what you write about, the complexities, in such a beautiful, simple way.”
John Prine died less than a year after that induction ceremony in April of 2020, one of the early victims of the Covid pandemic. He was 73.
Andrew Clayman is an ageing music writer, amateur shortstop, and semi-pro historian who left his sweet home Chicago to chase the dream in Leeds. Quite conceivably the only person to have interviewed Henry Rollins and Zooey Deschanel on the same day (not together), his other interests include birdwatching, car boot sales, and asking people if they’ve ever listened to the band Close Lobsters.
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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