Bonnie Raitt and her band began the Tried & True Tour last night at The Capitol Theater in Port Chester, New York. Jimmie Vaughan & The Tilt-A-Whirl are on board supporting the run and Vaughan emerged at the end of Raitt’s set for a performance of “The Pleasure Is All Mine.”
“I’m looking forward to having my longtime pal and one of my favorite artists, blues legend Jimmie Vaughan & The Tilt-A-Whirl Band be our special guests for the late Summer tour,” Raitt said back when the tour was announced. “We’ve shared many gigs and duets over the years but never as a ‘double trouble’ co-bill. Bound to be some good blues rockin’ going on – can’t wait to hit the road together!”
Vaughan joined Raitt during the latter’s encore at The Cap, which began with “I Can’t Make You Love Me.” Vaughan then came out to add guitar and vocals to “The Pleasure Is All Mine,” the blues staple written by Billy “The Kid” Emerson that he has performed with Raitt before.
Watch Raitt and Vaughan take up “The Pleasure Is All Mine” at The Cap below:
Andy Kahn joined the JamBase Editorial team in 2015 and is currently its Editor-In-Chief. Prior to that, he worked for a Seattle-based digital music distribution company. Currently located in Minneapolis, Kahn has written for several outlets, and was part of an award-winning Chicago-focused music news website, while earning a Master’s Degree in journalism from DePaul University. AK saw his first Grateful Dead show at age 13 and has been going to see live music ever since.
Perseverance characterizes the career of Bonnie Raitt. Through personal and professional setbacks, Raitt kept plugging away at her art and her craft. Public indifference to her brilliance bordered on the criminal, at least until her long-awaited breakthrough in the late 80s let everyone in on what they’d been missing.
When it came to delivering a major hit single, Raitt did so by honoring the work of a songwriter who’d also been underappreciated. 20 years after her recording career began, Bonnie Raitt hit the Top 5 on the pop charts.
Unfairly Unheard
Right from the start, Bonnie Raitt earned the respect and praise of music critics. Her skills as both a vocalist and a guitarist shone forth on her 1971 debut album. The problem that quickly arose for Raitt, at least in terms of her commercial prospects, was that she was often caught in between two worlds.
When her records delivered bluesy authenticity, pop audiences largely turned away. And when she tried to step in a more mainstream direction, she took heat from the critics. Truth be told, Raitt never sounded comfortable moving away from the roots music she did best.
With the lack of commercial success, both in terms of album sales and hit singles, came pressure from record labels. On top of that, Raitt struggled throughout the early part of the 80s with drug and alcohol abuse. Although she remained as respected among her peers as any artist, her career seemed on the verge of being completely extinguished.
‘Time’ Changes Everything
Raitt managed to get clean from her substance abuse issues in the second half of the 80s. She found a new label and a collaborator in producer Don Was, who brought out the best in her. With a sharp, clear mind working in her favor and her skills as potent as ever, Raitt unleashed the album Nick Of Time in 1989.
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The album proved a sensation, soaring to the top of the LP charts and winning Album Of The Year at the 1990 Grammy Awards. But even though many of the songs from that record are now universally beloved, they weren’t giant hit singles. “Have A Heart” did the best, reaching No. 49.
But Raitt now had the public’s attention, as they anticipated her follow-up album. This is the point of the story where an unheralded Canadian songwriter named Shirley Eikhard arrives. Eikhard had sent Raitt a song a few years prior about a couple getting a one-up on small-town gossip. It was called “Something To Talk About”.
Productive “Talk”
Eikhard had written the song in the mid-80s and almost had Anne Murray, a Canadian pop legend, on the hook to record it. But Murray couldn’t convince her label of the song’s worth. Looking for other artists, Eikhard mailed a demo to Raitt, realizing that the artist might never even get around to listening to it, let alone liking it.
But Raitt did listen, and she was blown away. She cut her version of “Something To Talk About”, and then sent Eikhard a phone message with the recording for her to hear. Raitt also chose the song as the first single off her 1991 album Luck Of The Draw.
“Something To Talk About” was the right song at the right point in Raitt’s career. Radio ate it up, and it went to No. 5 on the pop charts. Granted, that kind of recognition was long overdue. But at least the mainstream music world had finally caught up with Bonnie Raitt.
Jim Beviglia has been writing about music for two decades, with much of that time spent as a featured writer for both the print and online editions of American Songwriter. During that time, he’s interviewed hundreds of artists for AS, from some of the biggest stars in the industry to promising up-and-comers. Jim has also written for several other music websites and has penned five books. Four were part of the Counting Down Series, which focused on the songs of top artists like The Beatles and Bob Dylan. He also penned Playing Back the 80s: A Decade of Unstoppable Hits, which featured interviews with dozens of the leading artists of the era. Jim also works in broadcasting and lives in Old Forge, Pennsylvania with his wife Marie and his daughter Daniele.
Every great rock and roll song is about forward momentum half the time. It’s awfully good to have a song in the charts for the moment, but what separates the true legends from the aspiring artists is being able to keep that momentum going for a while, so everyone knows that you deserve to be at the top of the charts. But that’s also how the marketing team expects people to act, and Bonnie Raitt never exactly cared for the kind of records the label was interested in making.
Throughout her career, Raitt has made her living through interpreting the best songs she could and not caring what anyone else said. She was far from punk rock in that respect, but listening to her tunes, it’s far more interesting to see her follow her muse trying to be the best bluesy guitarist that anyone could have asked for rather than putting out tunes like ‘I Can’t Make You Love Me’ all over again.
Then again, those ballads seem to work for a damn good reason. The blues never catered to those kinds of drippy storytelling songs, but whenever they were in Raitt’s hands, she could often translate them into some of the greatest pieces of musical emotion that anyone had ever heard. And that only came from following in the footsteps of the blues legends like Skip James who came before her.
But for fans, it would always come back to albums like Give It Up, and Raitt knew better than giving in to what the public wanted all the time, saying, “People ask, ‘Why can’t you do another one like Give It Up?’ which they seem to like the most. If I do, that’s all it will be – a repeat! I think what I’m doing now is what I have to, make the styles from those older blues people into my own. It may not be a three-chord blues song; maybe you can’t classify it now.”
Fans might like when their music is put in neat little boxes, but Raitt not defining herself to one genre has been what’s made her tunes so exciting over the years. There’s often a bluesy character laced throughout her tunes, but there’s also a fair bit of R&B, a touch of folk music, and the odd adult contemporary track that finds its way onto the track listing. But if you listen to her voice, that’s where the blues comes in as well.
In fact, it’s a lot similar to the kind of approach that Tina Turner made in the 1980s. ‘The Queen of Rock and Roll’ may have been smothered in keyboards and 1980s textures when making some of her later hits like ‘Private Dancer’ and ‘You Better Be Good To Me’, but as soon as she opened her mouth to sing, there was no doubt that she turned every one of her tunes into rock and roll songs.
And it’s not like Raitt completely forgot how to strike that balance that Give It Up had. Many of her later projects, like Nick of Time, were perfectly eclectic for what they were, but it was a lot easier for her to work in different mediums rather than try to copy from the same playbook over and over again.
That kind of mentality is reserved for the artists who play it safe too often, but since none of the blues guitarists made their living copying someone else’s style, why should Raitt be the one to start? After all, the blues has always been about finding one’s own voice in the music, and even though she had an identifiable sound, she would rather stand by the records she was making than reminisce every time she went into the studio.
Hailing from Baltimore, Maryland, Tim Coffman has been with Far Out since 2023. He serves as the in-house Beatles fanatic and loves nothing more than shouting praises of all things music. When he’s not staking his claims in top ten lists, he’s most likely either playing guitar and trying to figure out that one lost chord no one’s stumbled on yet.
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 Raitt is nothing if not loyal. And when she caught wind of the fact that Mike Reid and I were writing and recording together, she was quick to volunteer to sing on our song “The Bridge.” It’s one of my favorite songs Mike and I have written. And I can no longer imagine it without her heroic spirit present. ~ Joe Henry
Released on: 2025-09-05 Producer: Joe Henry Music Publisher: Rivers and Roads Music (ASCAP - admin by Endurance Music Group) Music Publisher: Mule Rider (ASCAP) Music Publisher: Blue Raincoat Music (ASCAP) ℗ 2025 Work Song Inc. marketed and distributed by Thirty Tigers
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Prison Bound Blues · Bonnie Raitt
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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