Artist:Bonnie RaittSong:Something To Talk About
Album:The Best Of Bonnie Raitt on Capitol 1989-2003
In the 70s, Bonnie Raitt was a moderately successful critic's darling. But it wasn't until the 1989 album Nick Of Time that she became a commercial success. The 1991 hit Something To Talk about is her biggest hit to date. She was born Nov. 8, 1949 in Burbank, CA the daughter of Broadway legend John Raitt. She started playing guitar as a hobby and never intended to be a professional musician. Of course her bottleneck style distinguishes her from other modern blues musicians. In 1967, she attended Radcliffe College at Harvard majoring in African Studies. She planned to change the world. But she got sidetracked when she met blues promoter Dick Waterman and she played the coffeehouse circuit in Philadelphia with musicians like Mississippi Fred McDowell. The novelty of a white woman playing blues guitar attracted record companies and she released her debut album Bonnie Raitt on Warner Bros. in 1971. Though critically acclaimed, her music didn't sell at first. For her 1977 album Sweet Forgiveness, she had her first hit single when her cover of Runaway became a hit and so did the album. Her timing was great because her contract was up and she had a big money offer from Columbia. Warners matched it to keep her.But her subsequent albums didn't sell and Warners dropped her in 1983. Bonnie was also having substance abuse problems. She was still touring but was unsigned for several years. Meanwhile, she credits guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan for getting her to quit drinking. Bonnie was supposed to sign with Prince's Paisley Park label but that fell through. Producer Hal Wilner asked her to sing Baby Mine on his Disney tribute album Stay Awake. It was here that she met Don Was and he agreed to produce her debut album on Capitol Nick Of Time. The 1989 album topped the Billboard Hot 200, was certified 5XPlatinum and she won three Grammys. Bonnie wanted to prove it wasn't a fluke so she immediately recorded the album Luck Of The Draw. It reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 200 and was certified 7XPlatinum. Something To Talk About reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and is her biggest hit single to date. Though Bonnie does write songs, she has good taste in songs as well. Something To Talk About was written by veteran Canadian singer songwriter Shirley Eikhard. Anne Murray had planned to record the song but never did. Bonnie's albums continued to sell well through the 90s. You can get all her Capitol hits on this budget comp. Bonnie Raitt's most recent CD Bonnie Raitt and Friends was released in 2006. As far as I can tell, she is still with Capitol. Here's the video for Something To Talk About by Bonnie Raitt.
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