Bonnie+Raitt

As you research your selected guitarist, you will need to note some specific information from his or her life and career. Include the following in your final writing: Details for your written assignment: ,
 * Introduction
 * Biography
 * Discography
 * Legacy
 * Conclusion

Your Name: (first name, last initial): Jacob W.

Write your essay here! : As you enter information, the area will expand. Make sure to check the required details of the assignment and review the rubric (link from home page) to self-assess your work.

Have you ever heard of Bonnie Raitt? If not, let me tell you who she is. Bonnie Raitt is a unique guitarist, mostly from the 80s and the 90s. She played an equally unique style of music. In her own words, "I'm certainly blues-based, but I've never felt that I was totally a blues artist. I've been doing the same mixture of rock and roll songs, ballads by contemporary songwriters, [and] off-the-wall jazz songs." Some would say Raitt plays mostly blues, however. Here is a definition for blues from __Student Encyclopedia of Music__: "A traditional black American ballad style. It's is in 4/4 time, with a melody characterized by lowered third and seventh (blue notes), and has developed into a stereotyped, 12-measure harmonic pattern ." In terms of playing techniques, Raitt was an expert at the playing technique known as, "bottleneck slide guitar". But enough about her playing style. Next is a glimpse into her life.

Let's start with how Raitt learned to play guitar. Way back into her childhood, she had first learned to play guitar at the age of nine. She was self-taught, with no musical training whatsoever. Not many famous guitarists can say that. However, one big part in her teaching herself to play the guitar was that she copied her favorite blues recordings. Raitt continued with her life and went to Radcliffe College. She was attending Radcliffe College in 1967 when she met Dick Waterman, who introduced her to blues greats of the times. Waterman soon became her manager after she dropped out of college, getting Raitt gigs in folks and blues clubs. She met and performed with many of her idols before signing with Warner Bros. Records in 1971 and releasing her debut album, //Bonnie Raitt//. It was in 1974 that she began playing lead guitar, starting with the album //Streetlights,// and touring with her own band. One interesting fact about Bonnie Raitt is that in the beginning of her career, she specialized in performing songs written by others. It wasn't until her substantial success from the album //Nick of Time// that she gained the confidence to write her own songs. Another interesting fact is that Raitt once one four Grammy's in a single year, three of which were for //Nick of Time.//

Speaking of //Nick of Time,// It was one of Raitt's best albums, if not the best. It sold over 4,000,000 copies and turned Raitt into a superstar. She had even become a name that every person in a household knew of. As mentioned earlier, it won Raitt three Grammy's in a single year. Another hit album of hers is //Luck of the Draw//, also selling many copies. It was the follow-up to //Nick// //of Time,//​but wasn't as popular. Raitt was influenced by the music styles of Rhythm and Blues, and Politically Themed Folk. In terms of artists who influenced her, the major ones were John Hurt, Fred McDowell, and Sippie Wallace. But you may ask, what kind of legacy did she leave behind?

Bonnie Raitt's legacy is, no doubt, important. It is complex, and would take a long time to examine fully. However, one of the most important things that Bonnie Raitt will leave behind is the fact that you can become a musical superstar whenever you like. She became famous at 43, and continued playing into her fifties. She was also a major supporter of female musicians, encouraging women to get into music. She even said that she used her fame to help persuade women to play music. Raitt has definitely influenced blues and folk writers today. For example, she may have even influenced the artists mentioned earlier, John Mayer and Sheryl Crow. Raitt has changed the musical world by showing middle aged musicians and woman musicians that music is not a young man's world. It is everyone's world.

Out of all this important information on Raitt's life, some facts shine through as most important. One of the most important facts to me is the fact that Raitt became popular at a much older age then other popular musicians at the time. Another major fact is the fact that Raitt felt women needed to get involved more in the music world, so she used her fame to better the lives of other women by persuading them to play music. Many were very appreciative and happy with what Raitt had done for them. All things considered, Bonnie Raitt was a very unique artist and will stay in our memories for a long, long time.

Works Cited

Sources : Include the source information for all of the articles or web sites that were used to complete your project. Source information is found at the end of each article in iCONN.They should also be listed in alphabetical order by the first word of the source citation. sample: "Carol Kaye." //Contemporary Musicians//. Vol. 22. Detroit: Gale, 1998. //Gale Biography In Context//. Web. 8 Jan. 2012. "Selected Websites on Carol Kaye's Life and Works." //Gale Biography in Context//. Detroit: Gale, 2008. //Gale Biography In Context//. Web. 8 Jan. 2012.

"Bonnie Raitt." //Contemporary Musicians //. Vol. 23. Detroit: Gale, 1999. //Biography In Context //. Web. 1 May 2013.
 * Your Source List:**

Kuhm, Laura. Student Encyclopedia of Music v. 1. NY, NY: Schirmer, 1999. Print.

Guitarist Research Notes Table
//cells will expand as you enter your findings// || What do you like about his/her style? || Two people that play like Bonnie Raitt today are John Mayer and Sheryl Crow. I am not a fan of this kind of music, but if there was one thing I had to like about it it would be the emotion packed into the kind of blues type music. ||
 * ** Information Feature ** ||= **Your Findings**
 * The guitar style I am researching is: || Blues/Folk/Rock/Jazz crossover ||
 * The artist I am researching is: || Bonnie Raitt ||
 * This guitarist lived from __to__ ___ || November 8, 1949-present ||
 * Define and describe the guitar style you are researching. || Bonnie Raitt has a very unique style. Many would say she is a blues artist. Blues:"A traditional black American ballad style. It's is in 4/4 time, with a melody characterized by lowered third and seventh (blue notes), and has developed into a stereotyped, 12-measure harmonic pattern ." Quoting iCONN.org, "Raitt's husky vocals and slide guitar playing are the core of a musical style that defies categorization. As she explained in Guitar Player , 'I'm certainly blues-based, but I've never felt that I was totally a blues artist. I've been doing the same mixture of rock and roll songs, ballads by contemporary songwriters, [and] off-the-wall jazz songs.'" ||
 * What kind of musical training did the guitarist have? || None ||
 * What types of music influenced this artist? || Rhythm and Blues, Politically themed Folk ||
 * Name some musicians who influenced the guitarist you are researching. || John Hurt, Fred McDowell, and Sippie Wallace ||
 * Has this guitarist played more than one style? If so, what other styles? || Blues, Folk, rock, jazz, pop ||
 * What type of guitar does this musician play? || "Bottleneck slide guitar" ||
 * What are some interesting facts about your guitarist’s childhood? || Bonnie Raitt began playing guitar at the age of nine. She learned to play, in part, by copying her favorite blues recordings. ||
 * What did this guitarist do before he became famous? || Bonnie Raitt was attending Radcliffe College in 1967 when she met Dick Waterman, who introduced her to blues greats of the times. Waterman soon became her manager after she dropped out of college, getting Raitt gigs in folks and blues clubs. Raitt met and performed with many of her idols before signing with Warner Bros. Records in 1971 and releasing her debut album, //Bonnie Raitt//. It was in 1974 that she began playing lead guitar, starting with the album //Streetlights,// and touring with her own band. ||
 * List two interesting facts about the guitarist’s life. || # Raitt specialized in performing other's songs for many years, but the overwhelmingly positive reaction from the album //Nick of Time// gave her confidence to write her own.
 * 1) Raitt once won four Grammy's in a single year, three of which were for her hit album, //Nick of Time//. ||
 * List two albums or songs your artist released, the dates they were released and why they are important. || # // Nick of Time, // created in 1990, made Raitt a superstar, because it sold over four million copies and won her three Grammy's.
 * 1) //Luck of the Draw,// created in 1991, was a follow-up album to //Nick of Time,// which also sold many copies. It included hit singles like, "Something to Talk About". ||
 * Who is playing this style of music today?
 * What legacy has this guitarist left to the world of music? || Bonnie Raitt was known to become famous at middle age, 43. This is very unusual for musicians, as most blossom in their 20s or 30s. Bonnie Raitt was also a major supporter of getting women into music. She even said she used her fame to help that goal. ||