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Bonnie Raitt Turns 66 Years Old – Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday #BonnieRaitt! “Because her father spent his summers starring in theatrical touring shows, the Raitt kids were packed up each summer and sent to a Quaker camp in the East, from the time she was nine until she was 15. At the camp, ‘the girl counselours all had pierced ears and looked like Joan Baez. The kids were all baby radicals with parents in the Movement; it was a big status thing to have parents who were blacklisted.’ But in nearby Newport, ‘That’s where I got to listen to folk music and started playing guitar.’ She didn’t really like folk music; as soon as she heard blues, she knew she’d found something. She was 11 or 12 when she taught herself to play.” From the November 9th, 1972 issue of @RollingStone

A photo posted by Rolling Stone (@rollingstone) on

November 8th is Bonnie Raitt’s birthday. She was born in Burbank, California, and was the daughter of a Broadway star and his pianist wife. This year, Raitt is 66. Can you believe it?

And I mention this because I just came across a cool photograph on Rolling Stone’s Instagram account from an article they published about Bonnie Raitt back in 1972. A singer they rank as the 50th best of all time, and the 89th greatest guitarist.

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Along with the photograph is a quote from the article on when and why Raitt discovered blues music, and how that encouraged her to teach herself to play the guitar. Read what they had to say back then in the Instagram photo up above.

Then remember, this self-taught guitarist has won 10 Grammy Awards, sold tens of millions of albums and, yes, has even been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Then watch Bonnie Raitt singing ‘I Can’t Make You Love Me‘ in the video below, and realize once more just what an incredible artist this woman is.

Happy 66th birthday Bonnie Raitt. And, yes, it’s still hard to believe.

 

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Michelle Topham
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