Bonnie Raitt on being honored at Kennedy Center for 50 years of musical excellence
Bonnie Raitt's 1989 hit "Thing Called Love" is just one of the many highlights from her 50-year career. This year, the 13-time Grammy Award winner, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, and one of Rolling Stone's greatest singers and guitar players of all time, added another accolade to her already impressive resume: Kennedy Center honoree.
Reflecting on the honor, Raitt said, "It's unreal to me that I'm gonna be up in that balcony … my friends will be saying all that nice stuff and singing my songs. I wasn't expecting it. And I'm just tickled beyond words."
Raitt's songs have provided a sentimental soundtrack for many, with hits like "I Can't Make You Love Me" cementing her place in music history.
"Everybody's had a broken heart," Raitt said. "That's one of the great breakup songs. Every night I sing it, and I know what it means to them. And I know what it means to me."
Raitt grew up in a musical household in Southern California, influenced by her father, Broadway star John Raitt, and her mother, singer-pianist Marge Goddard.
"Here's what seeped in was his love of performing and he couldn't believe that he got paid for doing something that he would love to do anyway. So it was not lost on me. What a gift it was to get to do what he did for a living."
Though music started as a hobby, Raitt's passion led her to leave Radcliffe College and pursue a career in blues. A standout as a red-headed guitarist and singer, she secured her first record deal in what would have been her junior year.
Her journey wasn't without setbacks. Dropped by Warner Brothers in 1983, Raitt said, "They didn't want me to play more rootsy, rock and roll. The big corporate guys took over."
She used the time to focus on sobriety and eventually found success with Capitol Records.
Her 1989 album "Nick of Time" became a breakthrough, earning Raitt her first Grammy and a spot on the Billboard charts.
"It was mind-blowing," she said. "Even before the Grammy nomination, it sold a million copies."
Hits like "Something to Talk About" and her recent Grammy-winning song of the year prove that Raitt's talent has only grown over time.
Looking ahead, Raitt already has 39 tour dates scheduled for 2025.
"I just want to make as big of a difference in the world as I can," she said. "I'm confident that ... as long as I give everything I've got to quality music and play as great a performance as I could, that the audience is gonna come back and see me next time."
The Kennedy Center Honors ceremony, which took place on Dec. 8, 2024, will be broadcast on CBS on Dec. 22.