In the world of music, Bonnie Raitt considers herself a “character actor.”
“I never wanted to be No. 1 or No. 2,” she explains. “You’d watch so many artists flame out after one or two hits. I wanted to be like a character actor who would continue to work.”
The multiple Grammy winner knew it wouldn’t be easy – particularly since she has been on the road since her 20s – so she did up-tempo songs to start. “By the time I got to the ballads, I was so vulnerable.”“Living for the Ones,” a new cut, addresses those who died. In all, Raitt lost 14 friends, including John Prine, a longtime collaborator.
“Traveling in a tight bubble lets a basketball team play its full season, so that’s what we’re doing.”“If you put in too many new things in a row,” she advises, “it lays there flat. I want a balance of old and new. People aren’t going to come and see you if you don’t play the hits. They want to hear close to the shape they came to it. You can add interludes and put in a different kind of a solo but, basically, those songs are hits because they were really thought out.
“It starts with the music,” she says. “Then, there’s the people – you have to have the kind of soul and personality and dedication to being excellent. If you’re doing a show that’s coasting, you’re past where you should be. You’ve got to prove yourself every night. As my dad used to say, ‘Make every night opening night.’”
Always learning, she says she and Mavis Staples have been “texting like mad” and talking about everything from politics to music when they’re together. “We love the same kind of music and she turns me on to great gospel stuff. Her last three albums were the strongest in her career, which is an inspiration for me. I’m 10 years behind her and I see the vibrancy she has.”
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