Born: 8 November 1949, United States
Died: NA
Country most active: United States
Also known as: NA
The following is excerpted from Infinite Women founder Allison Tyra’s book The View from the Hill: Women Who Made Their Mark After 40.
For many musicians, steady employment is already a form of success, and one that artists like singer, songwriter, and guitarist Bonnie Raitt achieve in their 20s. Likely due in part to a versatility that included blues, folk, R&B, pop, and country rock, she was touring and recording with some of the 1970s’ and ‘80s’ leading session musicians and songwriters. But it was in 1989, the year she turned 40, that she released Nick of Time, the album that would launch her into fame. The following year, she won four Grammys, including album of the year. Although she’d been known and respected in the industry and released several albums in the two decades prior, Nick of Time brought her to the attention of mainstream audiences, garnering recognition and chart-topping success. She followed this up with a retrospective collection in 1990, and more Grammy wins for Luck of the Draw (1991) and Longing in Their Hearts (1994) and continued releasing albums and winning Grammys into her 70s, with her 18th studio album, Just Like That… coming out in 2022 when Raitt was 72. The title track was named song of the year at the Grammys. Raitt was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000.