Trying to track both the recording and touring history of Bonnie Raitt is like trying to chart the family tree of the British monarchy – it’s an extensive process, but the results are impressive.
The American blues singer has toured extensively for nearly ten months out of each year she’s been active, won ten Grammy Awards and released an arsenal of material. Last year’s Dig In Deep was her 20th album release, adding to a discography that includes several original, live and ‘best of’ records. On top of her music, Raitt is a well-known activist and spokesperson for several sociopolitical causes. And all this spans a nearly 50-year career.
“It’s great to still be at it after all this time because I love what I do,” Raitt says from her Los Angeles home. “I love finding great new songs. It’s harder to find something new to say after that many records – you’ve either played your favourite grooves a bunch of times and reinvented them with drum parts and different guitar parts, and sung about all types of love and things that piss you off, so when you get as many records as this it’s hard not to duplicate something you’ve done in the past, and that does get a little daunting with time.”
After such a long time in the spotlight, even Raitt can be forgiven for losing track of when she last visited Australia. “Let me see what I’ve got here,” she says, checking her emails. “Yeah, so last time we were in Australia was 2013 – you’re right, that was our last cycle – and coming out this year is part of our second. Math was clearly not my topic!”
Raitt’s latest trip Down Under coincides with Bluesfest at Byron Bay as well as a string of solo shows in selected cities, Sydney included. Touring gets more and more taxing for Raitt and her band of 30 years, but the beauty of being successful, she says, is that she can pick and choose her appearances.
“Thank God for the internet! If you click on it and bring up all the different shows I’ve done, that’s when I realise how many months we’ve ever spent on the road. The good thing about having more success is you can actually get everyone home to see their families, which is really helpful to maintain your relationships. Once you get the buses running with the sound and light and stuff, once you’re out, five shows a week is how you keep it going. I like playing multiple nights but I wouldn’t wanna play six on, six off.
“The last time I was at Byron [for Bluesfest 2013], I managed to trek through the mud and get to some other stages and see some other bands. There were some incredible sets, some amazing musicians. The thing about playing a festival is that you get to see other artists you wouldn’t see on your own tour, because you’re working at night and find out you just missed out on some other band or a dear friend of yours.”
Keeping her touring life varied with festivals and solo shows, Raitt says she enjoys the best of both worlds, with opportunities to explore different styles of live performance. “You can play more ballads and an acoustic section in a theatre, and you can have that beautiful quiet mood. Whereas if you’re gonna play a long set and everyone’s been standing in the rain or sweating in the sun for five hours, it’s gonna be more rock’n’roll! I enjoy both, they’re just different sides of the same coin.”
As with her live shows, Raitt’s recording career has been of an eclectic persuasion, effortlessly mixing up genres without restricting herself to any one genre. “My tastes are all over the map. I don’t do speed metal or progressive rock,” she laughs. “I mean, I guess it’s called global music – I love Brazilian, Celtic, Gypsy, Indian, it all seeps in. I love the blues and rock’n’roll. I love a great song by a great balladeer, but singer-songwriter is where I live.
“I came out of folk music and blues. I have a lot of respect for great music and performing – I’d get really bored just sticking to any one of those genres.”
And Raitt is not likely to run short of ideas yet. “There’s some music from West Africa I’d love to collaborate on, and indigenous music in South Africa. I think to go out there and do some of that would be amazing.
“The world situation being so much more hairy in terms of safety and visas makes it difficult for international musicians like us to travel easily. If I want to record that kind of music, I’ll have to go there, and who knows what the world will be like by then?”
Bonnie Raitt appears atState Theatre on Friday April 7, before heading toBluesfest 2017, Thursday April 13 – Monday April 17 atTyagarah Tea Tree Farm.Dig In Deep is out now through Redwing.
