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I’m sure I would have been considered a more significant artist if I was a singer-songwriter. It’s just not the way I roll. I love being a curator and a musicologist.

Bonnie Raitt

The fifth member of my band is my non-profit work.
BONNIE RAITT

Band Member Profit
I’m happy to have been a positive influence.
BONNIE RAITT

Influence Positive Influence
Thank God for Occupy and thank God for ‘The Daily Show,’ Colbert and the rising up that’s going on around the world.
BONNIE RAITT

Rising Up Thank God World
It can unite kids and musicians, everybody, whether they’re leftist or rightist, or radical, or Republican, because energy is energy. But in fact, it is a real political struggle – it shows people that it’s big business against the people.
BONNIE RAITT

Energy Radical Real Republican Struggle
My career is based on the slow build of an audience based on putting on a good show live and putting out a record every couple of years.
BONNIE RAITT

Careers Couple Years
How I measure success is getting to make another record and being able to the come back to the same town and play again cause you sold out the last time.
BONNIE RAITT

Able Getting Play Records Time
It is still a surprise when people tell me that I’ve had an influence on them, particularly when it’s someone I really respect.
BONNIE RAITT

Influence People Surprise
Those of us who grew up in the ’50s and ’60s, we had the dream that this could be turned around, and the earth could be back in balance, and that we could level the playing field with men and women and pay, and you know, minority groups having equal opportunity.
BONNIE RAITT

Back Balance Dream Men Opportunity
There’s a balance between ballads and kick-ass songs.
BONNIE RAITT

Ass Ballads Between Difference Kick Songs
I don’t want to sound like a self-help book, but it really has been transformative for me to take a look at my relationships in a new way and see my part in them. Everybody’s going through that.
BONNIE RAITT

Book Everyone Relationship Self Sound
I didn’t have to be a pop singer with a certain look. When I started, there was really a revolution in natural artists with blues and folk artists crossing over; otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to get started.
BONNIE RAITT

Artist Looks Revolution Singers
I think that we have a unique opportunity as performers and artists to be kind of the town criers and also to get more people to listen, so that’s a blessing and a responsibility that I take very seriously.
BONNIE RAITT

Artist Blessing Responsibility
The talent on YouTube is incredible, and it can spread like wildfire. The downside is that it’s very hard to convince the younger generation that they should pay for music.
BONNIE RAITT

Convince Downside Incredible Music Talent
I’ll close my eyes, so I won’t see, all of the love that you don’t feel for me.
BONNIE RAITT

Explanation Eye Feels
I think my fans would be upset if I confined my shows to one city for a long period of time.
BONNIE RAITT

City Confined One Period Think Time
The women’s movement resurgence of standing up for so many things that were kind of sleepy there for a decade or so, there’s been a reawakening and I think the consciousness movement in general is dovetailing with a lot of recovery and self-empowerment.
BONNIE RAITT

Consciousness Recovery Resurgence Self Thinking
I have a really full life, both within music and outside it.
BONNIE RAITT

Full Life Music Outside Really
Whether you’re playing it on the guitar or on the dance floor, you’re in that moment.
BONNIE RAITT

Dance Floor Guitar Movement Playing
Elvis might have compromised his musical style a bit towards the end, but that doesn’t mean that artists from the rock n’ roll/folk-roots culture – of which he was not really a part – shouldn’t get better as they get older, like the great jazz or blues artists.
BONNIE RAITT

Artist Great Mean Musical Rocks Style
We did a two month tour with Taj Mahal that was really healing and cathartic and a good distraction after my brother passed away. Then I knew I wanted to take a year off, and it was really nice to have that chance to fall apart.
BONNIE RAITT

Brother Fall Knew Nice Off Year
I don’t want to discredit people’s opinions of me, but you talk about the violin or the cello or lead guitar where you have to learn tons of chords, that’s much more difficult.
BONNIE RAITT

Guitar People Want
There were so many great music and political scenes going on in the late ’60s in Cambridge. The ratio of guys to girls at Harvard was four to one, so all of those things were playing in my mind.
BONNIE RAITT

Girl Great Guy Music Political Scene
Religion is for people who are scared to go to hell. Spirituality is for people who have already been there.
BONNIE RAITT

Faith God Spiritual
My love was Bob Dylan, but as I got older I realized a good ballad was a good ballad.
BONNIE RAITT

Ballads Bob Dylan
In 1967 I entered Harvard as a freshman, confident – in the way that only 17-year-olds are – that I could change the world.
BONNIE RAITT

Creating Government Years
I’m one of those people who just doesn’t plan my personal life. I plan my professional life.
BONNIE RAITT

People Plans Professional Life
The experiences of life make all your emotions, I think, deeper.
BONNIE RAITT

Deeper Emotion Experience Make

I’m sure I would have been considered a more significant artist if I was a singer-songwriter. It’s just not the way I roll. I love being a curator and a musicologist.

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I’m sure I would have been considered a more significant artist if I was a singer-songwriter. It’s just not the way I roll. I love being a curator and a musicologist.

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Popular Authors

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