BONNIE RAITT

In a 50-year career, singer-songwriter and demon bottleneck guitar player Bonnie Raitt has battled booze, fought against The Man, and created a rich catalogue of music drawing deep from the wells of rock, folk, blues and R&B. She broke through to mainstream fame with her Grammy-winning album Nick Of Time (’89) and follow-up Luck Of The Draw, with her guitar-playing skills a charm alongside her rootsy vocals. Dig beyond the evergreen ballad I Can’t Make You Love Me and cheeky radio hit Something To Talk About and you’ll find some real down-home gems.

Like her early hero Mississippi John Hurt, Raitt plays guitar finger-style (no plectrum), and although her approach is too understated to get the face-melter brigade excited she brings heaps of heart and a journeywoman’s soul, especially when she brings out that slide. GM

Listen to this: Love Me Like A Man (Bonnie Raitt, Give It Up, 1972)