Raley's Lifetime Achievement Award

Sometimes in life you find a gem. A piece of music that no matter how long you live, what kind of times you go through, the album (CD for you kids) comes shining through and fills your heart like an old time friend. This release has done this for me. I first discovered "Streetlights" in 1978. I had heard of Bonnie Raitt but at the time, never heard much of her music. When I was putting together a music library for an AM station that I was programming, I found this beauty playing on the stereo in a record shop. I was immediately hooked and she has remained a favorite of mine for years. I was so pleased at her comeback in 1991 and thought "Nick of Time" was a fine recording. But this one, this one has a permanent place in the Raley Album Hall of Fame.

1. That Song About The Midway ( a Joni Mitchell song done better here)
2. Rainy Day Man (James Taylor tune from his very first LP on Apple records)
3. Angel From Montgomery (John Prine says THIS is the best version ever of his song)
4. I Got Plenty (sweet sweet tune, maybe the best on the album)
5. Streetlights (written by Billy Payne of Little Feat her beau at the time)
6. What Is Success (Alan Toussaint's finest stuff)
7. Ain't Nobody Home (living well is the best revenge, you go, girl)
8. Everything That Touches You (written by conductor/composer Micheal Kamen smooth stuff)
9. Got You On My Mind (this is my favorite song on here, my favorite Bonnie song ever)
10. You Got To Be Ready For Love (If You Wanna Be Mine) (nice ending, babe)

I first heard Bonnie doing a song called "Guilty" and it ripped my heart out of my chest. Thank you Bonnie for almost 30 years of awesome music in my life. This is definately a Charter Member of the Randy Raley all time album Hall of Fame.

Here's a synopsis of her career:

Bonnie Raitt - one of the most critically admired yet commercially ignored white R&B singers in the history of popular music, Bonnie Raitt only achieved the success and respect she had so obviously deserved with her tenth album, almost 20 years after her recording debut. The daugher of Broadway star John Raitt (of Carousel and The Pajama Game fame), Bonnie Raitt (born 1949) was first captivated by the blues and began learning guitar at the age of 12.After dropping out of college in 1969, she began playing on the US folk and blues circuit, turning heads due to her ability - almost unique in a white female - to play credible bottleneck guitar. She became friendly with many of the surviving blues legends, including Howlin' Wolf, Mississippi Fred McDowell and particularly Sippie Wallace, with whom she later recorded. fter paying her dues in clubs, she signed with a major record label in 1971,when she released her eponymous debut album which included both contemporary songs by Stephen Stills and Paul Siebel and a number of blues covers, plus two selfpenned originals. Backed largely by R&B musicians who normally worked with producer Willie Murphy, Raitt was somewhat sold short by the album. as became clear with the release of 1972's greatly improved "Give it up" album, which made the US chart and featured mainly white rock players and superb songs written by under-appreciated songwriters like Eric Kaz and Jackson Browne, plus three originals and several R&B covers. She went on to release seven more albums ("Takin' my Time" (1973),"Streetlights" (1974), "Home Plate" (1975), "Sweet Forgiveness" (1977), "The Glow" (1979), "Green Light"(1982) and "Nine Lives" ( 1986) . 1989's "Nick of Time" found Raitt on a different record label after 18 years with one company, and with production by Don Was, Raitt finally found herself receiving the commercial rewards (and Grammy Awards) her mainly excellent body of work had always deserved.1990 saw her winning another Grammy awards for her work on John Lee Hooker's "The Healer" album, which was to some extent a return to the roots for two truly great artists from different generations. Chart positions are largely irrelavantin Bonnie Raitt's case, but anyone who enjoys great music is missing something should they decide to ignore this supremely tasteful andutterly sincere artist.