Bonnie Raitt: Still in the Nick of Time Paperback – December 26, 2002

Bonnie was a hidden treasure for far too long (Nick of Time, get it?). Leaving WEA for Capitol was the best thing she could have done- 5 Grammys in one year proves that. Her guitar playing, Fender,Gibson, or Dobro were unheard of "for a girl" when she played in the early '70s.It's great to read about her life. I'm a little biased- I've seen her perform 40-50 times.

Unauthorized bios are just that. Interviews can be taken out of context. Without a review and authorization, the facts can be skewed and the personalities left to the writers opinions presented as if it they were all done in person. Bonnie has way more to offer in her art and her humanity than what is presented in this book. Nevertheless, the chronology of Bonnie's rise to fame redeems an otherwise cursory overview.

I have no idea what prompts this author to continue pumping out these vapid, shallow accounts ofimportant artists. This is not only uninspiring but it succeeds in contaminating the contributions ofthe estimable career of Bonnie Raitt. He did the same thing to Aretha and others.Not really intentional hatchet jobs, just appallingly low research standards and talent.

A good read but the author goes into too much detail, discussing every track on each of Bonnie's albums.That said, I did learn an awful lot about Bonnie I never knew before. Her struggles to make the big time, her alcohol and substance abuse, and, together with other artists such as Jackson Browne, leading the field, via 'The Rhythm and Blues Foundation' in getting older artists the royalties they never got back in the day. She's also invited the likes of the great Sippie Wallace and Charles Brown to go out on the road with her, giving them a new lease of life as well as introducing her own fan base to these legendary blues musicians and their music. She has also played many many benefit concerts to help pay medical bills of artists who had fallen on bad times. So yes, I did enjoy this book at many levels.