Photo
50 | Bonnie Raitt


Photo: Micelotta/Getty
Born
November 8th, 1949
Key Tracks
"Nick of Time," "I Can't Make You Love Me," "Angel from Montgomery," "Love Me Like a Man"
Influenced
Norah Jones, Sheryl Crow, the Dixie Chicks

"For many years, I couldn't stand listening to my own voice," says Bonnie Raitt. "Not enough gravitas or experience to convey the depth of emotion I wanted to express." But Raitt would become a blues force all her own on songs such as the ferocious "Love Me Like a Man" from 1972, combining influences ranging from Ray Charles and Joan Baez to Muddy Waters, as well as her father, John Raitt, a star of Broadway musicals. By the time of 1989's Nick of Time and 1991's Luck of the Draw, she had grown into her vocal ambitions, most obviously in her heart-rending delivery of ballads such as "I Can't Make You Love Me." "I've never been one to think about how to sing," says Raitt. "Once I start, I'm just living it. I prefer to just let 'er rip."

Playlist
1. Nick of Time
2. I Can't Make You Love Me
3. Angel From Montgomery
4. Love Me Like a Man
5. Something to Talk About
6. Thing Called Love
7. Give it Up (or Let Me Go)
8. Been Too Long at the Fair
9. Everybody's Cryin' Mercy
10. Dimming of the Day

View List: The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time
Listen: The Ultimate Singers Playlist
The Ballots: View Handwritten Votes
Legends at Work: In the Studio Photos
Voters & Methodology


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