Bonnie Raitt as a Part of the US Boom Generation - Essay Example

Bonnie Raitt and the Boom Generation The Untied s History website cited the term "Baby Boom" as a massive increase in births following the Second World War. Baby boomers are those people born worldwide between 1946 and 1964, the time frame most commonly used to define them. In 2011, that would have made them between 47 and 65 years old. There are about 76 million boomers in the U.S., representing about 29 percent of the population. In Canada, they are known as "Boomies;" six million reside there. In Britain, the boomer generation is known as "the bulge." With reference to About.com, in the 1930s to early 1940s, new births in the United States averaged around 2.3 to 2.8 million each year. In 1945, the number was 2.8 million births; it marked the beginning of the Baby Boom. In 1946, the first year of the Baby Boom, new births in the U.S. skyrocketed to 3.47 million births! A contributing article on about.com further detailed that new births continued to grow throughout the 1940s and 1950s, leading to a peak in the late 1950s with 4.3 million births in 1957 and 1961. (There was a dip to 4.2 million births in 1958) By the mid-sixties, the birth rate began to slowly fall. In 1964 (the final year of the Baby Boom), 4 million babies were born in the U.S. and in 1965, there was a significant drop to 3.76 million births. From 1965 on, there was a plunge in the number of births to a low of 3.14 million births in 1973, lower than any year’s births since 1945! The Boom Generation produced children that would one day become leaders throughout their respective fields and leave long lasting impacts among all who they have come across. Such examples of these people include George W. Bush and Bonnie Raitt. Bonnie Raitt was born November 8 1949 in Burbank, California, and raised in Los Angeles, in a climate of respect for the arts, Quaker traditions, and a commitment to social activism. The daughter of John Raitt, a famous Broadway star who featured in productions of ‘Carousel’, ‘Oklahoma!’ and ‘The Pajama Game’, and Marge Goddard, a skilled pianist and singer, she was exposed to music from a very young age. As such, she took up playing guitar at the age of eight, when she received one as a Christmas present. (Helium.com, Biography: Bonnie Raitt) While growing up, though passionate about music from the start, she never considered that it would play a greater role than as one of her many growing interests. In the late 60s, restless in Los Angeles, she moved east to Cambridge, Massachusetts. As a Harvard/Radcliffe student majoring in Social Relations and African Studies, she attended classes and immersed herself in the citys turbulent cultural and political activities. Raitt was already deeply involved with folk music and the blues at that time. Exposure to the album Blues at Newport 1963 at age 14 had kindled her interest in blues and slide guitar, and between classes at Harvard she explored these and other styles in local coffeehouse gigs. Three years after entering college, Bonnie left to commit herself full-time to music, and shortly afterward she found herself opening for surviving giants of the blues. From Mississippi Fred McDowell, Sippie Wallace, Son House, Muddy Waters, and John Lee Hooker she learned first-hand lessons of life as well as invaluable techniques of performance. Each generation views the world with a different perspective. This perspective is often shaped by key events (national catastrophes) in their lives as well as cultural influences (such as music) at the time. Understanding some of these viewpoints can greatly enhance successful communication and working relationships. The Baby boomer generation grew up with the Vietnam War, the space race, and assassinations of Martin Luther King and President John F. Kennedy. Their childhood was typically modeled with very conservative mores. The civil rights movement, women’s liberation, the advent of television, rock ‘n’ roll, and the hippie movement caused them to question and rebel against the establishment. This constant question of “why” led to a love-hate relationship with authority. Boomers have a feeling of optimism and hope, even to this day. They continue to want to make a difference. Their work ethic is one that is very strong; they are willing to work long hours no matter the cost and be willing to sacrifice personal time. They have a commitment to life-long learning. Learning is accomplished just for the sake of learning, and not just to achieve an end. Boomers were taught in a structured traditional classroom setting and still learn best in a more formal venue. Boomers do not do well with criticism; they respond much better to positive feedback but they are confident, independent and self-reliant. They tend to work well in a team situation with a designated goal. Boomers are excellent on committees; their "can do" attitude can get the job done. Although hesitant to make a mistake with new technologies, once they are shown how the technology will make their work more effective and efficient, they embrace the upgrades, not wanting to be left behind. This generation grew up in an era of reform and believes they can change the world. They questioned established authority systems and challenged the status quo. In the legal workplace, Baby Boomers are not afraid of confrontation and will not hesitate to challenge established practices. With increased educational and financial opportunities than previous generations, Baby Boomers are achievement-oriented, dedicated and career-focused. It can be said that these characteristics describe Bonnie Raitt best. In addition to that it was the mood of that era that has influenced her music and her lifestyle. In an extensive interview with Julio Diaz she explained her reason for becoming so involved with politics through her music as being the way she was raised. She was raised Quaker, and her parents were very active in the peace and civil right movements. ”That’s kind of what was going on in the time of my childhood. It was the Cold War, and Quakers were always very involved in trying to get a Ban the Bomb test ban treaty, and that came about in 1963. The march on Washington for civil rights was a big part of my childhood. From that, I went into college, where we were all very active against the Vietnam War. So music was a hobby of mine, and politics was a passion of mine. (Bonnie Raitt, interview with Julio) Another important musical influence was, as Raitt described it in the Los Angeles Times, “this sort of progressive Quaker camp in the early ’60s that had a lot of counselors from the East Coast colleges where a lot of interest in folk music and civil rights and the peace movement was mushrooming…. so that kind of tied music and politics together for me.” (Cited from encyclopedia.com: bonnie-raitt) Word spread quickly of the young red-haired blues woman, her soulful, unaffected way of singing and her uncanny insights into blues guitar. Warner Bros. tracked her down, signed her up, and in 1971 released her debut album, Bonnie Raitt. Her interpretations of classic blues by Robert Johnson and Sippie Wallace made a powerful critical impression, but the presence of intriguing tunes by contemporary songwriters, as well as several examples of her own writing, indicated that this artist would not be restricted to any one pigeonhole or style. (bonnie.raiit.com-biography) Raitt produced five albums from 1971-75, containing mostly covers of blues, folk, and pop songs. Tracks included several Sippie Wallace tunes (“You Got to Know How,” “Mighty Tight Woman,” and “Woman be Wise”) as well as songs by Joni Mitchell, John Prine, Jackson Brown, and Randy Newman. In 1977, Raitt’s LP Sweet Forgiveness turned into her first gold album and produced a hit cover of Del Shannon’s “Runaway.” Raitt’s interest in linking music and social causes was evident in her 1979 participation as a founding member of Musicians United for Safe Energy (M.U.S.E.). Joining M.U.S.E. co-founders John Hall, Jackson Browne, and Graham Nash, she performed in a series of five benefit concerts at Madison Square Garden, which were recorded and released as a three-album set. She has been especially active in the fight to preserve our Ancient Forests, performing numerous concerts, lobbying in Washington and getting arrested twice in support of a change in forest policy. She has also supported groups working for Native American, womens and human rights, as well as the fight against apartheid in South Africa and U.S. involvement in the war in Central America in the 80s. As one of the founding members of the Rhythm & Blues Foundation she continues to work for increased recognition, health benefits and royalty reform for the pioneer generation of R&B artists to whom we owe so much. In 1995, she helped establish the Bonnie Raitt Guitar Program, which now provides free guitar lessons to kids in over 180 Boys and Girls Clubs around the world. In 1995 Raitt became the first woman guitarist to have a guitar named for her. All royalties from the sale of Fenders Bonnie Raitt Signature Series Stratocaster go to programs to teach inner-city girls to play guitar. Raitt also cofounded the Rhythm & Blues Foundation, dedicated to raising awareness and money for influential musical pioneers left impoverished in their old age by unfair record deals and lack of health insurance. Bonnie Raitt - one of the most critically admired yet commercially ignored white R&B singers in the history of popular music, only achieved the success and respect she had so obviously deserved with her tenth album, almost 20 years after her recording debut. Raitt was dropped by her recording company before the release of her breakthrough album “Nick of Time” in 1989. In an interview with Julio Diaz she spoke openly about her struggle with substance abuse and credits her 14-year sobriety for her musical success which began with her multi-grammy album “Nick of Time”. To date, her 39 year career as a blues and rock artist has seen her release 18 albums, guest on many albums by others, perform alongside blues legends such as Junior Wells and John Lee hooker, and win nine Grammys. Bonnie Raitt got married to Michael O’ Keefe on April 27, 1991, a marriage that lasted eight years and produced no children. “Entertainment Celebrities” written by Norbert B. Laufenberg stated that Raitt 50 and O’Keefe 44 at the time mutually agreed to end their marriage. The couple who have homes in Los Angeles and northern California spent too little time together. Their different professions drove them apart. In March of 2000, Bonnie was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; this was followed by her welcome into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame, along with her father, in June 2001. The last few years have also brought some personal challenges for Bonnie. After a prolonged illness, her father passed away in early 2005; her mother died unexpectedly from complications from Alzheimer’s just months earlier; and in 2009, Bonnies brother finally succumbed to his battle with brain cancer which he valiantly fought with a macrobiotic diet program for eight years.  In conclusion, Bonnie Raitt created her own style influenced by her Quaker traditions and political views. Raitt was in a league by herself and her biggest competition was herself. This said blues woman didn’t choose music to be a pop star but to use it as equilibrium to express her political opinion. Raitt came under extreme pressures from record executives to deter from her current musical style, because record sales were drooling with unfavorable publicity. Bonnie continued to sing the fine tunes of her heart which were about things that were happening in the political arena and fine tuned it with here husky voice and the strings of her guitar. Works Cited Bonnieraiit.com, Activism, (n.d.) retrieved from: http://www.bonnieraitt.com/activism.php Diaz, Julio, Press Article, (October 18, 2009), bonnieraitt.com, retrieved from: http://www.bonnieraitt.com/press_detail.php?id=97 Greenwood, Nicholas, Biography: Bonnie Raitt, (September 25, 2010) retrieved from: http://www.helium.com/items/1942820-bonnie-raitt-musician-profile-biography Kane, Sally, About.com, “Baby Boomers” (2011) retrieved from: http://legalcareers.about.com/od/practicetips/a/Babyboomers.htm King, Rosemary, “How the Boomer generation thinks” (February 13, 2011), retrieved from http://www.suite101.com/content/how-the-boomer-generation-thinks-learns-and-work-a347162#ixzz1HVyfJ3mc Rosenburg, Matt, (Mar 2, 2011), “Population baby boom in the US”, retrieved from http://geography.about.com/od/populationgeography/a/babyboom.htm United States History, “Baby Boom Generation” (n.d.) retrieved from http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h2061.html on March 24, 2011 Read More