CRYIN’ MERCY
by BONNIE RAITT
Compact Disc
GOSS052
Label: GOSSIP
BONNIE RAITT AGED 25, HEADLINING A 1973 SHOW WITH JOHN PRINE IN SUPPORT
In 1970, Bonnie Raitt was a 20-year-old musician on the Boston area folk scene, where she initially established her reputation. A singer, aspiring songwriter and bottleneck-style guitar player with a passion for the blues, she would be recognized by the 65-year-old Cambridge blues promoter and manager, Dick Waterman, an important figure in the blues revival of the 1960s. Raitt and Waterman became fast friends and with his encouragement and management experience, she began performing alongside established blues legends such as Howlin' Wolf, Sippie Wallace, and Mississippi Fred McDowell. In late’ 70, while opening for Fred McDowell at the Gaslight Cafe in New York, a Newsweek Magazine reporter caught Raitt's performance and began to spread the word. Record company scouts began attending her gigs and she soon entered into a relationship with Warner Brothers, who released her eponymous, debut album in 1971. Her second album, Give It Up, released in 1972 and 1973's Takin' My Time were also both met with critical acclaim, but as strong as these albums were, Raitt remained an anomaly. • Which brings us to this remarkable performance, recorded shortly after the Takin' My Time sessions at the Music Inn before an incredibly appreciative audience. Raitt was fresh out of those sessions and had just debuted with her new band the previous night in Central Park. Still accompanied by her long-time cohort, Freebo on bass, she was now working with her first real band, featuring Dennis Whitted on drums and the phenomenal piano player, David Maxwell, who had performed with the likes of Freddie King, Otis Rush and James Cotton. Raitt was also headlining a bill featuring John Prine, a personal friend whose songwriting she deeply admired, so the pressure was on. • Exemplifying all the qualities that made her so captivating early on, her confidence level still had a way to go, but her enthusiasm, sense of humour and adventure are utterly contagious here. The bulk of the material focuses on her second and third albums, with several choice covers thrown in for good measure. The nature of this performance and the hyperactive energy from Raitt herself, who seems to be astounded by the overwhelmingly strong response from the audience, makes this a captivating listen throughout. The performance is a clear indication that Raitt is transcending beyond the early singer/songwriter stage of her career. Few would have prophesized it then, but after numerous ups and downs during the decades to follow, Bonnie Raitt would continually rise again to eventually become one of rock and blues most enduring champions.
1 Special Delivery Blues 4:14
2 That Song About The Midway 3:40
3 You Got To Know How 4:14
4 Give It Up Or Let Me Go 4:39
5 I Feel The Same 4:48
6 Love Me Like A Man 5:31
7 Everybody’s Cryin’ Mercy 4:58
8 Write Me A Few Of Yours Lines/Kokomo Blues 3:52
9 Rollin’ And A Tumblin’ 2:25
10 You’ve Been In Love Too Long 3:52
11 Guilty 3:56
12 The Spider And The Fly 3:12
13 Love Has No Pride 5:27
