Page 30 - ARUBA TODAY

A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Tuesday 13 June 2017
Road warriors James Taylor, Bonnie

Raitt team up this summer

LEANNE ITALIE causes,” Raitt said. San Francisco are among
Associated Press The two haven’t worked up their other ballpark stops.
NEW YORK (AP) — James their sets yet but Raitt just Taylor, 69, and Raitt, 67,
Taylor might just be the may include Taylor’s 1968 will play hour sets, guest-
happiest road warrior tour- “Rainy Day Man,” from his ing for each other as well.
ing today, so what makes debut album and one of Come fall, Taylor will come
him happier? her all-time Taylor favorites, off the road, where he’s
Bringing on old friend Bon- written by him and Zach averaged about half of
nie Raitt this summer for Wiesner. It’s old-school each year for the last three
concerts that include the Taylor, desperate and years, to begin work on a
In this combination photo, singer Bonnie Raitt, left, appears in ultimate in Americana, lonely, focused on making new studio album, this one
New York on March 7, 2016 and singer James Taylor poses in some of the country’s most a dope connection soon a look back at his musical
New York on May 13, 2015. file photo. storied baseball parks. after he tried opiates for influences.
Associated Press “I’ve loved her music and the first time in real life, set- “I don’t have a release
her for a long, long time,” ting him on a 20-year path date. We haven’t started
Taylor told The Associated of addiction. recording yet. Past experi-
Press in a recent inter- Raitt covered the song in ence has shown me that if
view. “I’ve interacted with 1974 on her “Streetlights” you set a deadline you’re
Bonnie, and happily so, album. just setting yourself up for
at numerous benefits for “What good is that happy a fall. I’m not writing these
numerous causes — envi- lie/All you wanted from songs. I’m looking at the
ronmental, social, political the start was to cry/It looks songs that basically were
causes — over the years. like another fall/Your good the source for my musical
We’re very much in sync in friends they don’t seem to education. The way I want
that way. She’s an incred- help at all/When you’re to record them is just my
ible giver.” feeling kind of cold and guitar arrangements,” he
Among their stops will be small/Just look up your said.His last album of origi-
Boston’s Fenway Park, rainy day man.” nal material was in 2015,
where Taylor’s home-state “It’s so complex and deep “Before This World,” some
team, the Red Sox, live and as a point of view, es- of which explored his road
where Raitt last joined him pecially for someone as to recovery. The album
on the road in 2015. And young as James when he didn’t come easy. He left
the first time? Well, that wrote it,” Raitt said. “He the family, including twin
was back in 1970, when he was so insightful and so teen boys, to hole up in
invited the Harvard junior deeply in touch with the Newport, Rhode Island, fol-
and budding blues singer, inner workings and the lowing a 13-year gap for
guitar player and songwrit- darker side of the human release of new songs.
er onstage for a campus soul and relationships, and Raitt put out a studio al-
gig at Sanders Theatre af- so much of that point of bum last year called “Dig
ter the two met through a view was so beautifully ex- in Deep” and generally
mutual friend. pressed in his music. That works in five-year cycles for
“I was nervous to play be- song just speaks to me and recording,
cause I hadn’t really bro- always has.” “It’s a lot more fun to be
ken my chops in for con- The summer tour has the out here on the road play-
certs that much,” Raitt said two working together for six ing than it is looking for
by phone from Toronto weeks, kicking off July 6 at ideas for a new record,”
while on a swing through Prudential Center in New- she said. “Some people
Canada. “But I was so ark, New Jersey, and wind- enjoy writing and it’s al-
excited. It was an honor ing up at Fenway, Taylor’s ways satisfying, but really
to be both at my school third turn there, on Aug. 11. the payoff for me is being
and opening for him. He Nationals Park in Washing- able to travel around and
couldn’t have been warm- ton, D.C., Wrigley Field in make people happy every
er and more friendly. It was Chicago and AT&T Park in night, including me.”q
intimidating to meet one of
my heroes but he was just
so down to earth.”
Raitt got her first recording
contract and dropped out
of school around that time.
Though she was based on
the West Coast and Taylor
on the East, the two stayed
in touch over the decades.
“The affection between
us is so clear and so pal-
pable. Our two bands love
each other. James and
I are both social activists
and we’re really proud
that a dollar of every ticket
will be donated to various