Bonnie Raitt

Bonnie Raitt
November 8, 1949
Burbank, California

This passionate Scorpio has become a living blues legend as one of the few women in the world to master the bottleneck guitar.

'Religion is for people who are scared to go to hell. Spirituality is for people who have already been there.'

Bonnie Raitt's Tarot Reading

Holding the Number Four position on VH1's 100 Greatest Women of Rock and Roll, Bonnie Raitt is the daughter of singer/pianist Marge Goddard and Broadway singer/actor John Raitt.

With her Sun in Scorpio, Bonnie is quiet, deep, emotionally complex and intensely private. She is not a person who is easy to get to know and understand. Extremely sensitive but disinclined to show it, she allows only a special few into her inner world. Like a wary animal, she is cautious and mistrustful of those she does not know until she 'sniffs them out.' She is very intuitive and usually has a strong gut reaction to people, even though she may be unable to clearly articulate why. Her feelings and perceptions go deeper than words. She also has a powerful need for emotional involvement and forms intense attachments. She is possessive and often jealous of anyone or anything that she perceives as a threat to her bond with someone she loves. When she commits herself, she is wholeheartedly devoted and expects complete loyalty in return. She merges with the person she loves at a very deep level and therefore separations are extremely painful -- often stormy -- as she so fittingly describes in her song 'Storm Warning' from her Grammy-winning album, Longing In Their Hearts:

Storm warning, feels like a heavy rain
Winds on the coast tonight
We may get tossed tonight
Storm warning, he made it pretty plain
He's fallin' for another, found a new lover
(and he won't be back again)
Can't stop a river, when it's burst it's banks
I've seen the look in his eyes
He's in love and hypnotized
Time of mourning
There's already been a flood of my tears
Such a sense of loss tonight
Nought to do but ride it out
Can't stop a river when it's burst its banks
I wonder how long it's gonna take
To get over this heartbreak ...

When she has been wounded, she is not inclined to turn the other cheek. Certainly she will never forget the injury and often harbors grievances and resentments for a long time. Forgiveness doesn't come easily to her. Whatever she does, she does with passion and fervor and she often goes to extremes, saying, 'I would rather feel things in extreme than not at all.' Rarely emotionally detached, she definitely has a fanatical streak. She is also immensely strong-willed and her tenacity in pursuing her objectives often borders on being obsessive. Fierce pride, courage and emotional strength are hers in abundance. She loves mysteries and is attracted to the hidden, dark side of life. She never takes things at face value and is always probing beneath the surface to discover what is really going on. She tends to be more of a cynic than idealist.

Sun sextile Saturn reveals that she has a healthy amount of self-control. She also radiates a reliable, solid feeling, which wins her the confidence of others, especially her superiors. With Sun square Pluto she is intensely willful and zealous, though she often hides the intensity of her feelings and motivations. She has an almost compulsive desire to be somebody. She tends to admire and emulate heroes who have powerful personal magnetism and charisma, such as blues greats Muddy Waters, B. B. King, Howlin' Wolf, Sippie Wallace, Son House and Mississippi Fred McDowell -- and she has played with all of them. On February 21, 1990 she won a Grammy for Best Traditional Blues Recording for 'I'm in the Mood,' which she performed with John Lee Hooker on his album, The Healer. She also won Album of the Year for Nick of Time, as well as Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Best Rock Vocal Performance -- for a total of four Grammy awards in one year.

Sun opposition Moon/N. Node indicates that she feels spiritually bonded with her friends, partners and associates. She is likely to have good rapport and harmony in her relationships with the opposite sex and enjoys spending time with her partner. With Sun conjunct Mars/Jupiter she feels physically strong and fit and has a healthy sex life. Her actions are governed by a powerful sense of honor and integrity. She is ambitious, with a talent for organizing and a strong desire to succeed.

Mercury in Scorpio means that she has good mental concentration and the ability to become completely immersed in her work. She seems to know things at an instinctive, nonverbal level and prefers learning through direct experience or apprenticeship rather than vicariously. She has mechanical ability and works well with her hands -- being one of the few people in the world who could go head-to-head with Jerry Garcia on guitar. Mercury trine Uranus makes her independent and freethinking. She dislikes being told what to do and how to do it and she especially does not like being told how to think, for she insists on discovering her own truth. She does well in an unstructured environment that allows her to make her own decisions and to respond to the needs of the moment, rather than following a routine. She is suited to a fast-paced environment, like touring with her band, which she finds exciting. Her mind functions in an intuitive, nonlinear fashion and sudden insights and flashes of inspiration often come to her 'out of the blue.'

Mercury conjunct Jupiter/Pluto shows that she has the ability to influence others to her way of thinking. She thinks in big dimensions and has a gift for speaking. She is interested in subjects that encompass a larger view of the world. In 1979, Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, Graham Nash and John Hall co-founded MUSE (Musicians United for Safe Energy). They produced five concerts at Madison Square Garden, featuring Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, The Doobie Brothers, James Taylor, Gil Scott-Heron, plus themselves and others, generating a three-record gold album and the film, No Nukes. In 1985, she performed in Sun City, on Steven Van Zandt's anti-apartheid album and video. She also appeared in benefit concerts for Farm Aid and Amnesty International. In 1987 she joined the first-ever Soviet/American Peace Concert and also put together Countdown '87 to Stop Contra Aid, along with Don Henley, Herbie Hancock and Holly Near, among others. In 2004 she took part in the Vote for Change concert tour, working to defeat President George W. Bush in his bid for re-election. That July, at the Stockholm Jazz Festival, she dedicated her song, 'Your Good Thing (Is About to End)' to the president, saying, 'We're gonna sing this for George Bush because he's out of here, people!' The crowd went wild.

With Venus in Capricorn she is definitely not one to wear her heart on her sleeve, unless she does it in a song. She cares very much about others' opinions and craves love and appreciation as much as anyone -- but one would never know it from her reserved and seemingly detached outer shell. Casual, superficial relationships don't interest Bonnie at all. She is cautious and serious about love and desires a genuine, lasting relationship. She is old-fashioned about courtship and will remain faithful to her loved one in good times and in bad. She may be attracted to someone older than herself, someone who is emotionally mature and reliable and who can provide the security she desires. When she was attending Radcliffe college in the 'sixties, Bonnie met and teamed up with blues promoter Dick Waterman, 'much to the chagrin of my parents, who didn't expect their freshman daughter to be running around with 65-year-old bluesmen,' she said. 'I was amazed by his passion for the music and the integrity with which he managed the musicians.'

Venus trine Mars reveals that she is warmly romantic and openly expresses her appreciation and love for the opposite sex, though rarely in a crude or insensitive manner. 'There wouldn't be any rhythmic music if not for sexuality,' says Raitt. 'Sensuality and sexuality is at once complex and simple. It shouldn't be cheapened by a girlie show.' She also enjoys playing matchmaker and bringing people together romantically. Fulfillment and harmony in love are likely for her because she know what she wants and needs and expresses those desires honestly.

Venus opposition Uranus means that she is not a traditionalist where romance is concerned and she often feels that formal commitments and conventional relationships are too binding and life-denying. She may be attracted to wild, unreliable, highly creative or unstable people who do not offer her any security. Even if she professes to want something steady and solid, she is very reluctant to give up her freedom for it. At best, she is suited to serial monogamy, or a relationship that offers her a lot of breathing room. In April of 1991, she married actor Michael O'Keefe. They were divorced in 2000. About her personal relationships, she has said, 'Sometimes I'm more true when I'm up onstage than I'm able to be in my regular life. It's not as exciting to be at home, but I've got to learn how to make that work and then I will be an ordinary woman.' With Venus opposition Saturn/N. Node she tends to feel lonely, even when she is in the company of others.

Mars in Virgo makes her a perfectionist with high standards for her work. She often feels that if she wants something done right she must do it herself. Doing a task well is very important to Bonnie and she may labor over minute details that others wouldn't bother with. She is usually modest and realistic in assessing what she can accomplish and, if anything, she underestimates herself. With Mars sextile Uranus she enjoys risky, exciting activities and cannot tolerate too much routine. She needs to be a totally free agent, to run her own show.

However, with Mars opposition Jupiter/N. Node, working with others makes her happy and she is likely to be a much sought-after colleague. In fact, she has made guest appearances on more than 100 album projects and has performed with a wide range of artists including Roy Orbison, k.d. lang, Jennifer Warnes, Tony Bennett, Willie Nelson, Warren Zevon, Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks and Cape Verdean singer Cesaria Evora.

With Saturn in Virgo she has a penchant for order and precision and an almost compulsive attention to detail, but N. Node opposition Neptune gives her a tendency towards escapism through fantasy or intoxicants. In 1987 she conquered a substance abuse problem, crediting the example set by Stevie Ray Vaughan for her recovery.

With N. Node opposition Sun/Saturn she is a very social creature and it is easy for her to show affection. She may love to show off a little and thrives on being involved with others in joyful group activities. In 2000, Bonnie Raitt was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Having worked closely with many of the blues masters over the years, she has said, 'I'm certain that it was an incredible gift for me to not only be friends with some of the greatest blues people who've ever lived, but to learn how they played, how they sang, how they lived their lives, ran their marriages and talked to their kids. I was especially lucky as so many of them are no longer with us.'