David Raitt

One look at blues multi-instrumentalist David Raitt's last name will instantly indicate his pedigree: brother of bottleneck slide guitar legend Bonnie Raitt, son of Broadway actor John Raitt. Raitt played in a variety of local bands while growing up in Burbank, and later accompanied his sister to New York, serving as her stand-up bass player when she began her career playing coffeehouses in 1970. He moved back to California in 1972, this time in the northern county of Mendocino, where he quickly became involved in the local music scene, playing numerous clubs and events with a variety of area bands. Apart from an occasional tour with his sister (usually as her harmonica player), Raitt was largely content to remain local, running a successful yurt-building business. (Yurts are portable dwellings made with wood and canvas, which originated in Mongolia.) However, local connections with blues-rockers like Mark and Patrick Ford helped lead to a handful of recording sessions in the late '80s. In 1994, Raitt assembled an ecological benefit album called Edge of the Forest, which featured his band the New Mendocino All-Stars, as well as his sister. Raitt's first solo album, Take a Chance, was released in 1996. In 2000, Raitt recorded a classic-style electric blues album with childhood friend Jimmy Thackery, formerly of the Nighthawks; titled That's It, their collaboration was released on Patrick Ford's Blue Rock'it label. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide