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Bonnie Raitt began her career in the 1970s as a young guitarist and singer who shared the stage with legendary bluesmen like Howlin’ Wolf and Mississippi Fred McDowell. But despite entering the record business at a time when it was almost entirely run by men, she managed to maintain complete control over her music. “The feminist movement was really part of the generation I was in,” said Raitt on Soundcheck. “Your turn at the food coop, your turn with the dishes. If a guy wanted to get laid, he’d better step up to the plate.... I would not have signed a record deal where I had to give up one bit of control over what I recorded when and with whom.” Listen to Soundcheck’s entire interview with the blues legend here. 

Blues guitarists Bonnie Raitt and Taj Mahal have been friends since the late 1960s and worked together on Raitt's 1973 album, Takin' My Time. But they’ve led separate touring careers ever since -- until now. Today, they join us to talk about reuniting and about their respective brands of rootsy ...