Bonnie and Linda: 35 Years Later

In 2024, two hit albums from significant female artists mark their 35th anniversaries: Nick of Time by Bonnie Raitt and Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind by Linda Ronstadt.

By the late 1980s, industry vets Raitt and Ronstadt each faced a crossroads as they moved into their 40s. Contemporaries, the singers had a lot in common. Each had emerged from the 1960s folk scene (Ronstadt in southern California, Raitt in the northeast). Both were best known as interpreters of songs by other artists, with influences of rock, pop, country, blues and soul freely mixed into their sound. And each approached her 1989 release with a significant question mark hanging over her future.

Raitt’s career to that point seemed like the bigger disappointment. The daughter of Broadway star John Raitt, there were some expectations attached to the singer that were probably unfair. She released a series of albums throughout the ’70s and ’80s that ran the gamut from very good to sub-par, though she never released an outright bomb, and even her least successful albums contained worthwhile moments. After early critical acclaim, Raitt seemed stuck in a rut by the late ’70s. While she had a pair of gold albums, most of her releases sold just well enough to allow her to record the next, and rock and pop radio play remained elusive. Her compromised 1986 release Nine Lives was a low point in…