Grammys flashback: In 1990 Bonnie Raitt won Album of the Year just in the ‘Nick of Time’

Jaime Rodriguez
·4 min read
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Perhaps the biggest surprise of the 2023 Grammys was hearing Bonnie Raitt’s name called as the winner of the prestigious Song of the Year award for “Just Like That.” While many were shocked at Raitt taking home the award over smash hits by artists like Adele, Harry Styles, and Lizzo, few would consider Raitt undeserving of the prize. This is especially true if you know how important Raitt has been to popular music for decades. But that wasn’t the only general field award she’s won. At the 32nd Grammy Awards, held in 1990, Raitt’s comeback record “Nick of Time” won her three trophies, including Album of the Year over legends like Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, and Don Henley.

To understand Raitt’s 1990 wins, you need to understand her career leading up to “Nick of Time.” Raitt got her start in the early ’70s, earning praise as one of the best guitarists on the scene at the time. However, while Raitt was acclaimed, she had limited commercial success early on. Ironically, her first Hot 100 hit, the 1977 top-60 song “Runaway,” came at a time when Raitt’s reviews had started to suffer. In subsequent years her career was marked by multiple label droppings, financial struggles, and addiction issues. However, Raitt eventually got clean and was picked up by Capitol Records, for whom she worked on what would become her mainstream breakout.

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“Nick of Time” was a slow riser, but by the time Grammy nominations were being voted on the album had rocketed to the top of the Billboard 200; before then no Raitt album had even cracked the top 20. However, Raitt’s winning chances for Album of the Year did not look promising at first glance. The LA Times even called Raitt, and I quote, “a l-o-n-g-shot.” Why was that?

Well, Raitt’s competition was quite strong. Eagles front man Don Henley’s acclaimed “The End of Innocence” was up for the award, riding off of three big hits including the title track, which was nominated for Record and Song of the Year. There was also new wave band Fine Young Cannibals, who were likely the youth pick with their hit album “The Raw and the Cooked.” Rock legend Tom Petty rounded out the list with two nominations. The first was for his solo debut album, “Full Moon Fever,” which marked his commercial apex at the time. The second, and perhaps the strongest contender for Album of the Year, was his supergroup Traveling Wilburys, who were competing with their first album, “Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1.” The group was composed of George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison and Petty, which sounds like a match made in Grammy heaven.

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Traveling Wilburys had the advantage of combining rock, pop, and country artists, helping them appeal to a wide range of voters. However, what they and all the other nominees lacked was a strong narrative. Raitt, on the other hand, not only represented a critically acclaimed, bestselling album, but also an opportunity to honor an artist who had never been celebrated quite as much as she deserved. Timing also likely mattered; while the Petty, FYC, and Henley records had been hits for a while by then, Raitt’s music peaked later, meaning she was fresher in mind and had less overexposure. Vote-splitting might have been a factor too: Petty, TW, and Don Henley probably appealed to the same type of rock audience while Raitt had a fresher sound that could appeal more to rock and pop listeners.

Funny enough, many of the reasons why Raitt won back then are also reasons why she won in 2023. She’s an underrecognized artist who has also represented the average musician: struggling on her way up, trying to get by while pumping out decade-defining songs. During her Album of the Year speech (watch above) you could tell she was surprised, and understandably so. However, that win was just the beginning of a career renaissance for Raitt, who went on to top the Billboard 200 with “Nick of Time” and achieve multiple top-40 hit singles after that underdog Grammy win.

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