Inside the
Fall Issue:

Home Page

All Because
of Harry...

Harry Chapin
Run Against Hunger

Be Not Afraid

An Extraordinary
Friendship

Larry Austin Helps Keep
Harry’s Long Island
Dreams Alive

Fighting AIDS
in Ethiopia:
One Person
Making a Difference

Bonnie Raitt
Honored With
Chapin Humanitarian
Award

Readers Help
Those Affected by
Hurricane Katrina

Chapin Family
& Friends Plan
Concert in NYC
To Benefit WHY’s
30th Anniversary

Goat Tales

Doing Something

Letter to the Editor

WHY Hosts Free
Anti-Hunger Forum
October 18th

Country Store
Owner Celebrates
“Harry Chapin Weekend”

Circle! Calendar

Bonnie Raitt Honored With
Chapin Humanitarian Award

Bonnie Raitt has won nine Grammy Awards, is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and continues to be one of the hottest road acts around.

But among her longest-lasting accomplishments might be singing for elementary school kids to intrigue them about music. Or speaking out against war. Maybe raising millions to battle against hunger and poverty, support women’s issues and safe energy, or help recognize the plight of Native Americans.

On Aug. 12, Raitt received the Harry Chapin Memorial Humanitarian Award, an honor established by the National Association of Recording Merchants. Raitt joins Bob Geldorf, Kenny Rogers and organizers of Hands Across America and Rock The Vote campaigns, among several other high-profile honorees of the Chapin award.

"Bonnie Raitt's personal commitment and selfless devotion of her time to so many social, environmental and community issues makes her particularly illustrative of the spirit on which the Harry Chapin Memorial Humanitarian Award was established," noted NARM President Jim Donio. "It is fitting that we honor someone who exemplifies the very essence of our Humanitarian Award."

For much of her 40-year career, Raitt has combined her social activism with music. Among her more notable actions include performing at the 1980 No Nukes concerts, co-founding Musicians United for Safe Energy, participating in the Sun City anti-apartheid project and launching the Rhythm & Blues Foundation to financial support early R&B pioneers.

More recently, the Bonnie Raitt Guitar Project has expanded to 200 Boys and Girls Clubs of America to encourage underprivileged youth to play music. She joined with Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp Dave Matthews and others on 2004’s Vote for Change concert tour.

And, as in the past, she’ll be combining benefits with her upcoming Soul’s Alike concert tour. Soul’s Alike is Raitt’s 18th album, which features 11 songs written by lesser-known songwriters who Raitt wants to help promote. "I'm as enthusiastic about these guys as I was when I first heard people like Jackson Browne and John Prine in my early days," Raitt said.

Watch for the Next Issue of Circle! on December 7