Bonnie Raitt, a blues singer-songwriter, dropped out of what prominent school of higher education?

Bonnie Raitt enrolled at Radcliffe College, Harvard’s then-coordinate college, in 1967. The daughter of a Broadway musical performer, Raitt planned to major in African studies and travel to Tanzania. She hoped to help undo the damage that Western colonialism had done in Tanzania.

Her dreams were sidetracked when Raitt, a skilled guitar player, met blues promoter Dick Waterman in Cambridge. Waterman introduced Raitt to established performers such as Son House and Fred McDowell. Though Raitt had every intention of graduating, she took a semester off during her sophomore year to explore the possibility of a musical career with Waterman.

In due course, Raitt became a star. She signed a recording deal with Warner Bros.Studio in 1970. Next, she released her debut album, Bonnie Raitt, in 1971. The album was warmly received by the music press, with many writers praising her skills as an interpreter and as a bottleneck guitarist; at that time, few women in popular music had strong reputations as guitarists.

During her career, Raitt won four Grammy awards in 1990 and received Harvard’s third Arts Medal in 1997. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000.