Bonnie Raitt & Taj Mahal To Tour

It's a match made in blues heaven – talented slide-guitarist and singer Bonnie Raitt will team for the first time with the legendary multi-instrumental talent Taj Mahal for a 30-city tour this summer. Titled the "BonTaj Roulet Tour," the two modern blues artists will hit both coasts, and a lot of turf in between, performing onstage both together and separately, Raitt with her band and Mahal with his Phantom Blues Band, both playing full sets before joining for a nightly jam session.

The two socially-conscious blues artists are also using their first tour together to raise money and awareness of a number of causes. The BonTaj Collective Action Fund created by Raitt and Mahal will take $1 from each ticket to distribute to a number of human rights, environmental, and clean energy charities which will be voted on by fans through the BonTaj Roulet website. Further, high-cost, high-demand VIP and Premium tickets for the tour will be sold by The Guacamole Fund, a non-profit organization that helps organize benefits for social change groups.

Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Bonnie Raitt and future Blues Hall of Fame inductee Taj Mahal first met each other back in the early-1970s when Raitt opened a Skidmore College show for Mahal. The bluesman would subsequently produce Raitt's 1973 album Takin' My Time. Raitt, in turn, lent her soulful voice to Mahal's 1996 album Phantom Blues.

Raitt's most recent release is 2005's Souls Alike while Mahal's is the critically-acclaimed 2008 album Maestro. Together these two should put on a heck of a show, well worth catching when it comes through your town.

BonTaj Roulet Tour Dates

August 6 @ Community Arts Center, Williamsport PA
August 8 @ Mann Center for Performing Arts, Philadelphia PA
August 9 @ Chevrolet Theatre, Wallingford CT
August 11 @ New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Newark NJ
August 12 @ Prospect Park Bandshell, Brooklyn NY
August 15 @ Bank of America Pavilion, Boston MA
August 16 @ Filene Center at Wolf Trap, Vienna VA
August 18 @ Chastain Park Amphitheatre, Atlanta GA
August 19 @ Louisville Palace Theatre, Louisville KY
August 21 @ Ravinia Festival at Ravinia Park, Highland Park IL
August 22 @ Ravinia Festival at Ravinia Park, Highland Park IL
August 23 @ Frederik Meijer Gardens, Grand Rapids MI
August 25 @ White River State Park, Indianapolis IN
August 27 @ Minnesota State Fair, Saint Paul MN
August 28 @ Stir Concert Cove at Harrah's Casino, Council Bluffs IA
August 30 @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison CO
September 1 @ Red Butte Garden, Salt Lake City UT
September 2 @ Idaho Botanical Garden, Boise ID
September 3 @ Edgefield Winery, Troutdale OR
September 5 @ Les Schwab Amphitheater, Bend OR
September 6 @ Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery, Woodinville WA
September 7 @ Cuthbert Amphitheater, Eugene OR
September 9 @ Table Mountain Casino, Friant CA
September 11 @ Greek Theatre, Los Angeles CA
September 12 @ Santa Barbara Bowl, Santa Barbara CA
September 13 @ The Mountain Winery, Saratoga CA
September 16 @ Paramount Theatre, Oakland CA
September 17 @ Humphrey's Concerts By The Bay, San Diego CA
September 23 @ Sandia Casino Amphitheater, Albuquerque NM
September 24 @ Dodge Theatre, Phoenix AZ
September 25 @ The Show at Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa, Rancho Mirage CA

Bonnie Raitt photo by Kevin Winter, courtesy Getty Images

More blues artists tour dates