Bonnie Raitt returns to road for spring tour

Hard-working singer/songwriter Bonnie Raitt, who spent much of last fall touring on her own and opening shows for The Rolling Stones, will make a varied set of appearances in April.

Raitt will kick off her short outing April 21 in Portsmouth, VA. The show is part of the Virginia Arts Festival, and pre-sale tickets are currently available to festival subscribers. The general public on-sale for the performance begins Friday (2/16).

The singer, who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000, will also make an April 29 appearance at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. The three-day event features Norah Jones, Van Morrison, Brad Paisley and many others. The full lineup is available at the festival's website.

Raitt continues to work the road behind last year's "Souls Alike," her 18th album overall, and her first self-produced collection. Her touring band includes bassist Hutch Hutchinson, who has been with Raitt for over 20 years; drummer Ricky Fataar (Beach Boys, The Rutles), who's been playing with her on and off since 1982; guitarist/keyboardist George Marinelli (Bruce Hornsby and the Range), who's been playing with her on and off since 1993; and keyboardist Jon Cleary (Eric Clapton, Taj Mahal), whose New Orleans-based band The Absolute Monster Gentlemen has previously supported Raitt on tour.