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The Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry Inducts ‘Nick of Time’ in 2022

13 April 2022

Bonnie’s album, Nick of Time, (released in 1989) has been inducted as one of 25 audio recordings for this year’s National Recording Registry! The Library of Congress will be preserving Nick of Time as a recording that helped shape our nation’s history and culture, bringing the registry to 600 works. Bonnie is honored that her album has been recognized as enduring and influential in the annals of American recorded music history. Read the full list of inductees here: https://bit.ly/NRR2022)

Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden today named 25 recordings as audio treasures worthy of preservation for all time based on their cultural, historical or aesthetic importance in the nation’s recorded sound heritage.

“The National Recording Registry reflects the diverse music and voices that have shaped our nation’s history and culture through recorded sound,” Hayden said. “The national library is proud to help preserve these recordings, and we welcome the public’s input. We received about 1,000 public nominations this year for recordings to add to the registry.”

The recordings selected for the National Recording Registry bring the number of titles on the registry to 600, representing a small portion of the national library’s vast recorded sound collection of nearly 4 million items.

“Nick of Time” — Bonnie Raitt (1989) (album)

Bonnie Raitt released her first album in 1971 and had long been considered a great and respected talent. But, though often critically acclaimed, significant commercial success had often eluded her. In 1989, seven years after being dropped from her previous record label and after suffering a debilitating skiing accident, Raitt rallied herself and returned to the studio. With the assistance of renowned producer Don Was, she not only fashioned the most important album of her career but an album many consider among the best of the decade. “Nick of Time,” Raitt’s 10th LP, would earn three Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, top the “Billboard” chart, sell 5 million copies and earn a lasting place in the book “1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.”  With the aid of Was, Raitt dove deep emotionally and cared little about genre labels or categories. About the record, it was said “[she] never rocks too hard, but there is grit to her singing and playing, even when the surfaces are clean and inviting.” About the album, Raitt herself said, “Basically, it’s a return to my roots.”

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