“Winnipeg Songwriters ‘Humiliated’ by Bonnie Raitt’s Grammy Shoutout: The Controversy Behind the Single”
The Bros. Landreth are nominated for Contemporary Roots Album of the Year by Junos.BNB Studios/The Canadian Press
They say never meet your heroes, but for alternative country duo The Bros. Landreth, a chance encounter nearly a decade ago proved that adage wrong.
Dave Landreth was camping out in his living room caring for his ailing toddler with his wife on Sunday night when he nearly fell.
Thousands of miles from Landreth’s home of Winnipeg, veteran singer-songwriter Bonnie Raitt took the stage at this year’s Grammy Awards pre-ceremony to accept the trophy for Best Americana Performance for the song “Made Up Mind.”
“I want to thank The Bros. Landreth for writing this killer song,” Raitt said during her acceptance speech.
When she heard that said on the Grammys stage, “it was a real moment,” Landreth said in an interview.
Raitt won three trophies this year, including Song of the Year and Best American Roots Song for “Just Like That,” a track she wrote.
“Made Up Mind” can also be found on their 2022 album Just Like That.
The song was written by Dave Landreth and his brother Joey and Jonathan Singleton, an American country singer.
The Juno-nominated group released their debut album Let It Lie in 2013, which drew on their childhood soundtrack together, including influences from Raitt, Lyle Lovett and Joni Mitchell.
The following year, the brothers met Raitt while she was performing at the 2014 Winnipeg Folk Festival.
“Joey saw a shock of red hair on stage, which horrified him because he was just terribly shy about playing in front of Bonnie Raitt,” Landreth recalled.
After her set, Raitt invited the group to hang out with her backstage, Landreth said. After exchanging stories, Raitt asked if the brothers had some songs to share with her.
“We didn’t have any songs back then because we played every single song we wrote,” Landreth said.
“I said, ‘If you ever want to shorten one of our songs, just keep going. You don’t need to ask.”
Almost ten years later, Raitt’s team informed the group that they were recording “Made Up Mind” to include on their latest album.
The team sent the brothers a sample of the song, which left them “dizzy and stunned.”
“It was this incredible ride that she just pulled us out of nowhere, grabbed this little song we wrote 10 years ago and then took it on this incredible adventure. We are infinitely grateful for that,” said Landreth.
He added that seeing the results of that first meeting come full circle gave the group a sense of validation of the work they’ve put into their careers.
To see Raitt pick up three more awards decades after launching her career speaks to the longevity Landreth is aiming for with his own career.
“I never expected to receive such recognition overall, but I just hope that 52 years later we still do.”
The band hopes to win a trophy of their own this year when the Junos takes place in Edmonton on March 13th.
The group is nominated for Contemporary Roots Album of the Year.
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