November 8- Bonnie Raitt a blues singer-songwriter and slide-guitar player, first became known in the 1970s, when she released a series of roots-influenced albums that incorporated elements of blues, rock, folk and country. Born to Broadway musical star John Raitt and pianist Marjorie Haydock, Raitt began playing guitar at an early age. The 1977’s Sweet Forgiveness album gave Raitt her first commercial breakthrough when it yielded a hit single in her cover version of “Runaway.” Her previous albums, including Give It Up (1972) and Takin’ My Time (1973 ), had received critical acclaim but not commercial sales. In 1989 after several more years of praise from critics but little commercial success she had a major return to form with the release of her album Nick of Time. The following two albums Luck of the Draw (1991) and Longing in Their Hearts (1994) were also multimillion sellers generating several hit singles, including “Something to Talk About” and the ballad “I Can’t Make You Love Me.” In March 2000, Raitt was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. In April 2012, Raitt released her first studio album since 2005 entitled Slipstream. Since the early 1970s, Raitt has been involved in both political and environmental causes. In addition to 10 Grammy Awards, Rolling Stone magazine listed her as number 50 of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time and number 89 of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. Australian Country Music Artist Graeme Connors has said, “Bonnie Raitt does something with a lyric no one else can do; she bends it and twists it right into your heart.”
November 17-John Boehner current Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, was elected to represent Ohio’s Eighth Congressional District for a 12th term in November 2012, serving since 1991. The Republican, known for his conservative views and ability to negotiate both sides of the aisle, previously served as the House Minority Leader from 2007 until 2011, and House Majority Leader from 2006 until 2007. As Speaker of the House, Boehner is second in line to the presidency of the United States. Born in Reading, Ohio, Boehner was the second of twelve children. During the Vietnam War, Boehner enlisted in the U.S. Navy but was honorably discharged after eight weeks because of a bad back. He earned his B.A. in business administration from Xavier University in 1977, becoming the first person in his family to attend college. Shortly after his graduation in 1977, Boehner went to work for a small sales business and eventually became president of the firm, resigning in 1990 when he was elected to Congress. He has been reelected 10 times with no substantial opposition, and even ran unopposed in 1994 and 2012.In 1994 Boehner was one of the engineers of the Contract with America that politically helped Republicans during the 1994 congressional elections during which they won the majority in Congress for the first time in four decades. He and Senator Ted Kennedy authored the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, which he said was his “proudest achievement” in two decades of public service. When Boehner became Speaker of the House in 2011, he broke into tears when talking about “economic freedom, individual liberty and personal responsibility. . . . I hold these values dear because I’ve lived them. . . . I’ve spent my whole life chasing the American Dream.”
November 28 – Paul Shaffer a musician, actor, voice actor, author, comedian and composer, has been David Letterman’s musical director, band leader and sidekick since 1982. Born and raised in Fort William (now Thunder Bay), Ontario, Canada, Shaffer began his music career in 1972 when he became the musical director for the Toronto production of Godspell. From 1975 to 1980, he was a member of the house band on NBC’s popular Saturday Night Live (SNL) television program. Off the show, Shaffer occasionally teamed up with the Not Ready for Prime-Time Players, including work on Gilda Radner’s highly successful Broadway show and as the musical director for John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd whenever they recorded or performed as The Blues Brothers. Since 1982, Shaffer has served as leader of “The World’s Most Dangerous Band” for Late Night with David Letterman (1982–1993) on NBC, for which he also composed the theme song, and as leader of the CBS Orchestra for the Late Show with David Letterman (1993–present) on CBS. He has served as musical director and producer for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony since its inception in 1986 and filled the same role for the 1996 Olympic Games closing ceremony. Shaffer has released two solo albums, 1989’s Grammy-nominated Coast to Coast, and 1993’s The World’s Most Dangerous Party, and has recorded with a wide range of artists, including Donald Fagen, Grand Funk Railroad, Diana Ross, B.B. King, Asleep at the Wheel, Cyndi Lauper, Yoko Ono, Blues Traveler, Cher, Chicago and bluegrass legend Earl Scruggs.
November 29 – Gary Shandling comedian, actor and writer, is best known for his work in It’s Garry Shandling’s Show and The Larry Sanders Show. Born in Chicago and raised in Tucson, Ariz., he began his career writing for sitcoms such as Sanford and Son and Welcome Back, Kotter. He made a successful stand-up performance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in 1981 and became a frequent guest-host on the show. His persona was an anxiety-ridden, grimacing, guarded, confused man on the verge of losing control. In 1977, Shandling was involved in an auto accident in Beverly Hills that left him in critical condition for two days but he later turned the accident into part of his comedy act. In 1986 he created It’s Garry Shandling’s Show for the pay cable channel Showtime. It was nominated for four Emmy Awards (including one for Shandling) and lasted until 1990. He won an American Comedy Award for Funniest Male Performance in a Series, and won four CableACE awards, two for Best Comedy Series. The show also won an award for Outstanding Achievement in Comedy in the Television Critics Association Awards.His second show, The Larry Sanders Show, which began airing on HBO in 1992, was even more successful. Shandling was nominated for 18 Emmy Awards for the show and won in 1998, for writing the series finale. The show influenced other shows such as Entourage, 30 Rock, Extras and Curb Your Enthusiasm in which guest stars play themselves in episodes of the series. In 2002, TV Guide named The Larry Sanders Show as 38th Greatest Show of All Time. In 2008, Entertainment Weekly ranked the show the 28th Best Show of the past 25 years. It was also included on Time magazine’s 100 Greatest Shows of All Time.
