This interview, conducted by Bill Neill for the Music Weekend radio show, provides a great overview of Rita Coolidge's long career. Besides touching upon her success as a solo artist, including her seminal Anytime…Anywhere album, she also discusses what it was like to work with the likes of Eric Clapton, Joe Cocker, Booker T. Jones, Bonnie Bramlett, and Jimmy Buffett. The two also talk about her former collaborator and husband, Kris Kristofferson, although Coolidge obviously prefers not to be musically pigeonholed by those years. Throughout the course of the interview, she comes across as soft-spoken, thoughtful, and sincere, making this a good start for new fans and a great refresher for old ones.
00:20 - Her role in Les Paul: He Changed the Music
01:11 - Staying busy through touring / working with Jimmy Buffett
02:17 - Working with symphonic accompaniment
03:34 - Her Baptist minister father; no problems from him with rock and roll
04:00 - Getting hooked up with Stax Records (career choice #2)
04:55 - First real job (Delaney & Bonnie & Friends)
05:09 - The Mad Dogs and Englishmen Tour with Joe Cocker
06:39 - Sticking to one project at a time
07:11 - Learning from different performers
07:54 - Careers as a back-up singer and as a solo performer
08:27 - How the Rita Coolidge solo album came about
08:59 - Thoughts on winning Grammy awards
10:12 - How she approached "(Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher and Higher)" / working with Booker T. Jones
11:35 - The ability to cross over between country, pop, and rock
12:21 - Negative experiences with making movies
13:05 - Getting involved in a number of charitable causes
14:44 - Intro to Boz Scagg's "We're All Alone"
15:15 - What she listens to when she has the time to relax
15:59 - What she appreciates about Al Green and the Memphis sound
16:31 - Respect for Eric Clapton
18:11 - Intro to "Bring Back the Magic" (with Jimmy Buffett)
19:10 - Thoughts on Jimmy Buffett
19:42 - Her 14 year-old daughter, Casey
20:58 - Hopes and goals for her future / plans for a new album