Karla Bonoff has had a charmed career. Her songs have been covered by the likes of Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt, Wynonna Judd and Lynn Anderson.
Still, there’s another woman she admires.
“I’m a ‘Swiftie,’” the 72-year-old Santa Monica native said with a laugh.
“She seems so nice, available and genuine. She’s really able to enjoy herself and enjoy (Travis Kelce’s) football games. It’s cool that she’s not trying to act cool. I especially like the songs she wrote during COVID: ‘Folklore’ and ‘Evermore.’”
A critically acclaimed songwriter, Bonoff was introduced via Ronstadt’s 1976 album, “Hasten Down the Wind,” which spawned the hits “Someone to Lay Down Beside Me,” “Lose Again” and “If He’s Ever Near.” She also penned the 1989 Ronstadt and Aaron Neville duet “All My Life.”
In 1982, Bonoff had a hit with her song “Personally,” which hit No. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart and No. 3 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary Chart.
She released her first new album in more than a decade in 2019. The 16-song “Carry Me Home” features new recordings of Bonoff’s classics, along with new tracks and a cover of Jackson Browne’s “Something Fine.”
Fans will hear a retrospective of Bonoff’s career during her show at the Fox Tucson Theatre on Tuesday, April 1.
“I play with my friend, Nina Gerber, whom I’ve played with for 20 years,” Bonoff said. “She’s an incredible guitarist.”
Ironically, songwriting has never come easy to Bonoff. She called it a “mystery.”
“I kind of channel music through me,” she said. “I don’t know if I’m inspired or not. I don’t know if I have writer’s block or not. It’s not something I have a lot of control over. Songwriting is a mystery in that way.
“However, music is pretty easy for me, but it’s like pulling teeth to get lyrics out. It still is. It’s not my favorite. What’s cool today is you don’t have to make a whole CD. You can record one or two things and put them out there.”
Playing music for most of her life, Bonoff finds it difficult to stay passionate about the industry.
“I think it’s harder with the business being the way it is,” she added. “I grew up in such an amazing time when anything was possible. We were able to get real record deals and get a lot of support. It’s harder businesswise. Music is still my passion, and I love playing live.”
Karla Bonoff
WHEN: WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 1
WHERE: Fox Tucson Theatre, 17 W. Congress Street, Tucson
COST: Tickets start at $35
INFO: foxtucson.com
