A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor

Bonnie Raitt

At age 14, L.A. native Bonnie Raitt heard the album Blues at Newport 1963. "That one record changed my life," she says. By the late '60s, as a Harvard/Radcliffe student, she was making the rounds of Cambridge coffeehouses. Soon she was opening for the likes of Mississippi Fred McDowell, Sippie Wallace, Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker. These days, Raitt can claim legions of fans, stacks of recordings and a host of awards, including nine Grammys. In 2000, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the following year she was welcomed into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame, along with her father, celebrated Broadway singer John Raitt. Her 18th studio album, Souls Alike, and the live DVD/CD Bonnie Raitt and Friends are her latest offerings in a legendary body of work.

Martin Sheen

Growing up in Dayton, Ohio, Martin Sheen (born Ram&oaculte;n Gerardo Antonio Estévez) always wanted to be an actor. His father thought otherwise, but undeterred, Sheen finally borrowed a few bucks from a local priest and headed for New York. That was in 1959. Over the years, he has piled up Emmys, Golden Globes and other accolades for his performances in movies such as Badlands, The Subject Was Roses, Apocalypse Now, The Departed and Bobby, and on television for "Kennedy," "Blind Ambition" and his seven seasons in the role of President Josiah Bartlet on NBC's "The West Wing." For his work as a tireless activist for social and environmental causes, he has received numerous honors, including the C&eacte;sar E. Chávez Spirit Award.

Jearlyn Steele

Jearlyn Steele grew up in Indiana and first sang with her siblings (as The Steele Children) in churches, concert halls and on radio and TV. After she left home and moved to Minnesota, one by one the rest of the Steele kids followed. They started singing together again as The Steeles. Now music is the family business. Jearlyn is the entertainment reporter for Twin Cities Public Television's public-affairs program, Almanac, and she hosts Steele Talkin', a Sunday-night radio show that originates on WCCO in Minneapolis and is heard in some 30 states nationwide. Steele Praising Hymn is her most recent CD.

The Guy's All-Star Shoe Band

The Guy's All-Star Shoe Band is led by A Prairie Home Companion music director Richard Dworsky (keyboard) and features Pat Donohue (guitar), Gary Raynor (bass), and Peter Johnson (percussion).

Venue Information

The Greek Theatre

In December of 1896, Griffith J. Griffith, who had made a fortune in gold mine speculation, gave Los Angeles an extraordinary gift: He donated 3,015 acres to be made, as he specified, "a place of recreation and rest for the masses, a resort for the rank and file, for the plain people." In 1912, Griffith offered another gift to the city, funds to be used for an observatory and an outdoor theater in the park. Although the city declined, Griffith ultimately had his way. In his will, he left money to be spent on these projects. Built in 1929, the Greek Theatre has been used for dozens of school graduations, as the backdrop for numerous movies and TV shows, as Army barracks during World War II, and — best of all — as a place to enjoy "Live music under the stars, in the heart of Los Angeles." This year, for the eighth time, Pollstar — a leading industry trade publication — named the Greek the nation's Best Small Outdoor Venue.