ARTISTS UNITED AGAINST APARTHIED, NUKES, ETC

That would be the definition of "unsung", then - we raised a quizzical eyebrow, you know the way that we do, when we heard Bonnie Raitt was being given a humanitatian award, but it turns out it's not a bad idea to recognise her track record:

Raitt, 55, has campaigned to stop war in Central America, participated in the Sun City anti-apartheid project and performed at the 1980 No Nukes concerts at Madison Square Garden. She's also worked for environmental protection as well as rights for women and American Indians.

In 1988, she co-founded the Rhythm & Blues Foundation, which works to improve royalties and financial conditions for R&B pioneers.

The award, oddly, comes from the National Association of Recording Merchandisers - we're not quite sure how they came to be giving out a shadow Nobel prize.

music bonnie raitt