73-year-old Bonnie Raitt wins the Grammy for Song of the Year

By: Patrick Beech

It was an unexpected result at the recent Grammy Awards when 73-year-old American blues, folk and country singer Bonnie Raitt scored a win for Song of the Year for her track "Just Like That."

The critically acclaimed singer jumped ahead of pop titans Beyonce, Adele and Taylor Swift to take home the prize honoring songwriting.

"I don't know what to say. This is just an unreal moment. Thank you for honoring me, to all the Academy that surrounds me with so much support and appreciates the art of songwriting, as I do," she said.

Raitt's Grammy win is another feather in her cap as the artist was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000, and Rolling Stone named her as both one of the 100 Greatest Singers and 100 Greatest Guitarists of all time.

Raitt is also known for her political activism, particularly in opposition to nuclear testing, fundraising for environmental disaster relief efforts and for her criticism of former US president George W. Bush.

She has joined a chorus of artists who have thrown their support in the past behind Bernie Sanders, a progressive senator who has made two runs at the Democratic presidential nomination.