Bonoff is scheduled to perform at 7 p.m. May 1 at the Fair Oaks Theatre Festival, 7991 California Ave, where she plans to deliver a stripped-down set featuring songs that span her catalog. Photo courtesy of Karla Bonoff

SACRAMENTO REGION, CA (MPG) - Singer-songwriter Karla Bonoff will bring decades of music to Fair Oaks offering audiences an intimate performance shaped by a career that began in one of Southern California’s most influential music scenes.

Bonoff is scheduled to perform at 7 p.m. May 1 at the Fair Oaks Theatre Festival, 7991 California Ave., where she plans to deliver a stripped-down set featuring songs that span her catalog.

“I travel with a great guitar player,” Bonoff said, referring to longtime collaborator Nina Gerber. “She plays electric and acoustic, I play piano and acoustic, and I do songs from all the way back from my first album up to stuff that’s more current. It’s a lot of fun.”

The performance reflects a shift from the large-scale touring productions of her early career to a more intimate format. Bonoff said the smaller setting allows for a closer connection with audiences.

“It’s more of an unplugged kind of intimate situation,” she said. “When I was opening for someone like Jackson Browne, sometimes there’d be 10,000 people. It’s just a different thing.”

Bonoff emerged from the Los Angeles music scene of the late 1960s and early 1970s, a period centered around the famed “Troubadour.” The club became a hub for singer-songwriters who would go on to define an era, though Bonoff said the significance of the moment wasn’t clear at the time.

“Those of us that were around in the late ’60s, early ’70s … were really lucky to kind of come up in that time,” she said. “When you’re living in the middle of it, you don’t think about how far we would go. But looking back, I realize it was a pretty magical time.”

Like many young artists, Bonoff said she was focused less on legacy and more on navigating early adulthood.

“Everyone was just young and kind of trying to learn how to write and sing and perform,” she said. “You’re just focused on trying to put one foot in front of the other.”

Her path into music began in West Los Angeles, where she started playing guitar at age 12 and developed a passion for songwriting. Influenced by artists like Judy Collins, Bonoff said she was drawn to live performances and albums that shaped her early ambitions.

“I didn’t like school very much, and I would look forward to coming home and playing the guitar,” she said. “That’s what my passion was.”

A turning point in her career came through her association with Linda Ronstadt. Introduced through mutual connections, Bonoff found herself in the right place at the right time as Ronstadt’s career was rising.

“She was looking for songs, and all of a sudden she did three of mine on one of her albums,” Bonoff said. “That was kind of mind-blowing for me because I’d kind of gone from zero to 60.”

Hearing her songs performed by another artist was both disorienting and affirming, she said.

“When those songs come out of your DNA, you feel them a certain way,” Bonoff said. “But when you’re 22 or 23 and a big artist does your song, you’re so excited. It’s such a validation.”

Bonoff’s songwriting process has remained consistent over the years, rooted primarily in melody.

“I’ve always come at it with the music first,” she said. “The music kind of is what gives me that inspiration to write lyrics.”

Now in her 70s, Bonoff said her perspective on her work has shifted toward gratitude, both for her career and for the listeners who have connected with her songs across generations.

“To see people who’ve been following me for 40 or 50 years come back and love those songs … there’s something gratifying about feeling like you made a tiny little notch of meaning in somebody’s life,” she said.

Her touring schedule has also evolved. Where once she performed multiple nights in a row with full bands and production teams, Bonoff now emphasizes pacing and sustainability.

“I used to be able to do seven nights in a row,” she said. “I can’t really do that now. So it’s about pacing and taking care of yourself.”

Despite those changes, she continues to perform regularly, driven by the connection with audiences and the enduring relevance of her music.

When asked what she hopes listeners take away from her shows, Bonoff pointed to a sense of familiarity and shared experience.

“I hope that they feel like they know me better than just from records,” she said. “For people who’ve been coming back over and over, I just hope it brings back good stuff from their life.”

Looking back, Bonoff said she views her career with a mix of pride and reflection.

“I’m proud of myself that I made it this far,” she said. “If I had it to do over again, I probably would have been more disciplined, but it's easy to say that looking back. I did the best I could, and so I’m patting myself on the back at this point.

For newer artists, her advice is grounded in the fundamentals that shaped her own development.

“You really had to go out and play for people to hear you,” she said. “That made us stronger as musicians and singers. Getting out and just playing is probably the best thing you can do.”