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Chicago Blues Events: Blues University Events Calendar
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Johnny B. Moore & Mary Lane
Time:
9:00pm
CST
Location:
Blue Chicago, 536 N. Clark St.
|
Vance Kelly & the Backstreet Blues Band
Time:
9:00pm
CST
Location:
Checkerboard Lounge, 423 E. 43rd St.
|
|
Kelly is one of the most prolific performers on the Chicago circuit, and one of the few who has always played on the South, West, AND North sides at the same time. Whether that is an indication of his skill at appealing to different audiences, or simply his ambition and loyalty, it's still an admirable fact. If he weren't the terrific funkmeister of the blues that he is, though, it wouldn't matter. Kelly's performances at the Checkerboard every Thursday have been a packed house for years, but these gigs at Lee's should be a bit less crowded, due to the night of the week as well as its harder to find location. Kelly mixes straight ahead blues with R&B and danceable funk rhythms to produce a set that's as fun as Magic Slim, but much more unpredictable and worth seeing multiple times. If you don't catch him at Lee's, get him at Checkerboard, but get there early. Get there really early and you might be able to get in on the perpetual card game next to the front door.
Recommended CD:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005JA2I/bluesuniversityA/
|
"Mississippi" John Hurt, died 1966, Grenada, MS
|
Folk guitarist "Mississippi" John Hurt, who was "rediscovered" in the early 60s as part of the folk blues revival movement, and whose delicate folk blues was nearly unrecorded until he was almost 70 years old, died November 2, 1966. His career had blossomed in the early 60s, when he became a darling of the folk revival circuit.
|
Eric Noden
Time:
11:00am
CST
Location:
Bone Daddy, 551 N. Ogden
|
Fierce acoustic guitar player who re-creates some formidable blues material with impressive skill. He has some original material as well, which neatly embodies the musical tenets of the classics while retaining relevant to today's audience. This is part of a Sunday brunch here, sort of a Devil's Music Church, so cross yourself and pass the barbecue sauce.
|
Live Gospel Brunch
Time:
2:00pm
CST
Location:
Koko Taylor's Celebrity, 1233 S. Wabash St.
|
Muddy Waters always said you can't sing blues unless you've been to church, and there is a significant amount of the blues tradition that is either based upon or a mirror image of the spiritual tradition. The Foundations of Soul is the choir usually present for this friendly Sunday event, which includes a full "Tennessee Style" buffet along with the food. It's very near the museum campus downtown, as well as the relocated Maxwell Market, so you could make a day of it and get a full cultural smorgasbord along with the gastronomic one. $15 includes the food and cover charge. Call 312-566-0555 for full details.
|
Harmonica Hinds Acoustic Jam
Time:
6:00pm
CST
Location:
Buddy Guy's Legends, 754 S. Wabash St., Chicago
|
This weekly jam session turns the sound down, but not the energy level. Hinds is a good interpreter of the Chicago harp traditions, sort of what it would have been like to see Little Walter unplugged. There's also a wealth of acoustic blues talent in Chicago at this juncture, and one must assume that some of that pool will show up for this series to play with the amiable Hinds. Also the early start time won't make you miss work on Monday morning.
|
Johnny B. Moore with Shirley Johnson
Time:
9:00pm
CST
Location:
536 N. Clark St.
|
Vance Kelly & the Backstreet Blues Band
Time:
9:00pm
CST
Location:
Lee's Unleaded Blues, 7401 S. South Chicago, 773-493-3477
|
|
Kelly is one of the most prolific performers on the Chicago circuit, and one of the few who has always played on the South, West, AND North sides at the same time. Whether that is an indication of his skill at appealing to different audiences, or simply his ambition and loyalty, it's still an admirable fact. If he weren't the terrific funkmeister of the blues that he is, though, it wouldn't matter. Kelly's performances at the Checkerboard every Thursday have been a packed house for years, but these gigs at Lee's should be a bit less crowded, due to the night of the week as well as its harder to find location. Kelly mixes straight ahead blues with R&B and danceable funk rhythms to produce a set that's as fun as Magic Slim, but much more unpredictable and worth seeing multiple times. If you don't catch him at Lee's, get him at Checkerboard, but get there early. Get there really early and you might be able to get in on the perpetual card game next to the front door.
Recommended CD:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005JA2I/bluesuniversityA/
|
Robert Lee McCoy/McCollum ("Robert Nighthawk"), died, Helena, AK, 1967
|
Robert Lee McCoy, later known as Robert Nighthawk after his hit single "Prowlin' Nighthawk", was born in Helena, Arkansas, November 30, 1909. He was one of the most popular guitar accompanists of the 1930s and 40s, often working with other blues legends like John Lee Hooker, John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson, and Houston Stackhouse, and also was a key sideman on many Chicago blues recordings in the 50s. His acoustic blues song "Sweet Black Angel" was later reworked by B.B. King as "Sweet Little Angel".
|
A.C. Reed
Time:
8:30pm
CST
Location:
Rooster Blues & BBQ, 811 W. Lake St.
|
AC Reed is an old-school honker sax player with an attitude, who is preferable to many of the same type players you might hear in hotel lounges, but a bit more flash than substance in comparison to some of the younger players on the circuit. Still, he's a veteran performer who won't disappoint you, and since this is booked as an open jam session, it's likely that some of the many people he's played with over the years will stop in to participate.
|
Vance Kelly & the Backstreet Blues Band
Time:
9:00pm
CST
Location:
Lee's Unleaded Blues, 7401 S. South Chicago, 773-493-3477
|
|
Kelly is one of the most prolific performers on the Chicago circuit, and one of the few who has always played on the South, West, AND North sides at the same time. Whether that is an indication of his skill at appealing to different audiences, or simply his ambition and loyalty, it's still an admirable fact. If he weren't the terrific funkmeister of the blues that he is, though, it wouldn't matter. Kelly's performances at the Checkerboard every Thursday have been a packed house for years, but these gigs at Lee's should be a bit less crowded, due to the night of the week as well as its harder to find location. Kelly mixes straight ahead blues with R&B and danceable funk rhythms to produce a set that's as fun as Magic Slim, but much more unpredictable and worth seeing multiple times. If you don't catch him at Lee's, get him at Checkerboard, but get there early. Get there really early and you might be able to get in on the perpetual card game next to the front door.
Recommended CD:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005JA2I/bluesuniversityA/
|
Rockin' Johnny
Time:
10:00pm
CST
Location:
Smoke Daddy, 1804 W. Division
|
|
These Blue Monday sets are important as much for who you might find sitting in as for their musical authenticity. While he's been derided for mixing idioms in his sets, this "kid" (by blues standards, anyway) has paid his dues playing behind pretty much every active West Side bluesman out there, including many little-or-no-pay gigs at tiny lounges, where he certainly picked up some changes and bawdy humor. His shows are still evolving at this point, but his respect for blues veterans and increasingly spare playing behind them indicate that he's learned a great deal from their experience, and like Devil in a Woodpile, he's a white peformer who's got the idiom and dynamics right, and bridges the gap for young rockers. Good place to start a journey into the blues, and should become a better and better one as time goes by.
Recommended CDs:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000006AH9/bluesniversityA/
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000JNB4/bluesniversityA/
|
Melvin Taylor & the Slack Band
Time:
9:00pm
CST
Location:
Rosa's Lounge, 3420 W. Armitage
|
Longtime Rosa's mainstay Taylor has a worldwide following now among those less-traditional blues fans, many of whom consider Stevie Ray Vaughan recordings to be the root of the tree. Despite his obvious appeal to young rockers (Hendrix and SRV as well as the Kinks slip into his sets), he manages to put new fire under old blues classics like Crosscut Saw, and in recent years has started to write promising material of his own. If you want to see a hyperfast guitarist whose approach to guitar approximates the wall-of-sound style of Eddie Van Halen, etc., this is the guy for you. Like the Kinsey Report, and Sugar Blue, he is one of a group of blues performers whose approach is based as much on creating a pastiche of sound as on replicating blues patterns. The result is often stunning, occasionally over the top, but clearly unique.
Recommended CD:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004S96D/
|
Johnny B. Moore & Mary Lane
Time:
9:00pm
CST
Location:
Blue Chicago, 536 N. Clark St.
|
Vance Kelly & the Backstreet Blues Band
Time:
9:00pm
CST
Location:
Checkerboard Lounge, 423 E. 43rd St.
|
|
Kelly is one of the most prolific performers on the Chicago circuit, and one of the few who has always played on the South, West, AND North sides at the same time. Whether that is an indication of his skill at appealing to different audiences, or simply his ambition and loyalty, it's still an admirable fact. If he weren't the terrific funkmeister of the blues that he is, though, it wouldn't matter. Kelly's performances at the Checkerboard every Thursday have been a packed house for years, but these gigs at Lee's should be a bit less crowded, due to the night of the week as well as its harder to find location. Kelly mixes straight ahead blues with R&B and danceable funk rhythms to produce a set that's as fun as Magic Slim, but much more unpredictable and worth seeing multiple times. If you don't catch him at Lee's, get him at Checkerboard, but get there early. Get there really early and you might be able to get in on the perpetual card game next to the front door.
Recommended CD:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005JA2I/bluesuniversityA/
|
Eric Noden
Time:
11:00am
CST
Location:
Bone Daddy, 551 N. Ogden
|
Fierce acoustic guitar player who re-creates some formidable blues material with impressive skill. He has some original material as well, which neatly embodies the musical tenets of the classics while retaining relevant to today's audience. This is part of a Sunday brunch here, sort of a Devil's Music Church, so cross yourself and pass the barbecue sauce.
|
Live Gospel Brunch
Time:
2:00pm
CST
Location:
Koko Taylor's Celebrity, 1233 S. Wabash St.
|
Muddy Waters always said you can't sing blues unless you've been to church, and there is a significant amount of the blues tradition that is either based upon or a mirror image of the spiritual tradition. The Foundations of Soul is the choir usually present for this friendly Sunday event, which includes a full "Tennessee Style" buffet along with the food. It's very near the museum campus downtown, as well as the relocated Maxwell Market, so you could make a day of it and get a full cultural smorgasbord along with the gastronomic one. $15 includes the food and cover charge. Call 312-566-0555 for full details.
|
Harmonica Hinds Acoustic Jam
Time:
6:00pm
CST
Location:
Buddy Guy's Legends, 754 S. Wabash St., Chicago
|
This weekly jam session turns the sound down, but not the energy level. Hinds is a good interpreter of the Chicago harp traditions, sort of what it would have been like to see Little Walter unplugged. There's also a wealth of acoustic blues talent in Chicago at this juncture, and one must assume that some of that pool will show up for this series to play with the amiable Hinds. Also the early start time won't make you miss work on Monday morning.
|
Johnny B. Moore with Shirley Johnson
Time:
9:00pm
CST
Location:
536 N. Clark St.
|
Vance Kelly & the Backstreet Blues Band
Time:
9:00pm
CST
Location:
Lee's Unleaded Blues, 7401 S. South Chicago, 773-493-3477
|
|
Kelly is one of the most prolific performers on the Chicago circuit, and one of the few who has always played on the South, West, AND North sides at the same time. Whether that is an indication of his skill at appealing to different audiences, or simply his ambition and loyalty, it's still an admirable fact. If he weren't the terrific funkmeister of the blues that he is, though, it wouldn't matter. Kelly's performances at the Checkerboard every Thursday have been a packed house for years, but these gigs at Lee's should be a bit less crowded, due to the night of the week as well as its harder to find location. Kelly mixes straight ahead blues with R&B and danceable funk rhythms to produce a set that's as fun as Magic Slim, but much more unpredictable and worth seeing multiple times. If you don't catch him at Lee's, get him at Checkerboard, but get there early. Get there really early and you might be able to get in on the perpetual card game next to the front door.
Recommended CD:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005JA2I/bluesuniversityA/
|
Booker T. Washington "Bukka" White, b. 1906, Houston, MS
|
Bukka White, a popular folk blues singer who waas best known for his "prison" songs, was born November 12, 1906, in Houston, Mississippi. His career was interrupted by a term on Parchman's Prison Farm in the late 30s, but he revived his music career as part of the folk music revival in the 1960s.
|
A.C. Reed
Time:
8:30pm
CST
Location:
Rooster Blues & BBQ, 811 W. Lake St.
|
AC Reed is an old-school honker sax player with an attitude, who is preferable to many of the same type players you might hear in hotel lounges, but a bit more flash than substance in comparison to some of the younger players on the circuit. Still, he's a veteran performer who won't disappoint you, and since this is booked as an open jam session, it's likely that some of the many people he's played with over the years will stop in to participate.
|
Vance Kelly & the Backstreet Blues Band
Time:
9:00pm
CST
Location:
Lee's Unleaded Blues, 7401 S. South Chicago, 773-493-3477
|
|
Kelly is one of the most prolific performers on the Chicago circuit, and one of the few who has always played on the South, West, AND North sides at the same time. Whether that is an indication of his skill at appealing to different audiences, or simply his ambition and loyalty, it's still an admirable fact. If he weren't the terrific funkmeister of the blues that he is, though, it wouldn't matter. Kelly's performances at the Checkerboard every Thursday have been a packed house for years, but these gigs at Lee's should be a bit less crowded, due to the night of the week as well as its harder to find location. Kelly mixes straight ahead blues with R&B and danceable funk rhythms to produce a set that's as fun as Magic Slim, but much more unpredictable and worth seeing multiple times. If you don't catch him at Lee's, get him at Checkerboard, but get there early. Get there really early and you might be able to get in on the perpetual card game next to the front door.
Recommended CD:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005JA2I/bluesuniversityA/
|
Rockin' Johnny
Time:
10:00pm
CST
Location:
Smoke Daddy, 1804 W. Division
|
|
These Blue Monday sets are important as much for who you might find sitting in as for their musical authenticity. While he's been derided for mixing idioms in his sets, this "kid" (by blues standards, anyway) has paid his dues playing behind pretty much every active West Side bluesman out there, including many little-or-no-pay gigs at tiny lounges, where he certainly picked up some changes and bawdy humor. His shows are still evolving at this point, but his respect for blues veterans and increasingly spare playing behind them indicate that he's learned a great deal from their experience, and like Devil in a Woodpile, he's a white peformer who's got the idiom and dynamics right, and bridges the gap for young rockers. Good place to start a journey into the blues, and should become a better and better one as time goes by.
Recommended CDs:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000006AH9/bluesniversityA/
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000JNB4/bluesniversityA/
|
Melvin Taylor & the Slack Band
Time:
9:00pm
CST
Location:
Rosa's Lounge, 3420 W. Armitage
|
Longtime Rosa's mainstay Taylor has a worldwide following now among those less-traditional blues fans, many of whom consider Stevie Ray Vaughan recordings to be the root of the tree. Despite his obvious appeal to young rockers (Hendrix and SRV as well as the Kinks slip into his sets), he manages to put new fire under old blues classics like Crosscut Saw, and in recent years has started to write promising material of his own. If you want to see a hyperfast guitarist whose approach to guitar approximates the wall-of-sound style of Eddie Van Halen, etc., this is the guy for you. Like the Kinsey Report, and Sugar Blue, he is one of a group of blues performers whose approach is based as much on creating a pastiche of sound as on replicating blues patterns. The result is often stunning, occasionally over the top, but clearly unique.
Recommended CD:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004S96D/
|
Carey Bell born 1936
|
Carey Bell, one of the most talented Chicago-style harmonica players, and father to a whole family of blues musicians, was born November 14, 1936, in Macon, MS.
|
Johnny B. Moore & Mary Lane
Time:
9:00pm
CST
Location:
Blue Chicago, 536 N. Clark St.
|
Vance Kelly & the Backstreet Blues Band
Time:
9:00pm
CST
Location:
Checkerboard Lounge, 423 E. 43rd St.
|
|
Kelly is one of the most prolific performers on the Chicago circuit, and one of the few who has always played on the South, West, AND North sides at the same time. Whether that is an indication of his skill at appealing to different audiences, or simply his ambition and loyalty, it's still an admirable fact. If he weren't the terrific funkmeister of the blues that he is, though, it wouldn't matter. Kelly's performances at the Checkerboard every Thursday have been a packed house for years, but these gigs at Lee's should be a bit less crowded, due to the night of the week as well as its harder to find location. Kelly mixes straight ahead blues with R&B and danceable funk rhythms to produce a set that's as fun as Magic Slim, but much more unpredictable and worth seeing multiple times. If you don't catch him at Lee's, get him at Checkerboard, but get there early. Get there really early and you might be able to get in on the perpetual card game next to the front door.
Recommended CD:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005JA2I/bluesuniversityA/
|
Hubert Sumlin, b. Greenwood, MS, 1931
|
Hubert Sumlin, whose quirky, idiosyncratic guitar lines are featured on the greatest of Howlin Wolf's hits, was born in Greenwood, Mississippi, November 16, 1931.
|
Chicago Historical Society "Fashion, Flappers, & All That Jazz"
Time:
12:00pm
CST
Location:
Chicago Historical Society, Clark Street at North Avenue
|
This exhibit, which runs for 10 months, focuses on Jazz music as a social institution, including both fashion and music as an "expression of newfound freedoms". Blues U. Members get discounts at the Historical Society, and this exhibit may be included. Call 312-649-4600 for details.
|
Eric Noden
Time:
11:00am
CST
Location:
Bone Daddy, 551 N. Ogden
|
Fierce acoustic guitar player who re-creates some formidable blues material with impressive skill. He has some original material as well, which neatly embodies the musical tenets of the classics while retaining relevant to today's audience. This is part of a Sunday brunch here, sort of a Devil's Music Church, so cross yourself and pass the barbecue sauce.
|
Live Gospel Brunch
Time:
2:00pm
CST
Location:
Koko Taylor's Celebrity, 1233 S. Wabash St.
|
Muddy Waters always said you can't sing blues unless you've been to church, and there is a significant amount of the blues tradition that is either based upon or a mirror image of the spiritual tradition. The Foundations of Soul is the choir usually present for this friendly Sunday event, which includes a full "Tennessee Style" buffet along with the food. It's very near the museum campus downtown, as well as the relocated Maxwell Market, so you could make a day of it and get a full cultural smorgasbord along with the gastronomic one. $15 includes the food and cover charge. Call 312-566-0555 for full details.
|
Harmonica Hinds Acoustic Jam
Time:
6:00pm
CST
Location:
Buddy Guy's Legends, 754 S. Wabash St., Chicago
|
This weekly jam session turns the sound down, but not the energy level. Hinds is a good interpreter of the Chicago harp traditions, sort of what it would have been like to see Little Walter unplugged. There's also a wealth of acoustic blues talent in Chicago at this juncture, and one must assume that some of that pool will show up for this series to play with the amiable Hinds. Also the early start time won't make you miss work on Monday morning.
|
Johnny B. Moore with Shirley Johnson
Time:
9:00pm
CST
Location:
536 N. Clark St.
|
Vance Kelly & the Backstreet Blues Band
Time:
9:00pm
CST
Location:
Lee's Unleaded Blues, 7401 S. South Chicago, 773-493-3477
|
|
Kelly is one of the most prolific performers on the Chicago circuit, and one of the few who has always played on the South, West, AND North sides at the same time. Whether that is an indication of his skill at appealing to different audiences, or simply his ambition and loyalty, it's still an admirable fact. If he weren't the terrific funkmeister of the blues that he is, though, it wouldn't matter. Kelly's performances at the Checkerboard every Thursday have been a packed house for years, but these gigs at Lee's should be a bit less crowded, due to the night of the week as well as its harder to find location. Kelly mixes straight ahead blues with R&B and danceable funk rhythms to produce a set that's as fun as Magic Slim, but much more unpredictable and worth seeing multiple times. If you don't catch him at Lee's, get him at Checkerboard, but get there early. Get there really early and you might be able to get in on the perpetual card game next to the front door.
Recommended CD:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005JA2I/bluesuniversityA/
|
A.C. Reed
Time:
8:30pm
CST
Location:
Rooster Blues & BBQ, 811 W. Lake St.
|
AC Reed is an old-school honker sax player with an attitude, who is preferable to many of the same type players you might hear in hotel lounges, but a bit more flash than substance in comparison to some of the younger players on the circuit. Still, he's a veteran performer who won't disappoint you, and since this is booked as an open jam session, it's likely that some of the many people he's played with over the years will stop in to participate.
|
Vance Kelly & the Backstreet Blues Band
Time:
9:00pm
CST
Location:
Lee's Unleaded Blues, 7401 S. South Chicago, 773-493-3477
|
|
Kelly is one of the most prolific performers on the Chicago circuit, and one of the few who has always played on the South, West, AND North sides at the same time. Whether that is an indication of his skill at appealing to different audiences, or simply his ambition and loyalty, it's still an admirable fact. If he weren't the terrific funkmeister of the blues that he is, though, it wouldn't matter. Kelly's performances at the Checkerboard every Thursday have been a packed house for years, but these gigs at Lee's should be a bit less crowded, due to the night of the week as well as its harder to find location. Kelly mixes straight ahead blues with R&B and danceable funk rhythms to produce a set that's as fun as Magic Slim, but much more unpredictable and worth seeing multiple times. If you don't catch him at Lee's, get him at Checkerboard, but get there early. Get there really early and you might be able to get in on the perpetual card game next to the front door.
Recommended CD:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005JA2I/bluesuniversityA/
|
Rockin' Johnny
Time:
10:00pm
CST
Location:
Smoke Daddy, 1804 W. Division
|
|
These Blue Monday sets are important as much for who you might find sitting in as for their musical authenticity. While he's been derided for mixing idioms in his sets, this "kid" (by blues standards, anyway) has paid his dues playing behind pretty much every active West Side bluesman out there, including many little-or-no-pay gigs at tiny lounges, where he certainly picked up some changes and bawdy humor. His shows are still evolving at this point, but his respect for blues veterans and increasingly spare playing behind them indicate that he's learned a great deal from their experience, and like Devil in a Woodpile, he's a white peformer who's got the idiom and dynamics right, and bridges the gap for young rockers. Good place to start a journey into the blues, and should become a better and better one as time goes by.
Recommended CDs:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000006AH9/bluesniversityA/
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000JNB4/bluesniversityA/
|
Melvin Taylor & the Slack Band
Time:
9:00pm
CST
Location:
Rosa's Lounge, 3420 W. Armitage
|
Longtime Rosa's mainstay Taylor has a worldwide following now among those less-traditional blues fans, many of whom consider Stevie Ray Vaughan recordings to be the root of the tree. Despite his obvious appeal to young rockers (Hendrix and SRV as well as the Kinks slip into his sets), he manages to put new fire under old blues classics like Crosscut Saw, and in recent years has started to write promising material of his own. If you want to see a hyperfast guitarist whose approach to guitar approximates the wall-of-sound style of Eddie Van Halen, etc., this is the guy for you. Like the Kinsey Report, and Sugar Blue, he is one of a group of blues performers whose approach is based as much on creating a pastiche of sound as on replicating blues patterns. The result is often stunning, occasionally over the top, but clearly unique.
Recommended CD:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004S96D/
|
Johnny B. Moore & Mary Lane
Time:
9:00pm
CST
Location:
Blue Chicago, 536 N. Clark St.
|
Vance Kelly & the Backstreet Blues Band
Time:
9:00pm
CST
Location:
Checkerboard Lounge, 423 E. 43rd St.
|
|
Kelly is one of the most prolific performers on the Chicago circuit, and one of the few who has always played on the South, West, AND North sides at the same time. Whether that is an indication of his skill at appealing to different audiences, or simply his ambition and loyalty, it's still an admirable fact. If he weren't the terrific funkmeister of the blues that he is, though, it wouldn't matter. Kelly's performances at the Checkerboard every Thursday have been a packed house for years, but these gigs at Lee's should be a bit less crowded, due to the night of the week as well as its harder to find location. Kelly mixes straight ahead blues with R&B and danceable funk rhythms to produce a set that's as fun as Magic Slim, but much more unpredictable and worth seeing multiple times. If you don't catch him at Lee's, get him at Checkerboard, but get there early. Get there really early and you might be able to get in on the perpetual card game next to the front door.
Recommended CD:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005JA2I/bluesuniversityA/
|
Chicago Historical Society "Fashion, Flappers, & All That Jazz"
Time:
12:00pm
CST
Location:
Chicago Historical Society, Clark Street at North Avenue
|
This exhibit, which runs for 10 months, focuses on Jazz music as a social institution, including both fashion and music as an "expression of newfound freedoms". Blues U. Members get discounts at the Historical Society, and this exhibit may be included. Call 312-649-4600 for details.
|
Eric Noden
Time:
11:00am
CST
Location:
Bone Daddy, 551 N. Ogden
|
Fierce acoustic guitar player who re-creates some formidable blues material with impressive skill. He has some original material as well, which neatly embodies the musical tenets of the classics while retaining relevant to today's audience. This is part of a Sunday brunch here, sort of a Devil's Music Church, so cross yourself and pass the barbecue sauce.
|
Live Gospel Brunch
Time:
2:00pm
CST
Location:
Koko Taylor's Celebrity, 1233 S. Wabash St.
|
Muddy Waters always said you can't sing blues unless you've been to church, and there is a significant amount of the blues tradition that is either based upon or a mirror image of the spiritual tradition. The Foundations of Soul is the choir usually present for this friendly Sunday event, which includes a full "Tennessee Style" buffet along with the food. It's very near the museum campus downtown, as well as the relocated Maxwell Market, so you could make a day of it and get a full cultural smorgasbord along with the gastronomic one. $15 includes the food and cover charge. Call 312-566-0555 for full details.
|
Harmonica Hinds Acoustic Jam
Time:
6:00pm
CST
Location:
Buddy Guy's Legends, 754 S. Wabash St., Chicago
|
This weekly jam session turns the sound down, but not the energy level. Hinds is a good interpreter of the Chicago harp traditions, sort of what it would have been like to see Little Walter unplugged. There's also a wealth of acoustic blues talent in Chicago at this juncture, and one must assume that some of that pool will show up for this series to play with the amiable Hinds. Also the early start time won't make you miss work on Monday morning.
|
Johnny B. Moore with Shirley Johnson
Time:
9:00pm
CST
Location:
536 N. Clark St.
|
Vance Kelly & the Backstreet Blues Band
Time:
9:00pm
CST
Location:
Lee's Unleaded Blues, 7401 S. South Chicago, 773-493-3477
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Kelly is one of the most prolific performers on the Chicago circuit, and one of the few who has always played on the South, West, AND North sides at the same time. Whether that is an indication of his skill at appealing to different audiences, or simply his ambition and loyalty, it's still an admirable fact. If he weren't the terrific funkmeister of the blues that he is, though, it wouldn't matter. Kelly's performances at the Checkerboard every Thursday have been a packed house for years, but these gigs at Lee's should be a bit less crowded, due to the night of the week as well as its harder to find location. Kelly mixes straight ahead blues with R&B and danceable funk rhythms to produce a set that's as fun as Magic Slim, but much more unpredictable and worth seeing multiple times. If you don't catch him at Lee's, get him at Checkerboard, but get there early. Get there really early and you might be able to get in on the perpetual card game next to the front door.
Recommended CD:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005JA2I/bluesuniversityA/
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A.C. Reed
Time:
8:30pm
CST
Location:
Rooster Blues & BBQ, 811 W. Lake St.
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AC Reed is an old-school honker sax player with an attitude, who is preferable to many of the same type players you might hear in hotel lounges, but a bit more flash than substance in comparison to some of the younger players on the circuit. Still, he's a veteran performer who won't disappoint you, and since this is booked as an open jam session, it's likely that some of the many people he's played with over the years will stop in to participate.
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Vance Kelly & the Backstreet Blues Band
Time:
9:00pm
CST
Location:
Lee's Unleaded Blues, 7401 S. South Chicago, 773-493-3477
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Kelly is one of the most prolific performers on the Chicago circuit, and one of the few who has always played on the South, West, AND North sides at the same time. Whether that is an indication of his skill at appealing to different audiences, or simply his ambition and loyalty, it's still an admirable fact. If he weren't the terrific funkmeister of the blues that he is, though, it wouldn't matter. Kelly's performances at the Checkerboard every Thursday have been a packed house for years, but these gigs at Lee's should be a bit less crowded, due to the night of the week as well as its harder to find location. Kelly mixes straight ahead blues with R&B and danceable funk rhythms to produce a set that's as fun as Magic Slim, but much more unpredictable and worth seeing multiple times. If you don't catch him at Lee's, get him at Checkerboard, but get there early. Get there really early and you might be able to get in on the perpetual card game next to the front door.
Recommended CD:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005JA2I/bluesuniversityA/
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Rockin' Johnny
Time:
10:00pm
CST
Location:
Smoke Daddy, 1804 W. Division
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These Blue Monday sets are important as much for who you might find sitting in as for their musical authenticity. While he's been derided for mixing idioms in his sets, this "kid" (by blues standards, anyway) has paid his dues playing behind pretty much every active West Side bluesman out there, including many little-or-no-pay gigs at tiny lounges, where he certainly picked up some changes and bawdy humor. His shows are still evolving at this point, but his respect for blues veterans and increasingly spare playing behind them indicate that he's learned a great deal from their experience, and like Devil in a Woodpile, he's a white peformer who's got the idiom and dynamics right, and bridges the gap for young rockers. Good place to start a journey into the blues, and should become a better and better one as time goes by.
Recommended CDs:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000006AH9/bluesniversityA/
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000JNB4/bluesniversityA/
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Jimi Hendrix, born Seattle, WA, 1942
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Jimi Hendrix, who would revolutionize rock guitar playing with an incendiary blues-based style, was born in Seattle Washington, November 27, 1942. He worked as a sideman in the early 60s with Ike Turner, BB King, and the Isley Brothers before forming his own band in 1966.
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Melvin Taylor & the Slack Band
Time:
9:00pm
CST
Location:
Rosa's Lounge, 3420 W. Armitage
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Longtime Rosa's mainstay Taylor has a worldwide following now among those less-traditional blues fans, many of whom consider Stevie Ray Vaughan recordings to be the root of the tree. Despite his obvious appeal to young rockers (Hendrix and SRV as well as the Kinks slip into his sets), he manages to put new fire under old blues classics like Crosscut Saw, and in recent years has started to write promising material of his own. If you want to see a hyperfast guitarist whose approach to guitar approximates the wall-of-sound style of Eddie Van Halen, etc., this is the guy for you. Like the Kinsey Report, and Sugar Blue, he is one of a group of blues performers whose approach is based as much on creating a pastiche of sound as on replicating blues patterns. The result is often stunning, occasionally over the top, but clearly unique.
Recommended CD:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004S96D/
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John Mayall, born Manchester, England, 1933
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John Mayall, whose fascination with blues led him to form the Blues Syndicate and later the Bluesbreakers bands in late 50s and early 60s England, was born in Manchester November 29, 1933. He became part of a British blues movement that extended the careers of the Chicago blues stars, and launched the careers of many, many future rock stars, most notably Eric Clapton, Mick Taylor (later of Rolling Stones), and Mick Fleetwood/John McVie (Fleetwood Mac), who all apprenticed in his bands before forming their own blues-based rock outfits. Mayall's band continued despite these departures as a sort of blues emissary, throughout Europe, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan.
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Johnny B. Moore & Mary Lane
Time:
9:00pm
CST
Location:
Blue Chicago, 536 N. Clark St.
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Vance Kelly & the Backstreet Blues Band
Time:
9:00pm
CST
Location:
Checkerboard Lounge, 423 E. 43rd St.
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Kelly is one of the most prolific performers on the Chicago circuit, and one of the few who has always played on the South, West, AND North sides at the same time. Whether that is an indication of his skill at appealing to different audiences, or simply his ambition and loyalty, it's still an admirable fact. If he weren't the terrific funkmeister of the blues that he is, though, it wouldn't matter. Kelly's performances at the Checkerboard every Thursday have been a packed house for years, but these gigs at Lee's should be a bit less crowded, due to the night of the week as well as its harder to find location. Kelly mixes straight ahead blues with R&B and danceable funk rhythms to produce a set that's as fun as Magic Slim, but much more unpredictable and worth seeing multiple times. If you don't catch him at Lee's, get him at Checkerboard, but get there early. Get there really early and you might be able to get in on the perpetual card game next to the front door.
Recommended CD:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005JA2I/bluesuniversityA/
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Walter "Brownie" McGhee, born Knoxville, TN, 1915
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Guitarist Brownie McGhee, whose career started in his early teens when he dropped out of school to join a traveling minstrel revue, was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, November 30, 1915. He later would form a lifelong partnership with harmonica player Sonny Terry that became one of the most famous duos in blues. His wide-ranging knowledge of many folk traditions and prolific songwriting output make his catalog one of the richest of all blues performers.
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Robert Lee McCoy/McCollukm ("Robert Nighthawk") born Helena, AK, 1909
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Robert Lee McCoy, later known as Robert Nighthawk after his hit single "Prowlin' Nighthawk", was born in Helena, Arkansas, November 30, 1909. He was one of the most popular guitar accompanists of the 1930s and 40s, often working with other blues legends like John Lee Hooker, John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson, and Houston Stackhouse, and also was a key sideman on many Chicago blues recordings in the 50s. His acoustic blues song "Sweet Black Angel" was later reworked by B.B. King as "Sweet Little Angel".
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