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Home » Music » The Secret History of Chicago Music » Page 3

Category: The Secret History of Chicago Music

Posted inMusic

Soul singer Jackie Ross is so much more than a one-hit wonder

by Steve Krakow May 20, 2021August 18, 2021

Jackie Ross had a smash with “Selfish One” in 1964—but that just happens to be the best-selling single from her decades of great songs.

Posted inMusic

A local R&B favorite by the Fabulous Turks gets resurrected after half a century

by Steve Krakow May 6, 2021August 18, 2021

Chicago singer-songwriter RJ Griffith has released a cover of his uncle’s old R&B band the Fabulous Turks.

Posted inMusic

Saxophonist Gene Barge helped shape the sound of Chicago R&B

by Steve Krakow April 22, 2021August 18, 2021

Gene Barge has done his most influential work as a sideman or producer, but he’s just as important as any of R&B’s marquee stars.

Posted inMusic

Michael ‘Fuzzy’ deLisle is an unsung hero of the fertile 1970s Champaign-Urbana scene

by Steve Krakow April 8, 2021August 18, 2021

Michael “Fuzzy” deLisle released just one single in his long career, but he’s played a staggering amount of great country rock and folk.

Posted inMusic

Andrew ‘Big Voice’ Odom sang for blues stars but never became one

by Steve Krakow March 25, 2021August 18, 2021

Andrew “Big Voice” Odom toured internationally—and also used to drop by Maxwell Street and overwhelm the makeshift sound systems.

Posted inMusic

Pianist Willie Mabon gave Chess Records its first big hit

by Steve Krakow March 11, 2021August 18, 2021

Despite a 1952 smash for Chess Records, pianist Willie Mabon was soon overshadowed by labelmates such as Bo Diddley and Muddy Waters.

Posted inMusic

Big Daddy Kinsey was the Muddy Waters of Gary, Indiana

by Steve Krakow February 25, 2021August 18, 2021

Blues patriarch Big Daddy Kinsey had three sons who played together as the Kinsey Report.

Posted inMusic

Johnny Shines belongs in the pantheon alongside Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf

by Steve Krakow February 11, 2021August 18, 2021

Bluesman Johnny Shines spent the late 30s on the road with the great Robert Johnson, then lived long enough to win a W.C. Handy Award in the 90s.

Posted inMusic

The Aces helped invent the sound of electric Chicago blues

by Steve Krakow January 28, 2021August 18, 2021

The Aces are best known as a backing band, but they took the lead when it came to the future of the blues.

Posted inMusic

A memorial to Alejandro Morales

by Steve Krakow January 14, 2021August 18, 2021

Alejandro Morales’s death doesn’t just leave a hole in Chicago’s DIY music scene—it’s a loss to community activists, to affordable housing advocates, and to countless friendships.

Posted inMusic

Kokomo Arnold helped shape giants of the blues

by Steve Krakow December 30, 2020August 18, 2021

Kokomo Arnold’s recording career lasted less than a decade, but he changed the world by influencing the likes of Robert Johnson and Elmore James.

Posted inMusic

Multimedia artist Frank Garvey makes music with robots to satirize late capitalism

by Steve Krakow December 17, 2020August 18, 2021

Frank Garvey, creator of the long-running OmniCircus, also recorded two brilliantly unclassifiable albums in Chicago in the late 70s.

Posted inMusic

Liof Munimula took their play with sound seriously

by Steve Krakow December 3, 2020August 18, 2021

Liof Munimula’s toolbox included a 42-piece percussion setup, a shortwave radio rig with a 40-foot antenna, and a subversive sense of humor.

Posted inMusic

Nearly a century ago, Dave Tough helped define Chicago jazz drumming

by Steve Krakow November 19, 2020August 18, 2021

Chicago jazz drummer Dave Tough died young, only barely outliving the big-band era, but his influence lives on.

Posted inMusic

Girl group the Lovelites hit big but never became stars outside Chicago

by Steve Krakow November 5, 2020August 18, 2021

The Lovelites had their biggest success with “How Can I Tell My Mom and Dad,” which came out when they were so young they could barely tour.

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