Black Ensemble Theater’s latest follows the company’s tried-and-true formula with an otherworldly twist. In Blue Heaven, written and directed by Daryl D. Brooks (BET’s producing managing director), a quartet of deceased blues greats—Chester Arthur Burnett, aka Howlin’ Wolf, Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton, McKinley Morganfield, aka Muddy Waters, and Stevie Ray Vaughan (no nickname)—hang out […]
Tag: B.B. King
Posted inMusic
Little Al Thomas lent his big voice to Chicago blues for more than 50 years
Covering dozens of blues artists in the Secret History of Chicago Music has taught me that a few of the cliches about old-time bluesmen are rooted in reality. Many such musicians indeed began doing grueling labor in the fields as children, and many built their own first instruments. Often they started playing on the street […]
Posted inMusic
Ari Brown belongs in Chicago’s canon of great tenor saxophonists
Ari Brown hasn’t often sought the spotlight, but his blend of bebop rigor and avant-garde daring puts him on par with the likes of Fred Anderson and Von Freeman.
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Andrew ‘Big Voice’ Odom sang for blues stars but never became one
Andrew “Big Voice” Odom toured internationally—and also used to drop by Maxwell Street and overwhelm the makeshift sound systems.
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Johnny Pate is one of the great unsung architects of Chicago soul
This 95-year-old living legend has played jazz, written blaxploitation soundtracks, and arranged for Stan Getz, B.B. King, and most famously Curtis Mayfield—but he’s probably most widely heard via hip-hop samples.
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One-man soul factory Phillip-Michael Scales celebrates the new Sinner-Songwriter
One-man soul factory Phillip-Michael Scales celebrates the new Sinner-Songwriter, Litebulb of the Era helps fund-raise for the arts nonprofit he’s cofounded, and more.
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Add blues pianist Barrelhouse Chuck to the list of greats lost in 2016
Barrelhouse Chuck built upon piano traditions established by the likes of Sunnyland Slim, Pinetop Perkins, and Little Brother Montgomery.
Posted inNews & Politics
A rare glimpse into a transformative time at Cook County Jail
The late 1960s was a time of change for the prison thanks to Winston Moore, the country’s first black warden.
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Buster Benton kept playing blues even after losing parts of both legs to diabetes
Guitarist Buster Benton played for years with Willie Dixon, who wrote his only hit, “Spider in My Stew.”
Posted inBlogs
Park your car, tune into B.B. King, turn South Sacramento into a public art project
Landon Brown and 96 Acres will use different-colored automobiles to represent the population at Cook County Jail.
Posted inArts & Culture
Show us your . . . walls of autographs
After Chicago Theatre shows end, the performers’ John Hancocks remain backstage.
Posted inMusic
The Secret History of Chicago Music: Doctor Clayton
Doctor Clayton cut just 30 tracks, but they helped plant the seeds for rock ‘n’ roll.
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In Rotation: Andrew Barber of Fake Shore Drive on Ma$e, Too $hort, and E-40
Musical obsessions of MC Tree and Fake Shore Drive’s Andrew Barber
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The Secret History of Chicago Music: Jody Williams
Lead guitar on Bo Diddley’s “Who Do You Love?”, Jody Williams is gigging again after 35 years.