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Home » Delmark Records

Tag: Delmark Records

An illustration of blues guitarist Byther Smith embedded in the title card for the Secret History of Chicago Music
Posted inMusic

Blues guitarist Byther Smith made the long haul count

by Steve Krakow April 5, 2022April 5, 2022

So little in the world seems to be going right that I hardly feel the need to explain why the Secret History of Chicago Music is extending its annual Winter Blues series into April. Sticking to the calendar is less important to me than eulogizing an important bluesman who recently passed away. I hope this […]

An illustration of blues bassist Bob Stroger embedded in the title card for the Secret History of Chicago Music
Posted inMusic

Blues bassist Bob Stroger drops a new album 70 years into his career

by Steve Krakow February 23, 2022February 24, 2022

In the more than 15 years I’ve been writing the Secret History of Chicago Music, I’ve often tried to give props to the past and present venues and labels that support the underappreciated musicians I cover. Local label Delmark Records is the epitome of such an institution. The infamous Bob Koester ran the label from […]

P.S. Studios
Posted inMusic

P.S. Studios, where a musician recorded musicians

by Ayana Contreras January 27, 2022January 27, 2022

Paul Serrano, founder of P.S. Studios, was a south-sider at his core. Once a student of Captain Walter Dyett’s famed music program at DuSable High School, he forged a path as a young trumpeter in New York before settling back in Chicago and playing on sessions up and down the city’s storied Record Row. By […]

Posted inMusic

Bob Koester leaves a colossal legacy in Chicago jazz and blues

by Howard Mandel May 19, 2021August 18, 2021

For nearly 70 years, Bob Koester owned the Jazz Record Mart and Delmark Records—and though his businesses could be “crazy town,” they helped nurture thriving communities.

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

This collective trio gives jazz school a good name

by Bill Meyer September 22, 2020August 18, 2021

When the word “academic” is applied to jazz, it’s not necessarily a compliment. But these three players, all of whom teach at universities, make music that could keep you at school till the sun comes up. The success of General Semantics, the debut album by Northern Illinois University’s Geof Bradfield (tenor and soprano saxophones, bass […]

Posted inMusic

Blues guitarist Jimmy Johnson is much more than just Syl’s big brother

by Steve Krakow February 11, 2020August 18, 2021

Blues guitarist Jimmy Johnson, still going strong at 91, released his newest album just four months ago.

Posted inMusic

David Dann on his new biography of blues-rock guitarist Michael Bloomfield

by Jack Riedy October 11, 2019August 18, 2021

From Glencoe to Monterey Pop to oblivion: Michael Bloomfield’s huge talent and unique style changed rock guitar forever, but while Clapton and Hendrix entered the canon, he faded away.

Posted inMusic

The Reader’s guide to the 2018 Chicago Blues Festival

by Bill Dahl and David Whiteis June 5, 2018August 18, 2021

The fest expands its footprint in Millennium Park with a diverse lineup that includes boogie-woogie pianist Erwin Helfer, southern soul-blues star Ms. Jody, and the Rising Stars Fife & Drum Band with Shardé Thomas.

Posted inMusic

The weekend’s best blues beyond the fest

by David Whiteis June 5, 2018August 18, 2021

Millennium Park hardly has a monopoly on the blues this weekend—outside the fest you can see Shemekia Copeland, John Primer, Selwyn Birchwood, and many more.

Posted inMusic

The complete schedule of the 2018 Chicago Blues Festival

by Chicago Reader May 31, 2018August 18, 2021

Every Blues Festival set on all five stages in Millennium Park, from Friday morning through Sunday night

Posted inBlogs

City Council approves Rahm’s plan for a new police oversight agency, and other Chicago news

by Kate Shepherd October 6, 2016August 18, 2021

Also, a new poll shows Tammy Duckworth leading Senator Mark Kirk by 14 percent.

Posted inMusic

The blues don’t quit when Grant Park goes dark

by David Whiteis June 8, 2016August 18, 2021

Chicago’s blues clubs are in high gear for the festival weekend—and some neighborhood spots are getting in on the action.

Posted inMusic

The Reader’s guide to the 2016 Chicago Blues Festival

by David Whiteis and Bill Dahl June 8, 2016August 18, 2021

This year’s Chicago Blues Festival bustles with a diversity of traditions and talents—including Irma Thomas, Lazy Lester, Wee Willie Walker, John Primer, and tributes to Otis Rush and Otis Clay.

Posted inBlogs

Remembering Jazz Record Mart from inside

by Peter Margasak February 19, 2016August 18, 2021

The legendary Jazz Record Mart wasn’t a treasure just because of its massive inventory—it was also a hothouse of musical creativity.

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