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 […]
Tag: Junior Wells
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Sammy Lawhorn might be the most widely recorded blues guitarist lost to time
Folks often ask me how I’ve come up with subjects for the Secret History of Chicago Music month after month. I have lots of answers, all of them true, including digging in record bins, falling down Internet rabbit holes, and cultivating knowledgeable friends. I’m tight with experts in several genres well represented in Chicago: big-city […]
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Bob Koester leaves a colossal legacy in Chicago jazz and blues
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.
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A local R&B favorite by the Fabulous Turks gets resurrected after half a century
Chicago singer-songwriter RJ Griffith has released a cover of his uncle’s old R&B band the Fabulous Turks.
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The Aces helped invent the sound of electric Chicago blues
The Aces are best known as a backing band, but they took the lead when it came to the future of the blues.
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Give your money to Mary Lane
Chicago blueswoman Mary Lane has been making music for more than 70 years. She should be a legend, but she can barely pay her bills.
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Louis Myers cofounded one of the great backing bands in the blues
The guitar and harmonica master from the Aces played with Junior Wells, Little Walter, Otis Rush, Magic Sam, and many more.
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Lefty Dizz was one of the greatest showmen in the blues
Guitarist Lefty Dizz toured abroad for decades, but even in his home base of Chicago he was never the star he played like.
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Blues drummer Sam Lay has made five careers’ worth of music
Sharp-dressed drummer Sam Lay has played with Dylan and Howlin’ Wolf, and in 2015 he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with the Paul Butterfield Blues Band.
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Blueswoman Mary Lane is still looking for the respect she deserves at age 82
No-nonsense west-side veteran Mary Lane, who’s shared stages with the likes of Howlin’ Wolf and Buddy Guy, is raising money to finish her long-awaited second album.
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John Hulburt’s 1972 LP of acoustic-guitar magic was reissued this year with help from Ryley Walker
Guitarist John Hulburt was born on a Wisconsin dairy farm and died in Paris, but it was in Chicago that he made his one immortal album.
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Rosa of Rosa’s Lounge brought the blues to Logan Square
The Italian immigrant and her son have logged 31 years on Armitage.
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The Secret History of Chicago Music: Fenton Robinson
This soulful, sophisticated blues guitarist is best remembered for the slow burner “Somebody (Loan Me a Dime).”
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In Billy Branch’s blues, the legendary Palm Tavern still stands
Gerri’s Palm Tavern, once a crown jewel of Bronzeville, was shut down by the city in 2001. But blues harpist Billy Branch remains dedicated to preserving the history and culture it embodied.
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The Secret History of Chicago Music: Lafayette Leake
Brilliant pianist Lafayette Leake played countless sessions with blues giants but released little music of his own.