In 1954, McKinley Morganfield bought his first house, located at 4339 S. Lake Park Avenue in Kenwood. Better known as Muddy Waters, the Father of Chicago Blues shared the south-side house with his wife Geneva, Geneva’s son Charles, his granddaughter Amelia “Cookie” Cooper, and his great-granddaughter Chandra “Peaches” Cooper. Quite a few people came and […]
Tag: Otis Spann
Posted inMusic
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 […]
Posted inMusic
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.
Posted inMusic
Johnny Shines belongs in the pantheon alongside Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf
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
Rollicking pianist Big Maceo Merriweather was a major architect of Chicago blues
Big Maceo’s heyday as a recording artist lasted just five years, but his output includes some of the most widely covered songs in the history of the genre.
Posted inMusic
Blues singer Lucille Spann earned a share of her famous husband’s spotlight
Most of Lucille Spann’s recordings were with her spouse, blues pianist Otis Spann, but she released a great solo album in 1974.
Posted inMusic
The complete schedule of the 2019 Chicago Blues Festival
Three full days of blues in Millennium Park, featuring Bobby Rush, Ruthie Foster, Dom Flemons, Bombino, Larkin Poe, and dozens more
Posted inBlogs
Ten great photos taken during the heyday of the blues
Images of Muddy Waters, James Cotton, and Bob Dylan are among 1,000 searchable photos by Raeburn Flerlage that are now online.
Posted inMusic
No less a bluesman than Muddy Waters called Forest City Joe a ‘great harp player’
Blues harpist Forest City Joe might be a legend today if he’d recorded more—or lived long enough to enjoy the 1960s blues revival.
Posted inMusic
Blues pianist Little Brother Montgomery influenced legends as diverse as Skip James and Johnny Cash
Pianist Little Brother Montgomery straddled blues, boogie-woogie, and jazz—and bridged prewar southern blues and the electric Chicago style.
Posted inMusic
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.