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Home » The Secret History of Chicago Music

Tag: The Secret History of Chicago Music

Posted inBlogs

From the archive: The Chicago preacher and gospel musician who ran a pyramid scheme

by Leor Galil January 22, 2018August 18, 2021

Pastor T.L. Barrett is beloved by music fanatics and rappers eager to sample throwback gospel; he also defrauded thousands, as the Reader reported in 1989.

Posted inMusic

Muddy Waters sideman Luther ‘Snake Boy’ Johnson had his career cut short by brain cancer

by Steve Krakow December 29, 2015August 18, 2021

Blues guitarist Luther Johnson made his solo debut on Checker in 1964 but died at 41 in 1976.

Posted inMusic

Steve Krakow celebrates the release of his Secret History of Chicago Music book

by Philip Montoro December 3, 2015August 18, 2021

Bobby Conn, Ono, Athanor, and VCSR play a launch party tonight for a book collecting the long-running Reader feature the Secret History of Chicago Music.

Posted inMusic

John Hulburt’s 1972 LP of acoustic-guitar magic was reissued this year with help from Ryley Walker

by Steve Krakow November 25, 2015August 18, 2021

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.

Posted inMusic

McLuhan’s oddball prog LP flopped in 1972 but goes for big bucks today

by Steve Krakow November 12, 2015August 18, 2021

Early-70s prog oddballs McLuhan used lots of visuals onstage and recorded their sole LP with the man who’d later produce Thriller.

Posted inMusic

Uncategorizable early punks End Result confounded even Chicago’s other weirdos

by Steve Krakow October 29, 2015March 22, 2022

End Result were mentored by avant-garde troupe Ono and shared members with the likes of Big Black and Articles of Faith.

Posted inBlogs

Celebrate Halloween with oddball R&B artist T. Valentine on Saturday

by Leor Galil October 28, 2015August 18, 2021

“The Vampire” should put you in the mood for his Saturday performance at the Promontory as part of Chic-a-Go-Go.

Posted inMusic

The Mob pioneered Chicago’s ‘horn rock’ sound—and wore dark pinstriped suits with carnations

by Steve Krakow September 18, 2015August 18, 2021

This big, ambitious band scored a couple Billboard hits and wrote several more for other artists, but their discography ends in 1977.

Posted inMusic

The Riddles’ lone 1967 single made its CD debut in 2008

by Steve Krakow July 21, 2015August 18, 2021

Suburban garage rockers the Riddles released just one original song, but they’re still fondly remembered around the Windy City and beyond.

Posted inMusic

Redwood Landing’s groovy 70s folk-rock made them favorites on the midwestern college circuit

by Steve Krakow May 30, 2015August 18, 2021

Jazzy folk-rockers Redwood Landing have reunited a few times since splitting in the late 70s, and in 1994 bassist Ron Kaplan cofounded talent agency Monterey International.

Posted inMusic

South-side favorites the Hounds flamed out before they could reach arena-rock stardom

by Steve Krakow May 16, 2015August 18, 2021

The Hounds toured with REO Speedwagon and Foghat, but despite a huge local following, they never followed those bands into rock-radio immortality.

Posted inMusic

Marty Grebb played in the Buckinghams during their late-60s peak—and that was just the beginning for him

by Steve Krakow May 6, 2015August 18, 2021

Marty Grebb’s long career has included sessions with Bonnie Raitt and Leon Russell, a stint in the band Chicago, and soundtrack work for a Steven Seagal movie.

Posted inMusic

Not even a gorilla mask could bring blues pianist Johnny ‘Big Moose’ Walker out of the sideman shadows

by Steve Krakow March 19, 2015August 18, 2021

Big Moose worked for years with Earl Hooker and Elmore James and backed Otis Rush, Howlin’ Wolf, Ike Turner, and many more, but his own recordings never caught fire.

Posted inMusic

Bluesman Leonard “Baby Doo” Caston played with the legendary Willie Dixon for years

by Steve Krakow March 5, 2015August 18, 2021

Leonard Caston helped convince Willie Dixon to pursue the blues instead of boxing, but ended up overshadowed by his friend and fading from public view.

Posted inMusic

The Secret History of Chicago Music: Fenton Robinson

by Chicago Reader February 5, 2015August 18, 2021

This soulful, sophisticated blues guitarist is best remembered for the slow burner “Somebody (Loan Me a Dime).”

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