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.
Tag: The Secret History of Chicago Music
Posted inMusic
Muddy Waters sideman Luther ‘Snake Boy’ Johnson had his career cut short by brain cancer
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
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
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
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
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
“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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
This soulful, sophisticated blues guitarist is best remembered for the slow burner “Somebody (Loan Me a Dime).”