Chicago Blues: The Music of
New Beginnings

Giving Birth to the Blues
The Windy City is home to many cultural achievements, not the least of which is bringing the sound of blues to the world. Chicago blues signifies dreams and new beginnings, as the music came to the city in the 1920s when African Americans moved from the South to the urban North during the Great Migration. Chicago went on to become a national center for blues recording in the 1940s with local labels sprouting up and legendary clubs opening on the South and West Sides.

 

 

In the 1950s, new labels like Chess Records signed such groundbreaking artists as Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, Howlin' Wolf, Chuck Berry, Etta James, Koko Taylor, Buddy Guy, Aretha Franklin and others. Dixon, a.k.a. the "father of modern Chicago blues," went on to establish the Blues Heaven Foundation in the former Chess Records Studio at 2120 S. Michigan Ave. Tours of the foundation and museum run Mon.-Fri. from 12-3 pm, and Sat. from 12-2 pm. And, in 1984, Chicago launched a lasting tribute to the blues - an annual blues festival which, at over 750,000 people, makes it the largest free concert of its kind in the world. The 2007 Chicago Blues Fest runs June 7-10, from 11 am-9:30 pm daily, in Grant Park.

 

 

The photos on the left feature classic Chicago blues clubs - (from top to bottom) B.L.U.E.S., Buddy Guy's Legends, Harlem Avenue Lounge, Rosa's Lounge and Frankie's Blue Room. The image above is from an album cover of blues great Koko Taylor.

North Side Notables, South Side Classics and Soul in the Suburbs
On the North Side, you'll find one of Chicago's best known blues clubs, Kingston Mines. The club first opened on Lincoln Ave. in 1964 and then moved to its present Lincoln Park location at 2548 N. Halsted in 1980. Its intimate and social atmosphere features two stages separated by a bar where blues bands play nightly and decades-old musicians are the norm. A close neighbor at 2519 N. Halsted, B.L.U.E.S. opened in 1979 and features such stellar Chicago blues artists as Magic Slim, Eddie Shaw and Otis Clay. At 3420 W. Armitage Ave., you will find Rosa's Lounge, opened in 1984 by Tony Mangiullo, an Italian immigrant who came to Chicago in 1978 after meeting blues artist Jr. Wells in Milan. Named after Tony's mother, Rosa's features outstanding local talent and Tony, who plays drums, will occasionally sit in with the band.

On the southern end of town, check out Buddy Guy's Legends at 754 S. Wabash in the South Loop. Owned by the five-time Grammy Award winner, the club has played host to Buddy Guy himself, Koko Taylor and Eric Clapton and serves up tasty Cajun cuisine. Checkerboard Lounge, a legendary South Side Bronzeville club, recently reopened at 5201 S. Harper Ct. in Hyde Park, where both renown blues musicians and up-and-comers grace the stage.

Further West of the city, swing by Frankie's Blue Room in the heart of downtown Naperville, sip a martini and listen to great music in this dim, 40s style nostalgic club. On a warm night, Frankie's deck offers a spot to relax and enjoy a view of the DuPage River. In Berwyn, Harlem Avenue Lounge offers blues on Tues., Fri. and Sat. nights featuring local performers and visiting bands. And, in St. Charles, Chord on Blues is part blues club and part supper club with its two-level dining room, exposed brick walls and large curtained stage, which hosts acts like Koko Taylor and The Fabulous Thunderbirds. When warm weather hits (think positive), enjoy the venue's outdoor terrace.