Chicago Music Guide Blues

Blues Queen Legacy Forever Reigns Supreme

2009-06-03T17:40:00.000-07:00

Photo Courtesy of kokotaylor.com

Koko Taylor dies at 80 in Chicago

Dubbed “Queen of the blues,” Grammy Award-winner Koko Taylor passed away in Chicago this afternoon at 80-years-old from complications after a recent surgery to correct a gastrointestinal bleed.

“My least favorite thing to do after 18 years in the business is to write an obituary,” says Marc Lipkin, spokesperson for Alligator Records. Her legacy is overwhelmingly-gigantic, but down-to-earth.”

Best known for her version of “Wang Dang Doodle,” (written by Willie Dixon) Koko Taylor fiercely garnered the momentum to travel the world singing her version of the Blues over 4 decades. From a small sharecropper’s town outside of Memphis to the final performance at the 2009 Blues Music Awards—winning her 29th Blues Music Award. Taylor remained an avid force in a male-dominated industry. She and a handful of musicians traveled north in search of better lives. The streets and clubs of the Southside would forever be immortalized as the starting points of many Chicago blues icons. She would briefly own a club in the South Loop, only blocks from fellow blues musician and club-owner Buddy Guy.

"We go way back. She was very shy and so was I, so we hit it off. Willie Dixon and I had to get her out of her shell for 'Wang Dang Doodle'. I am very proud to have been part of 'Wang Dang Doodle'. What a loss to the blues world. She was one of the last of the greats of Chicago and really did what she could to keep the blues alive here, like I'm trying to do now," Buddy Guy said in a statement.

Born Cora Walton in 1928 she earned her nickname for her love of chocolate. Gospel music and early blues recordings influenced her to start singing. In 1952 she and her soon-to-be-husband moved to Chicago with very few belongings. In 1962 Willie Dixon got Taylor a recording contract with Chess Records. Three years later her signature song, “Wang Dang Doodle” penned by Dixon would propel her to stardom. When Chess Records was sold she would make a lateral move to Chicago’s Alligator Records, where eight out of nine albums were Grammy-nominated.

Taylor joins a host of musicians that defined a genre: Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, Little Walter, Magic Sam, Howlin’ Wolf the list goes on. Their contributions to history are immeasurable.

“We have such wonderful legends in this city, the fact that they have to die for the recognition to come, God, it hurts. We need to appreciate them while they are alive,” says Lipkin.

Blues Community Mourns Loss of Phil Guy by John W. Fountain, III

2008-08-20T13:51:00.000-07:00

“He’s My Blues Brother”, Phil Guy’s title track to his most recent album, blares through Buddy Guy’s Legends at various times of the day and night. The song explains his relationship with his older brother, Buddy Guy. “We are the real Blues brothers!” Phil exclaimed on stage before Buddy joined him in a duet this past January. So, it is with mourning and regret that we hear the news of Phil losing his battle with cancer and passing away on August 20, 2008. But to know that he will never stand on Legends’ stage with the club’s logo in the backdrop, or that fans listening to him will never boogie to the funky sounds screaming from his guitar, remains an even greater tragedy. His love of Blues remains his legacy. Besides being a Bluesman and brother, Phil was also a beloved husband, uncle, father, grandfather and friend.

Phil shares a similar bio as his older brother Buddy—both were born to sharecroppers, both experienced the trials of poverty, and both learned the guitar on their own. But Phil, born on April 28, 1940, would embark on a musical journey to the soul side of Blues. Phil followed Buddy to Chicago and joined his band in 1969 before going on his own venture.

The band, consisting of the brothers, would regularly perform at Theresa’s Lounge. Alongside his brother, Phil jammed with the likes of well-known musicians in tours across Europe, in Africa and in the United States. But it was in the 1990s when Phil went solo.

He formed his band—Phil Guy and The Chicago Machine—and delighted fans around the world. Influenced by the upbeat sounds of Jimmy Reed and James Brown, Phil recorded around ten albums and his music continues to be a testimony full of his life’s ambitions and accomplishments. The heavy guitar licks and overt bass lines allowed listeners to fully understand the era that was important to Phil. So, as Phil played, the people continued to dance.

His albums will continue to rotate through the sound system of Buddy Guy's Legends. But it will have a deeper significance when his name is mentioned while Buddy reminisces about Blues legends of the past during his own performances. Staff members of Legends will fondly remember his smile, curly, black hair and thick mustache. Phil will always be a part of the family. And to Legends he will always be known as “Uncle Phil”.

Blues Generation Next: Charles Mack

2008-08-12T12:33:00.001-07:00

Raised on the Southside of Chicago, Charles Mack describes the bass guitar as “the final topping on the cake”. He has consistently played the bass for over thirty years. Mack remains an example of a growing number of bassists eager for the spotlight that has long eluded bass musicians. Bassists like Victor Wooten, John Norwood Fisher and others have become increasingly known for their talents on the bass. Mack’s eagerness and drive to be well-acquainted with his instrument and its versatility allows for him not to shy away from playing 4-, 5-, or 6-string basses. While other bassists may not opt for the higher registers given by more than 4 strings, Mack notes the relative comfort with switching between the 3 basses.

“The 6-string bass allows you to go outside of the box,” Mack says. “It’s more like a guitar.”

The 6-string bass came into popularity after bassist Anthony Jackson commissioned a luthier, a stringed instrument maker, to create the first 6-string bass. The tuning between the 6-string bass depends on the player. Mack tunes his strings to a “low B and a high C”. Some of his influences, like Larry Graham, Marcus Miller and Stanley Clarke, tend to also play bass guitars with the ability to go beyond the traditional, lower registers.

“The 5- and 6- strings just give you more options,” Mack says. “The 6-string is out of the norm and it peeks the interest [of audiences].”

Mack still contends that the role of the bass player is to listen to everything, lay a groove, and not make the performance his show. He believes that “laying down the identity of the music” makes for good bass playing. Mack recently left James Cotton’s band to pursue other projects, but he also still freelances with bands on the Chicago Blues circuit.

Buddy Guys Kick-Off Party 2008 Recap

2008-06-05T20:20:00.000-07:00

Buddy Guy and Recording Academy Kick off Blues Fest at Buddy Guy’s Legends
John W. Fountain, III

In what Buddy Guy described as an unscheduled performance, the 5-time GRAMMY Award winner took to the stage during the Recording Academy’s sixth annual tribute to Blues Fest weekend at Buddy Guy’s Legends. The sights, music and food in Legends last night signaled the start to another weekend of Blues around the city.

“The Recording Academy Chicago Chapter has been proud to celebrate Chicago's annual Blues Fest and our local music scene for the past six years at Legends,” says Tara Healy, Executive Director.

NBC’s LeeAnn Trotter hosted the event that started with a silent auction of an assortment of packages ranging from sixty-five dollars to fifteen hundred dollars. Most of the items auctioned were gift certificates to various locations in and around the city. As the bidding came to an end the Brother John Band, the evening’s house band, took the stage.

John Kattke has consistently hosted the Monday night Jam at Buddy Guy’s Legends since 1990. This 5-piece band opened with traditional tunes and warmed the stage for the later acts. The bands each played Blues from different ends of the spectrum. Jimmy Burns and Willie “Big Eyes” Smith paid tribute to the acoustic side of Blues as they reminisced about old times together. Ronnie Baker Brooks and Billy Branch added the rock touch and had the crowd on their feet. The audience applauded as both Branch and Brooks displayed their talents, commanding stage presence during extended solos. Pinetop Perkins gave a cameo appearance as the audience showed their appreciation for his contribution to music. As the sounds filled the airwaves the kitchen grill sizzled while the waitresses served plate after plate of southern-style cooking. The pinnacle of the evening had not arrived.

The Brother John Band would once again warm the stage, but this time they would welcome the owner of Legends, Buddy Guy.

“I didn’t schedule myself to play tonight,” Guy says. “I wanted to sit and listen to the younger guys play.” Guy took to the stage and took two shots of cognac while urging Tara Jobe, the bartender, to sing.

The night would soon end after another round of performances by Mike Mangione, Javelinas, Sam Wahl, and Braam.

“Last night's performances were just another shining example of the talent and diversity of our music community,” says Healy.