When did the blues arrive in Chicago? That question gets debated a lot by purists and historians alike. But two aspects about Chicago blues are indisputable: The music was brought here by African Americans from the Mississippi Delta in the 1940s and later changed from an acoustic, rural sound to a louder, electric, more sophisticated urban sound. And, the electrified blues that took hold in Chicago shaped popular music – especially rock and roll -- ever since.
Few will dispute that Chicago is the home of modern blues. (Well, some will point to Memphis, but that’s another discussion.) For decades, Chicago has been the home to blues masters like Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, Junior Wells and Buddy Guy. Some, like Taylor and Guy, continue to play shows here and abroad, while many others have passed on to that never-ending gig in the sky.
One place blues artists and fans alike will gather is Chicago’s Grant Park, the location for the 25th annual Chicago Blues Festival. This year, the free event – the world’s largest free outdoor festival devoted to the blues – will run from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Thursday June 5 through Sunday June 8. Headliners include guitar hotshot Johnny Winter, Queen of the Blues Koko Taylor, accordionist Buckwheat Zydeco and the legendary B.B. King. These and other stars will perform on the Petrillo Music band shell, which generally gets filled by show time.
But great artists can be seen on some of the adjoining, more intimate performance venues that make up the festival. Hours before the headliners take the stage, the blues will flow from the Gibson Guitar Crossroads Stage, the Louisiana Bayou Station and Social Club, the Maxwell Street Corner, the Mississippi Juke Joint and the U.S. Cellular Front Porch. Here you’ll have an opportunity to get up close to some up-and-coming artists and lesser-known performers, as well as Tony Joe White, the guy who wrote “Polk Salad Annie.”
Public transportation – CTA trains or busses or METRA trains – is the best way to get to the Blues Festival, but for those who drive, here are some parking options: the Millennium Park Garage that can be accessed on Columbus Drive between Randolph and Monroe streets from either north or south, the Monroe Street Underground at Monroe & Columbus, and the Grant Park Underground parking garage, with entrances along Michigan Av.
The venues that gave birth to Chicago blues – like Theresa’s, the original Checkerboard Lounge and the Queen Bee on the South Side and the legendary Maxwell Street market – are long gone. But fans can still catch terrific music at clubs dedicated to keeping the blues alive and well. Downtown, Buddy Guy’s Legends at 754 S. Wabash Av. draws national touring artists as well as Guy himself, who warms up the stage for a month-long of shows each January. Along a stretch of North Clark Street, two upscale clubs under the same ownership umbrella – Blue Chicago at 736 N. Clark St. and Blue Chicago on Clark at 536 N. Clark St. – cater to conventioneers and visitors, and one cover charge gets you into both clubs.
In past years, these and other venues have featured unannounced jams from artists performing at the Blues Festival as well as guest big-name performers from around the world. Don’t be surprised to learn that someone from the Rolling Stones sat in for a set.
A few miles north of downtown, Halsted Street in the Lincoln Park neighborhood is home to two long-standing clubs that offer a grittier, more hard-edged atmosphere and music. The aptly named B.L.U.E.S. at 2519 N. Halsted St. is a favorite of aficionados because of its intimacy and dedication to preserving more traditional blues styles. Across the street, the Kingston Mines at 2548 N. Halsted St. offers a wide range of continuous blues on two stages – a practice kept in place for 35 years.
Venture outside of the downtown area, and you’ll still find the blues. Rosa’s Lounge, 3420 W. Armitage Av. in the gentrifying Humboldt Park neighborhood, must be the only club in the nation run by a mother and son duo who immigrated here from Italy because of the blues. And, the New Checkerboard Lounge at 5201 S. Harper Ct. in Hyde Park hosts blues and jazz in a new room with a name long-time fans remember.
Artists and purists know the significance behind the address of 2120 S. Michigan Av. Now casual fans do, too. The building in question once housed Chess Records, the record company and recording studio launched by Leonard and Phil Chess in 1957. During the subsequent 10 years, Chess Records put out singles and albums that were among the most definitive in modern blues. Today, the building The Blues Heaven Foundation, a non-profit organization started by the late Willie Dixon.
Many believe the blues focuses on bad times and hard times. But to those who know and love the music, the blues is really about things being a little better down the road. For many, that road begins and ends in Chicago.
