Things I Like - Chicago

This is another one of those ‘too many connections to ignore’ posts. It started with the death of Koko (Queen of the Blues) Taylor on Wednesday last week, continued with the arrival in our mailbox of the movie Cadillac Records from Netflix the following Tuesday and culminated with the start of Blues Fest in Grant Park yesterday. I'm talking about the Blues. Chicago Blues to be specific.

Chicago Blues, an electronic version of Delta Blues, hit the big time when Leonard and Phil Chess opened Chess Records in 1950 and began recording music legends Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Little Walter and Willie Dixon. By the time the Chess brothers sold their label in 1969, almost every major blues musician of the day had passed through its doors. Today, Alligator records carries on the tradition with recordings of Chicago blues greats including Buddy Guy and Koko Taylor.

I’ve always been a big fan of the Blues although I would rather hear it in a dark club at night than on a main stage in the middle of the day – it just doesn’t seem like real Blues out there in the open all clean and healthy like. That’s not to say that Blues Fest isn’t a great opportunity to hear some amazing music. The three day event is the largest free blues festival in the world and regularly gets a tremendous lineup of important musicians.

Just don’t forget the clubs – Kingston Mines, BLUE Chicago, Rosa’s and B.L.U.E.S. are some of the best places in the city to hear live Blues. See a list of clubs here and enjoy this classic from The Queen: