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- Music, The Secret History of Chicago Music Feb 25, 2021
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Big Daddy Kinsey was the Muddy Waters of Gary, Indiana
The blues patriarch also had three sons who played together as the Kinsey Report.
- Music, The Secret History of Chicago Music Feb 11, 2021
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Johnny Shines belongs in the pantheon alongside Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf
This powerful bluesman spent the late 30s on the road with the great Robert Johnson, then lived long enough to win a W.C. Handy Award in the 90s.
- Music, The Secret History of Chicago Music Jan 28, 2021
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The Aces helped invent the sound of electric Chicago blues
They’re best known as a backing band for Junior Wells and Little Walter, but they took the lead when it came to the future of the genre.
- Music, Music Feature Jul 23, 2020
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Thirty-five moments that brought Chicago music to the world
The Year of Chicago Music has had less music in it than anybody anticipated, but we still have plenty to celebrate.
- Music, The Secret History of Chicago Music May 19, 2020
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Musical and literary polymath Thom Bishop has a second career as Junior Burke
For 50 years he’s been writing songs, lyrics, plays, movies, and more—and his new novel starts with James Dean shooting Ronald Reagan on live TV.
- Music, The Secret History of Chicago Music Jan 6, 2020
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Blues singer Lucille Spann earned a share of her famous husband’s spotlight
Most of her recordings were with star pianist Otis Spann, but she released a great solo album in 1974.
- Music, Music Feature Oct 11, 2019
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David Dann on his new biography of blues-rock guitarist Michael Bloomfield
From Glencoe to Monterey Pop to oblivion: Bloomfield’s huge talent and unique style changed the instrument forever, but while Clapton and Hendrix entered the canon, he faded away.
- Music, Music Feature May 1, 2019
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Jamila Woods builds on legacies that shook the world
The Chicago singer and poet’s new album lovingly details how art can learn from the past as it shapes the future.
- Music, The Secret History of Chicago Music Apr 9, 2019
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Louis Myers cofounded one of the great backing bands in the blues
The guitar and harmonica master from the Aces played with Junior Wells, Little Walter, Otis Rush, Magic Sam, and many more.
- Music, The Secret History of Chicago Music Mar 26, 2019
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Blues bassist Calvin ‘Fuzz’ Jones made Muddy Waters sound his best
Calvin "Fuzz" Jones, who spent most of his five-decade career in Chicago, was one of the most prominent sidemen in electric blues.
- Music, The Secret History of Chicago Music Feb 13, 2019
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Muddy Waters drummer Willie ‘Big Eyes’ Smith never escaped the sideman shadow
Even when Willie "Big Eyes" Smith won a Grammy at the end of his life, he shared it with pianist Pinetop Perkins.
- Music, The Secret History of Chicago Music Jan 30, 2019
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Lefty Dizz was one of the greatest showmen in the blues
Guitarist Lefty Dizz toured abroad for decades, but even in his home base of Chicago he was never the star he played like.
- Music, The Secret History of Chicago Music Oct 9, 2018
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Otis Rush and his searing guitar immortalized the west-side Chicago blues sound
Rush is hardly obscure, but the Secret History of Chicago Music couldn't let the death of such a powerful and influential artist pass in silence.
- Music, Music Feature Apr 19, 2018
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Entertainment lawyer Jay B. Ross fought for the people who made the music he loved
An expert negotiator, he went to bat for stars as big as James Brown and Muddy Waters, but he also clawed back royalties for countless forgotten artists who’d never gotten their due.
- Blogs, Bleader Apr 17, 2018
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Ten great photos taken during the heyday of the blues
Images of Muddy Waters, James Cotton, and Bob Dylan are among 1,000 searchable photos by Raeburn Flerlage that are now online.
- Music, The Secret History of Chicago Music Mar 29, 2018
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Blues guitarist Joe Carter electrified Chicago’s 1950s club scene, but he never recorded in his heyday
Joe Carter's only LP came out in 1976, and original copies of the raw-as-hell Mean & Evil Blues now fetch more than $100.
- Music, The Secret History of Chicago Music Feb 26, 2018
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Blues drummer Sam Lay has made five careers’ worth of music
Sharp-dressed drummer Sam Lay has played with Dylan and Howlin' Wolf, and in 2015 he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with the Paul Butterfield Blues Band.
- Music, The Secret History of Chicago Music Aug 29, 2017
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Evanston new wavers the Front Lines exemplify the richness of the overlooked midwestern scene
Formed at Northwestern in 1979, the Front Lines played diverse and ambitious tunes—but they split after just a few years, done in by drummer turnover.
- Music, The Secret History of Chicago Music Jul 3, 2017
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Session drummer Morris Jennings played on Electric Mud, the Superfly soundtrack, and scores of other records
As a house drummer for Chess Records in the late 60s, Morris Jennings kicked off a five-decade career that never brought him into the spotlight himself.
- Blogs, Bleader Jun 8, 2017
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Report: ‘The credibility of the entire property tax system is in doubt’ in Cook County, and other Chicago news
Also, the ACLU slams Emanuel's new police reform monitor plan.
- Music, Concert Preview Jun 5, 2017
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The best of the weekend’s blues outside Millennium Park
Your extracurricular options include Eddie Shaw, Peaches Staten, L’Roy, and Eddy “the Chief” Clearwater.
- Blogs, Bleader Mar 21, 2017
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Blues harmonica legend Little Walter recorded one of his best singles in 1954, when he was just 24
Little Walter's 1954 classic "Mellow Down Easy" combines rudely soulful singing, lilting guitar, furious harmonica, and a quasi-Cuban groove.
- Music, The Secret History of Chicago Music Mar 14, 2017
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No less a bluesman than Muddy Waters called Forest City Joe a ‘great harp player’
Blues harpist Forest City Joe might be a legend today if he’d recorded more—or lived long enough to enjoy the 1960s blues revival.
- Music, The Secret History of Chicago Music Jan 3, 2017
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Add blues pianist Barrelhouse Chuck to the list of greats lost in 2016
Barrelhouse Chuck built upon piano traditions established by the likes of Sunnyland Slim, Pinetop Perkins, and Little Brother Montgomery.
- City Life, Holiday Gift Guide Nov 23, 2016
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The best made-in-Chicago gift ideas for the holidays
Shop hyperlocal this season for everything from unorthodox games and Chicago-centric books to craft booze and high-design home goods.