Chicago Sure Got the Blues

Chicago sure has a good reason to be blue of late. Etta James, one of the legendary recording artists at Chicago’s own Chess Records, passed away on Friday, 20 January. This post is dedicated to her. Blues came to Chicago long before Etta James started recording for Chess Records. The blues arrived here when musicians from Mississippi and Louisiana headed to this city looking for better-paying jobs. Legend goes that by the 1930s, Chicago was known as “the sweet home of the blues.” For many years, the blues clubs were crowded, smoky places found in the poorer areas of town. Today, the clubs are still crowded, but the rest has changed. Smoking is prohibited in Chicago bars. A few of the most-famous blues clubs are located in some of the priciest zip codes in Chicago. If you’d like to visit a blues club while in Chicago, here’s are a few of my favorites: Buddy Guy’s Legends The legendary blues guitarist, Buddy Guy, still plays at this club. Every January, he plays several shows here. If you’re ever in Chicago during January, I highly recommend trying to get tickets. Buddy puts on a quite a show. B.L.U.E.S You can hear live blues here seven nights a week. On Sunday nights, you can pay the cover at B.L.U.E.S and get into neighboring Kingston Mines for free. Kingston Mines Like B.L.U.E.S, this place is popular with locals and tourists. Located in the upscale Lincoln Park neighborhood, this club says its mission is “to preserve and nurture the blues art form.” Chicago’s own Blues Breakers If you love the blues or just want to learn more about it before coming to the Summit, I recommend listening to Blues Breakers. This is a one-hour weekly radio show on the Chicago radio station, WXRT. DJ Tom Marker features a different blues artist every week and gives a bit of history, too. This show has been airing for more than 25 years. Every Monday night 9:00-10:00 PM Central Time You can tune in at: WXRT radio The Blues, Chicago, and Chess Records I’m not sure this YouTube video provides entirely accurate information, but it gives us an interesting look at the history of blues in Chicago. (9:15) Paula Ludmann is a member of the STC Chicago 2012 Host Committee and a senior technical writer at the American Academy of Dermatology.