Blues Society of Western PA - Newsletter

On a recent trip to Chicago, I browsed the tourist offerings and noticed that one evening tour was a pub-crawl of downtown Chicago. It stated that the tour would stop at Buddy Guy’s infamous Legends. Dinner and entertainment would be included. We passed up that tour but I decided that our little group was still going to visit that tourist “trap.” Our driver dropped us across the street from the club. I ran across the street in utter amazement. Could that be the place? It was on a seedy block and the place looked just as seedy. There was an assortment of chaotic neon advertisements on the dirty windows and the signage was flaking and peeling. I slowly pulled open the door and cautiously peered in the dimly lit place. It looked just any other beer joint in any other city. Where was the glitzy tourist “trap” that I had expected? There was that one split second that I looked around for the car and wondered if my “campaign” to see Buddy Guy’s place was a good one. Gingerly I stepped in and looked. The first thing I spotted was a Blues Society of Western Pennsylvania t-shirt. Suddenly, I felt like I was home. Upon approaching the BSWPA shirt, I learned that he was Harvey, the manager of Legends. He had been made an honorary member of our Society and had received the shirt from a disc jockey in Youngstown, Ohio for his outstanding preservation of a Blues club.

As I looked around, I saw the scuffed green and white checkered linoleum floor, the old metal tables and chairs, the old pool tables, the black recessed bar area with the Christmas lights strung around it, the guitars hanging on the walls, the paintings, and all the memorabilia. It was an old place but the expectant crowd sat there patiently. I took a seat and positioned myself for a view of the place. Soon, I was up looking around and examining the old hats, the guitars, the gloves, the framed recording awards, and the playbills. It was just like the Hard Rock, except that these people had actually been there. The walls talked to me. I could hear long ago tunes, hear the laughter, and hear the clapping. I saw the hat that Might Joy Young has signed. There were items from James Cotton, Jimmy Thackery, Clarence Gatemouth Brown, Guitar Shorty, George Bale, and Derek Trucks. I located an old Sonny Landreth Cadillac poster from his days with the Sylopps Blues Band, a Jeff Beck strat, an Eric Clapton 1994 poster, a signed BB King guitar, a Bob Dylan jacket, a Willie Dixon display, and many others. I was enthralled and dizzy from my voyage back in time. The menu was Southern and Cajun cuisine at its best, tasty and affordable. The wait staff was friendly and accommodating but not pushy.

The Johnny Rawls Blues band took the stage. It offered a rhythmic compilation of Blues and Soul. The crowd responded to the easygoing lyrics. People were even dancing on their way to the restrooms as the night progressed. The club, the staff, and the band created an ambience that made you feel like you were at home. I suddenly realized that I was reminded of our old hangout, Moondog’s.

The crowd was a diverse one. They came from many parts of the country. We talked to a group from Toronto that journeyed to Chicago several times a year to “to just hear the blues.” It was a true blues crowd. They were there for the sensation of being in a landmark and to just hear the music. There was no pretense and none was needed. It was a feeling and an experience that I am glad to have been a part of.

One week later, while working the Blues booth at the Heritage Music Festival, I learned that Legends would be closing within the year.

The University that leased the property to Buddy Guy would not be renewing that lease and the place would be demolished. Sure, it may be rebuilt…but it will not be the real thing. Once again, another true great in the Blues field and another memory will pass away. It will truly be a “legend” in our minds.