The mission: How much can you pack into one day in Chicago? I dropped my bag at my hotel early that Friday morning. My blues friends were waiting in the hotel's lobby. We excitedly headed for the heart of downtown Chicago via the "Orange Line" train. We "hit the ground running" and thus, our adventure had begun.
First stop, a visit to the old Chess Records studio (1957-1967) that now houses Willie Dixon's Blues Heaven Foundation. The foundation's purpose is to promote and pay homage to Chicago's musical legacy with musical scholarships and providing instruments to musicians in need. Many great blues names, (Etta James, Little Walter, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Chuck Berry, and many others), were drawn to that famous address, 2120 S. Michigan Street. (The Rolling Stones journeyed from England to record at that studio. They have a track entitled, "2120 S. Michigan Avenue," to note the importance that Chess Records had on their music.) While there, our entourage joined many people from around the world to explore the office of Leonard and Phil Chess, the main studio where the blues greats recorded, the rehearsal studio and the original sound-proofing room. The Foundation featured a very interesting documentary about Muddy Waters who had been the cornerstone and the catalyst for so many dynamic blues recordings. In that film many of the players who shared that studio with Muddy told stories that surrounded their recording sessions. (That film with its music and the anecdotes about the man, Muddy Waters, was worth the admittance fee.) The theme: their respect and their love for a man that pushed blues into a new era. I watched many blues fans cross the threshold of the Chess Records Studio that day. We were all joined together, imagining what had transpired within those walls.
The Taste of Chicago was next on our list. It was an event that featured music on various stages in the downtown park and some culinary delights from many of the eateries in the Chicago area. (Entertaining, but no blues.) They beauty of the skyline, the lake and the park defied the coldness of the towering, concrete buildings.
Our course then took us to Buddy Guy's Legends. Legends had just moved into its new "digs" a few weeks earlier for the Chicago Blues Festival. Harp player, Bob Corritore, commented: "The new club maintains the vibe of the original club but with a slightly larger room, a better sound system and a fresh coat of paint." Joe Kosmal, a local blues fan, added, after his return from the Chicago Blues Festival, that it looked "fresher." An interesting assortment of guitars and musical artwork lined the walls. Blues people from the blues cruise and from various festivals dotted the premises. Blues stories and Blues glories unfolded. Buddy Guy was there the entire evening, hosting a music extravaganza that included Jimmy Vaughn and Ron Woods. We also witnessed Buddy's newest protégé, a young man that was thirteen years old. He was all of four foot tall, red hair and freckles. Wow, could that kid play! He had such a feeling for the music that at times he was a foot off the ground trying to hit "those notes." The fans were breathless, playing along mentally with each note. Buddy accompanied the young man but stayed in the background and just "let the kid play." The crowd showed their appreciation. (Amazingly, I saw four of those Buddy Guy signature guitars being sold during happy hour to some of his fans. Several more also went out the door later in the evening. It was a good day financially for the Buddy Guy team. You should have seen the shirt sales. Buddy stood at the sales counter and chatted and signed. It was a great photo opt for many. Wow!)
After a few hours, the "unofficial blues caravan" headed towards Kingston Mines. The blazing neon signage and the music spilling out of the club was invigorating to our tiring blues group. Currently celebrating their 50th year, Kingston Mines claims to be the oldest and largest blues club in Chicago and offers music seven days a week, two bands a night. Starting out originally as a coffee house, they became a blues club that showcases traditional Chicago Blues. Many, many blues greats have played there over the years including: Son Seals, Lonnie Baker, Luther Allison, Junior Wells. It was a simply furnished but trendy-feeling blues club. We listened to Electro Glide recording artist, Chris Beard in a very packed main room. His showmanship and knowledge of his craft (that reminded us of Michael Burkes) overwhelmed the crowd. When his set was finished, we went to the adjacent room to soak up some more blues. People from all age groups were crowded around showing their approval of the hard working Linsey Alexander who wowed the audience with his guitar work. The decor (contemporary wall murals) gave the room a very relaxing and upbeat feel. (The ribs were great!)
Our noses were pressed to the windows of the cab, as we searched for our next stop. Our first glimpse of Rosa's recharged our batteries as we piled out onto the sidewalk. Again, the bright lights, the trendy signage and the music pulled us in. Rosa's, boasting twenty six years as a blues club, was also very trendy, yet casual blues "joint." The overflowing crowd was enjoying the sounds of John Lee Hooker, Jr. The crowd begged the man with the rich, music legacy for more and more tunes. Mama Rosa was introduced as the "patron mother of the blues." We settled in and felt at home in a club whose walls were lined with wood paneling, many mirrors, many pictures of famous blues artists and many pictures of the blues fans that had found their "blues heaven"
We journeyed back to Buddy Guy's. The place was jumping. We "jumped" to the front of the long line that was circling the block waiting to get into the famous club. (Thanks to the door man who had remembered us so many hours earlier when we sat with Sam Guy, Buddy's brother.) We squeezed back inside to find even more blues enthusiasts enjoying the treats that Buddy, Jimmy, and Ron were still dishing out musically. The next time I looked at my watch, it was 4:40 am and I was hailing a cab to head back to the hotel. The Blues Caravan had finally disbanded due to fatigue and due to the fact that the "blues joints" were closing their doors.
Mission accomplished. ~Jonnye Weber
After note: The clubs are usually packed but more so since the Crossroads Guitar Festival was the next day. Blues fans came from all over the world to attend that famous festival. They, too, were trying to do the same thing...pack as much everyone could into one day.
