Guitarist Buddy Guy performing at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in 2006
Chicago blues is a form of blues music developed in Chicago, Illinois, in the 1950s, in which the basic instrumentation of Delta blues—acoustic guitar and harmonica—is augmented with electric guitar, amplified bass guitar, drums, piano, harmonica played with a microphone and an amplifier, and sometimes saxophone. The best-known Chicago blues musicians include singer-songwriters and bandleaders Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, and Willie Dixon; guitar players such as Elmore James, Luther Allison, and Buddy Guy; and harp (blues slang for harmonica) players such as Little Walter, Paul Butterfield, and Charlie Musselwhite. Since the 1960s, the Chicago blues style and sound has spread around the US, the UK and beyond.
Linsey Alexander (born July 23, 1942, Holly Springs, Mississippi). Moved to Chicago in 1959, where he was active in the South Side music scene and became one of the hardest-working bluesmen in Chicago. He is known for his strong voice and guitar with his own style of electric blues. His album Been There Done That, recorded by Delmark Records in 2012, has been critically acclaimed as pure blues of the finest quality.[2]
Luther Allison (August 17, 1939, Widener, Arkansas – August 12, 1997). Moved to Chicago as a teenager and became a major force in the blues scene there, primarily as an electric guitarist and also as a singer. He released many albums for Alligator Records, based in Chicago.[3]
Kokomo Arnold (February 15, 1901, Lovejoy's Station, Georgia – November 8, 1968). Slide guitarist and vocalist who began his career in New York City and moved to Chicago in the latter half of the 1920s. He stopped recording for good in 1938, because he was not making a livable wage performing. His first recording was for Decca Records. Several compilation albums of his work have been released, such as those issued by Document Records.[4]
B
Chico Banks (March 7, 1962, Chicago – December 4, 2008). Released one album in 1997 for Evidence Records and played with many other blues musicians.[5]
Scrapper Blackwell (February 21, 1903, Syracuse, North Carolina – October 27, 1962). Acoustic Piedmont blues artist and an early exponent of Chicago blues, who worked closely with pianist Leroy Carr. He also backed the singer Black Bottom McPhail. Document Records has issued most of his work in three volumes.[14]
Mike Bloomfield (July 28, 1943, Chicago – February 15, 1981). Guitarist.[15]
Boston Blackie – (November 6, 1943 – July 11, 1993). Stage name of Benjamin Joe "Bennie" Houston, born and raised in Alabama who established himself as a guitarist and singer on Chicago's West Side. He was shot dead by fellow musician Tail Dragger Jones.[16]
John Brim (April 10, 1922, Hopkinsville, Kentucky – October 1, 2003). Acoustic and electric Chicago blues guitarist, harmonica player and singer who regularly performed with his wife, Grace, on drums. He recorded for Fortune Records and Chess Records, among others.[19]
Lonnie Brooks (December 18, 1933 – April 1, 2017). Guitarist and singer.[20]
Ronnie Baker Brooks (born Rodney Dion Baker, January 23, 1967, Chicago). Blues singer and guitarist. His father, the blues guitarist Lonnie Brooks, was a strong musical influence on him, as were Buddy Guy, Junior Wells and other Chicago blues luminaries who jammed at the Brookses' home while he was growing up. His brother Wayne Baker Brooks is also a blues musician, and the three Brookses often appear as guests in each other's shows.[21]
Wayne Baker Brooks (born April 30, 1970, Chicago). Guitarist and singer, son of the blues guitarist Lonnie Brooks (as above).[22]
George "Wild Child" Butler (October 1, 1936, Hernando, Mississippi – March 1, 2005). Electric guitarist, blues harp player and vocalist. He recorded in the 1960s and 1970s for Mercury Records. In the 1980s he moved to Canada and continued recording and performing. His last album was released by APO Records in 2001.[28]
Karen Carroll (January 30, 1958 – March 9, 2016). Blues vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter, the daughter of Mack Carroll and Alberta Simmons (stage name Jeanne Carroll). She first recorded with the Blues Masters (Carey Bell and his son Lurrie Bell) on the album Son of a Gun, released in 1984 by Rooster. She recorded two albums for Delmark Records and contributed to at least eight works on that label. She has written and recorded many singles and holds copyrights to them. Her final release was in 2011.[31]
Toronzo Cannon (born February 14, 1968, in Chicago, Illinois). Electric blues guitarist, vocalist and songwriter.[32]
Albert Collins (October 1, 1932, Leona, Texas – November 24, 1993). Electric blues guitarist and singer, usually considered typical of the Texas blues style (for example, performing with a horn section).[40]
Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup (August 24, 1905, Forest, Mississippi – March 28, 1974). Guitarist and singer who began his career performing Delta blues. He later moved to Chicago, where he continued performing Delta blues and also Chicago blues, in both acoustic and electric environments. Not until the blues revival of the 1960s did he receive widespread appreciation from audiences.[42]
D
Lester Davenport (January 16, 1932, Tchula, Mississippi – March 17, 2009). Moved to Chicago in 1945. Electric Chicago blues harmonica player and vocalist, sometimes called Mad Dog Davenport. He recorded his first album in 1991 for Earwig Music. He recorded I Smell a Rat for Delmark Records in 2002.[43]
Jimmy Dawkins (October 24, 1936, Tchula, Mississippi – April 10, 2013). Moved to Chicago in 1955. Guitarist and vocalist and a fixture of the modern electric Chicago blues scene. His first album, Fast Fingers, was recorded in 1969 for Delmark Records, for which he recorded several others. He also recorded for the Earwig Music and other labels.[45]
Detroit Junior (October 26, 1931 – August 9, 2005). Born Emery Williams Jr in Haynes, Arkansas, he was a pianist, vocalist and songwriter. He is known for songs such as "So Unhappy", "Call My Job", "If I Hadn't Been High", "Ella" and "Money Tree". His songs have been recorded by Koko Taylor and Albert King among others.[46]
Willie Dixon (July 1, 1915, Vicksburg, Mississippi – January 29, 1992). Double bassist, singer, songwriter, record producer and guitarist, a key figure in the acoustic and electric Chicago blues scene. He was involved in helping start the careers of Bo Diddley and Muddy Waters, to name only two. He recorded for numerous labels. He also performed jump blues and would sometimes sing jive.[48]
Lefty Dizz (April 29, 1937, Osceola, Arkansas – September 7, 1993) Born Walter Williams in Osceola, Arkansas, and before his four-year tour of duty in the U.S. Air Force ended in 1956, Lefty began to play the guitar. When he returned to Chicago later that year, he came under the tutelage of Lacy Gibson and Earl Hooker. In 1958, Lefty joined Sonny Thompson's road band, playing rhythm 'n' blues throughout the country. During a gig in Seattle, a left-handed teenage guitarist named Jimi Hendrix, hung out with, and was influenced by, Lefty Dizz. In 1960, Lefty moved to Detroit, where he remained for four years, working with Junior Cannady and John Lee Hooker. From 1964 to 1971, Lefty worked with Junior Wells, during which time they toured the U.S., Canada, Africa, Europe, Southeast Asia, the Fiji Islands and Indonesia. Lefty then joined Hound Dog Taylor and the Houserockers, performing extensively until Hound Dog's passing in late 1975. He then formed his own band, Lefty Dizz and Shock Treatment. His most well-known compositions include "Bad Avenue", "I Found Out", If I Could Just Get My Hands on What I Got My Eyes On", Funny Acting Woman", "Somebody Stole My Christmas" and "Ain't It Nice to be Loved". Lefty Dizz died from esophageal cancer on September 7, 1993, at age 56, in Chicago.[49]
Champion Jack Dupree
Johnny Drummer (born March 1, 1938). Singer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter.[50]
Phil Guy (April 28, 1940 – August 20, 2008). Guitarist. He was the younger brother of Buddy Guy.[67]
Steve Guyger (born September 12, 1952). Harmonica player, singer, and songwriter. He has recorded five albums since 1997, having previously backed Jimmy Rogers for almost 15 years.[68]
H
Harmonica Hinds (born January 4, 1945, Trinidad). Considered one of the most talented Chicago blues musicians, having played with many blues artists for more than five decades. He is still active on the Chicago blues scene.[69]
Earl Hooker (January 15, 1930, Clarksdale, Mississippi – April 21, 1970). Moved to Chicago with his family in the early 1940s. Slide guitarist who left an indelible mark on the Chicago blues. Having learning the rudiments of slide guitar from Robert Nighthawk, he joined Ike Turner's Kings of Rhythm in 1949 and toured the South. He returned to Chicago in the mid-1950s and became much in demand as a session player, recording with artists like Pinetop Perkins, Muddy Waters and his cousin, John Lee Hooker.[72]
Howlin' Wolf[74] (June 10, 1910 – January 10, 1976). Singer, guitarist and harmonica player.[75]
J. B. Hutto (April 26, 1926 – June 12, 1983). Guitarist and singer.[76]
I
Daniel Ivankovich (Chicago Slim) (born November 23, 1963). Founding member of the Chicago Blues All-Stars. He has performed and recorded with many Chicago blues musicians, including Otis Rush, Magic Slim and Junior Wells.[77] He is also an orthopedic surgeon and a co-founder and medical director of OnePatient-Global Health Initiative, an organization that provides medical care to the poor in Chicago and abroad.[78]
Elmore James (January 27, 1918, Richland, Mississippi – May 24, 1963). Slide guitarist, playing acoustic and electric guitars, and singer. He performed Delta blues and Chicago blues and is best known for the latter. His technique influenced a generation of guitarists who followed.[80]
Jimmy Johnson (November 25, 1928 – January 31, 2022). Guitarist and singer.[81]
Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson (April 11, 1939 – December 25, 2022). Electric guitarist best known for his long stints with Muddy Waters in the 1970s. In 1980 he began doing solo work. His debut album was released by Evidence Records in 1976. He has also recorded for Telarc and Bullseye Blues.[82]
Luther "Georgia Boy" Johnson (born Lucius Brinson Johnson, August 30, 1934, Davisboro, Georgia – March 18, 1976). Electric guitarist, singer and songwriter, also known as Snake or Snake Boy and sometimes billed as Luther King or Little Luther (he recorded under the latter name for Chess Records in the 1960s).[83]
L.V. Johnson (December 25, 1946 – November 22, 1994). Guitarist, singer and songwriter.[84]
Syl Johnson (July 1, 1936 – February 6, 2022). Blues and soul singer and record producer.[85]
Floyd Jones (July 21, 1917 – December 19, 1989). Singer, guitarist and songwriter.[86]
Moody Jones (April 8, 1908, Earle, Arkansas – March 23, 1988). Guitarist, bass player, and singer. Performed on Maxwell Street in the 1940s. A significant figure in the development of postwar Chicago blues, backing his cousin Floyd Jones, Snooky Pryor and others on singles released in the late 1940s and early 1950s.[89]
Tail Dragger Jones – (September 30, 1940 – September 4, 2023). American Chicago blues singer who performed since the 1960s and released four albums. Jones gained a certain notoriety in 1993, after being convicted of second-degree murder for the killing of fellow blues musician, Boston Blackie.[90]
K
E.G. Kight (born January 17, 1966). Singer, guitarist and songwriter.[91]
Magic Sam (February 14, 1937 – December 1, 1969). Guitarist and singer.[112]
Liz Mandeville. Singer-songwriter, guitarist, rubboard player, music producer, owner of the record label Blue Kitty Music.[113]
Earring George Mayweather (September 27, 1928 – February 12, 1995). Born in Montgomery, Alabama, United States. Although he only recorded a single solo album, Mayweather's harmonica work appeared on recordings by J. B. Hutto and Eddie Taylor.[114]
Holle Thee Maxwell (born October 17, 1945, Chicago). Singer-songwriter with a six-decade career.[115] She is known for her command of a wide range of genres. She replaced Tina Turner as vocalist with Ike Turner's band. Bobby Bland used one of the songs she wrote for his critically acclaimed album Come Fly with Me.
Andrew "Blueblood" McMahon (April 12, 1926 – February 17, 1984). Bass guitarist, singer-songwriter.[117] McMahon played bass guitar in Howlin' Wolf's backing ensemble for over a decade. He also backed a number of other Chicago-based blues musicians on record.[117]
Eddie Shaw (March 20, 1937 – January 29, 2018). Tenor saxophonist.[141]
Corky Siegel (born October 24, 1943). Singer-songwriter and composer, he plays harmonica and piano. He plays and writes blues and blues-rock music, and has also worked extensively on combining blues and classical music. He is best known as the co-leader of the Siegel-Schwall Band.[142]
Little Mack Simmons (January 25, 1933 – October 24, 2000). Harmonica player, singer-songwriter.[143]
Matthew Skoller (born August 3, 1962, in Canton, New York).[144] Harmonicist, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He has released five albums, as well as recording his harmonica playing on other musicians work.[145]
Barkin' Bill Smith. (August 18, 1928 – April 24, 2000). Singer-songwriter, performed solo and sang for electric blues bands, such as Dave Specter & the Bluebirds.[146]
Byther Smith (April 17, 1932 – September 10, 2021). Blues guitarist and singer.[147]
Washboard Sam (July 15, 1910 – November 6, 1966). Washboard player and singer.[162]
Muddy Waters (born McKinley Morganfield, April 4, 1913, Rolling Fork, Mississippi – April 30, 1983). Slide guitarist and singer who began his career playing Delta blues but is best known as a Chicago blues musician.[74]
Valerie Wellington (November 14, 1959, Chicago – January 2, 1993). Classical opera singer who successfully turned to recording Chicago blues.[163]
Junior Wells (December 9, 1934 – January 15, 1998). Harmonica player and singer.[164]
James Wheeler (August 28, 1937 – December 25, 2014). Chicago blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was the younger brother of the above named.[166]
Big Joe Williams (October 16, 1903 – December 17, 1982). Better known as a Delta blues player and itinerant musician, but an important figure in the development of Chicago blues by virtue of his recordings with Sonny Boy Williamson I.[167]
Sonny Boy Williamson I (John Lee Williamson, March 30, 1914 – June 1, 1948). Harmonica player, singer-songwriter.[170]
Sonny Boy Williamson II (Alex or Aleck "Rice" Miller, possibly December 5, 1912 – May 24, 1965). Harmonica player, singer-songwriter.[171]
Big John Wrencher (February 12, 1923 – July 15, 1977). Harmonica player and singer.[172]
Y
Johnny "Man" Young (January 1, 1918 – April 18, 1974). Singer, mandolin player and guitarist.[173] His nickname, Man, came from his playing the mandolin.
Mighty Joe Young (September 23, 1927 – March 24, 1999). Guitarist.[135] He began his music career in the early 1950s, singing on the Milwaukee nightclub circuit and taking his stage name after the film of the same name. In 1955, he returned to Louisiana to make his recording debut, for Jiffy Records.[174]
^Ward, Ed, 1948-. Michael Bloomfield : the rise and fall of an American guitar hero. Chicago, Illinois. ISBN978-1-61373-329-5. OCLC948671118.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^Obrecht, Jas, ed. (1993). Blues Guitar: The Men Who Made the Music. 2nd ed. Miller Freeman Books. pp. 246–259. ISBN0-87930-292-5.
^Palmer, Robert (1992). "Church of the Sonic Guitar", pp. 13–38 in Anthony DeCurtis, Present Tense. Duke University Press. pp. 24–27. ISBN0-8223-1265-4.
^Edmondson, Jacqueline (2013). Music in American Life: An Encyclopedia of the Songs, Styles, Stars, and Stories That Shaped Our Culture. ABC/Clio. p. 346.
^Dicaire, David (1999). Blues Singers: Biographies of 50 Legendary Artists of the Early 20th Century. McFarland. p. 87. ISBN0-7864-0606-2.
^Russell, Tony (1997). The Blues: From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray. Dubai: Carlton Books. p. 158. ISBN1-85868-255-X.
^Russell, Tony (1997). The Blues: From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray. Dubai: Carlton Books. pp. 76–77. ISBN1-85868-255-X.
^Field, Kim (2000). Harmonicas, Harps and Heavy Breathers: The Evolution of the People's Instrument. Cooper Square Press. pp. 313–317. ISBN9781461661023.
^ abcdefDu Noyer, Paul (2003). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Music. Fulham, London: Flame Tree Publishing. p. 181. ISBN1-904041-96-5.
^Russell, Tony (1997). The Blues: From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray. Dubai: Carlton Books. pp. 165–166. ISBN1-85868-255-X.
^"Billboard". Nielsen Business Media, Inc. February 12, 2000. p. 38. Retrieved March 24, 2022 – via Google Books. Corky Siegel, the Chicago blues harmonica and piano player who fronted the legendary Siegel-Schwall Band in the '60s and '70s...
^Russell, Tony (1997). The Blues: From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray. Dubai: Carlton Books. pp. 166–167. ISBN1-85868-255-X.
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