I’ve always loved the blues. Don’t know when I first heard a blues song, but I identified with it immediately. As a youngster, I listened to delta blues, psych-blues from England, Texas blues and modern reinterpretations from bands like The Allman Brothers. But the Chicago “electric blues” holds a special place for me. It took the basic elements of rural blues and added something gritty, dynamic and edgy. It also became the foundation for a rediscovery of blues by so many notable artists from the UK in the ’60s. Guitarists like Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page and bands like the Yardbirds, The Cream and the Rolling Stones eventually took “blues-rock” beyond its origins and popularized a form of music- “hard rock” that drove popular music (and the music industry) for decades.
I will soon be publishing some pieces on the Chicago blues. In the meantime, track down a film from 1972 called, aptly, “Chicago Blues” directed by Harley Cokliss. It is a documentary, but also captures some great club performances from the likes of Muddy Waters, Junior Wells, Buddy Guy, J.B. Hutto and others.