Chicago blues is one of the most recognizable cultural signatures of the 'Second City' and part of the city's cultural identity. Musicians such as Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon and Howlin' Wolf created and popularized the distinctive hard-edged electrified sound of Chicago blues. Spread nationwide by radio and club tours, Chicago blues was a significant influence on other musical styles, including rhythm and blues, American and British rock and roll of the 1950s and 1960s, and in turn, "current" popular music.
It was by playing with and learning from the great Chicago bluesmen that 'Barrelhouse' Chuck Goering became an insider, celebrated blues pianist and historian of the Chicago Blues scene. It is through his collection and stories that this exhibition presents a piece of the story of Chicago blues.
Live performance is the heart of the blues, and Chicago fostered its distinct brand of blues in the clubs and street venues in the city's African-American communities. In the 1940s, clubs along Indiana Avenue and Lake Street such as Silvio's and the 708 were community centers for African-American migrants from the South. The Maxwell Street outdoor market was another weekend venue for Chicago blues artists to perform.
Chicago blues was popularized world-wide by record companies such as Chess Records, and international touring and disc jockeys such as Al Benson in the 1950s and early 1960s. As a result, blues clubs spread throughout Chicagoland as its popularity increased, yet remained close to African-American neighborhoods.
Following a decline in popularity and the closure of many record labels and clubs in the early 1960s, the blues saw a reemergence beginning in the late 1960s and 1970s. This new audience drew from fans of rock and roll searching for rock and roll's musical roots. The annual Chicago Blues Festival began in 1984, and clubs again opened in African-American neighborhoods, downtown and on the North Side, which attracted a largely non-African-American audience. Today, Chicago blues clubs continue to be a distinct feature of the city and a draw for tourists.
Blues music was born in the South, but it was in 1950s Chicago that the blues sound evolved into the form that became known worldwide. Traditional Southern blues relied on acoustic guitar and harmonica. Chicago blues put a harder edge on the sound with a rhythm section and electric amplification. The new harder and more raw electrified blues sound of Chicago was comprised of harmonica, piano, electric guitar and bass, and drums.
Chicago blues has a long lineage of blues musicians leading to current musicians such as Barrelhouse Chuck. The Chicago blues has also influenced many other musical genres and musicians over the years. Muddy Water's "Rollin' Stone" (1950) and "Hoochie Coochie Man" (1954) inspired the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin. Many of Elvis Presley's songs, sound and poster style came directly from the blues.
