Sweet Home
Sweet Home: February 2012
When exploring the formidable list of Chicago’s blues divas, Deitra Farr‘s name is always front and center. Versatile and energetic, her smooth and controlled voice tackles a range of genres from soul to gospel but it always remains grounded in the blues.
Sweet Home: January 2012
Hubert Sumlin was one of the greatest blues guitarists of his generation. Famous for the explosive guitar riffs that he produced as a member of Howlin’ Wolf’s band, Sumlin influenced such rock-guitar gods as Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, and Keith Richards. His 80-year journey began in the Mississippi Delta and took him across the world […]
Sweet Home: December 2011
Texas-born Chicago-based vocalist Sharon Lewis has been a fixture on the blues scene since the ’90s, playing with everybody from Dave Specter to Harmonica Hinds. But her Delmark debut, The Real Deal (Delmark), brings together all that experience in one multi-layered package. Backed by her hard-driving band Texas Fire, Lewis manages to craft a well-rounded, […]
Sweet Home: November 2011
Timbuktu To The Delta The ngoni, the kora, and the balafon may not sound like familiar instruments to most Americans, but for blues fans, these ancient African musical instruments hold the keys to the rhythms and traditions that developed into what we love.
Sweet Home: October 2011
Blues Passages The last two months have packed powerful blows to the blues community, with the passing of David “Honeyboy” Edwards and Willie “Big Eyes” Smith. Both enjoyed significant careers that helped preserve the soaring legacy of the Delta blues. As elder statesmen who represented crucial decades of living blues history, they will both be […]
Sweet Home: September 2011
Race, Rage, & The Blues Nobody expected a brief Alligator Records tribute to become a catalyst for examining blues-industry race relations. When the Chicago Reader ran a profile of founder Bruce Iglauer commemorating the 40th anniversary of the label, buried within the May 19th piece was a quote that inflamed the blues community:
Sweet Home: August 2011
Reflection Eternal As one of the most consistent contemporary bluesmen performing today, it’s a surprise to discover that Grammy-winning Keb Mo (a.k.a. Kevin Moore) doesn’t actually consider himself a bluesman.
Sweet Home: July 2011
Bad Girl Gone Good Chicago’s legendary blues sound continues to evolve and expand with new variations and perspectives, and the most exciting additions are pouring from the offspring of its heroes. The latest take comes from Demetria Taylor, daughter of the late guitarist Eddie Taylor. Although she has devoted years developing her voice singing on […]
Sweet Home: June 2011
Blue Ladies This year’s Chicago Blues Fest includes Shemekia Copeland, an all-star Robert Johnson centennial salute, and harp master Billy Branch & The Sons Of The Blues. But another Blues Fest must-see kicks off on opening night, after the actual festivities are over.
Sweet Home: May 2011
A Century At The Crossroads May 8th marks an extremely significant event in blues history. The date commemorates the 100th birthday of Robert Johnson, King Of The Delta Blues and Father Of Modern Rock. Although he lived a brief life and recorded only 29 songs, his legacy stretches way beyond his era and genre.
Sweet Home: April 2011
The Iron Man Cometh Blues guitarist Michael Burks earned his “Iron Man” moniker honestly, through non-stop touring and exhaustive shows featuring fiercely intense guitar licks. But there’s a deeper meaning to his nickname. After putting his guitar down for 11 years to support his family, he picked it up again and faced down a dwindling […]
Sweet Home: March 2011
Going Out With A Bang Nellie “Tiger” Travis boasts all the requirements for the perfect blues pedigree. She was born in Mississippi. Growing up, she sang in her church choir.
Sweet Home: February 2011
A Model Ford T-Model Ford (James Lewis Carter Ford) enjoys life. Although I’ve never met the Delta bluesman, his joy for living seeps through every chord of Taledragger (Alive). That’s a particularly fortunate attribute, not only for his music but for fans of traditional Delta blues.
Sweet Home: January 2010
A New Kind Of Kinds James Kinds‘ voice cackles with the sweat of the Mississippi delta and the grit of Chicago’s West Side. It’s the kind of voice that can translate heady emotion with a quick shift of tone.
Sweet Home: December 2010
When Mike Raspatello was thinking about what was missing in Chicago’s crowded music-festival calendar, he immediately considered the lack of roots music. “There was nothing offered in the winter months at all,” he adds. “The roots genre was relegated to the summer months.”
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