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Throughout the past fifty years the Chicago blues scene has been a
continuing flux of creativity. Some artists have risen from front
porches and southside streets into fame and prosperity and others
have lived a life scratching out an existence in small pubs and
backyard summer parties.
Over the years as many clubs have been a haven to the blues as there
have been artists to play in those clubs. Places like Turner's, The
Checkerboard, and Theresa's have become legends to those blues fans
too young to have been here during an era that has long passed us
by.
Other clubs like Silvios, the Queen Bee, 1815 Club, Ross & Ma
Bea's, the Rat Trap are rarely mentioned in articles on Chicago
blues. One such is Smitty's Corner, where Bix Beiderbecke heard
Bessie Smith in the `20s and tipped her his weeks' pay -- even the
waiters were bluesmen such as "Dirty" Red Nelson (Decca, Aladdin)
& Jack Cooley (Mercury, States/DL). Because so few fans of the
blues know of these former bastions of the blues world we are
presenting here a document of the late, great, and some times
infamous music dens of yesterday.
The artists listed after the clubs are those that played there
regularly. But on any given night you never know who may have stopped
by and sat in on a set.
Most of the clubs listed here date from the early 1960's to the mid
1970's But several where around as early as the mid '50s (when
Delmark Records owner Bob Koester wandered into Chicago from St.
Louis) unfortunately almost all of the ones listed are now gone.
Dozens of others -- perhaps hundreds of others -- came and went
during that period. There are still a few genuine west side blues
clubs open; check The Reader for listings.
-- Ray Harmon
Peppers (43th and Vicennes) - Jr. Wells, Buddy Guy, Earl
Hooker, Robert Nighthawk. Open nightly from Mid '60s to '70s.
Queen Bees (47th) - Louis and Dave Myers, the Aces (changed
its name and owner in the early 1980's to Lee's Unleaded Blues)
Florence's (55th and Shield) - Hound Dog Taylor, Magic Slim
Sunday afternoons.
1125 (W. 59th) - Magic Slim weekends (w. Blues Before Sunrise
host Steve Cushing on drums)
Theresa's (48th & Indiana) - Jr. Wells, Buddy Guy, Byther
Smith, Sammy Longhorn. Open from the '50s to the early '80s
Turner's (39th and Indiana) - JB Hutto (on Mondays and
weekends), Jimmy Reed. For 50¢ or $1 you got a ticket that let
you in and got you a beer at the bar! Open from the early '50s to the
late '70s
Rose and Kelly's (43rd well east of Indiana) - Owned by a
retired policeman, with JB Hutto (Great food, Monday nights only)
I Spy (63rd west of the expressway) - Magic Slim, Billy Boy
Arnold, Mighty Joe Young, Otis Rush.
Avenue Lounge (Madison near California) Lonnie Brooks' hang
for many years.
Castle Rock (West of Pulaski on Roosevelt) - Little Brother
Montgomery
Club Alex was originally on the North side of Roosevelt Rd. at
Loomis, and featured Muddy Waters. Later moved to 1815 W. Roosevelt
and eventually became the 1815 Club (q.v.)
Copacabana (West Roosevelt Rd.) was a 2nd floor catering hall
where such visiting artists as John Lee Hooker, Junior Parker, etc.
played. Chess recorded a live album there: Folk Festival of the
Blues, with Wolf, Muddy and Dixon.
Curly's (Madison & Homan) - Otis Rush, Rumored to be Mob
Owned!?
Duke's Blue Flame (Madison & California) - Howlin' Wolf
played when they had music, which was not always the case.
Duke's Flamingo (West of Ashland) - Jimmy Reed. Owned by T.J.
McNalty - Freddy King's drummer
1815 Club, previously Alex, later Eddie Shaw's (1815 W.
Roosevelt) - Eddie Shaw, Magic Sam (Part of Magic Sam Live - Delmark
645 - was recorded here.) Now a church.
Key Largo (Roosevelt & Damen) - Howlin' Wolf, Jimmy
Rogers, Fenton Robinson
L&A Lounge (16th and Pulaski) - Freddy King, Luther
Allison, Magic Sam. Broadcast on WOPA Radio Monday nights. Sam tended
bar and his lady waited tables.
Necktie Nate's was one of the last Roosevelt Rd. clubs (off
Ashland). This was in the 70's or 80's and all the later-day guys
showed up. Nate sold it to a guy who apparently was dealing drugs and
who got blown away over the bar one night. Later a motorcycle gang
HQ.
Rat Trap (Cermak & 43rd) - Guitar Red and Easy Baby
Ross & Ma Bea's (W. Madison at Sacramento) - Jimmy
Dawkins, Jimmy Rogers w. Willie Kent
Silvio's (Lake and Kedzie) - Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Magic
Sam (Sometimes all in one night) Open from the Late 1950's to the mid
'70s
Walton's Corners (West Roosevelt Rd.) eventually was TJ's
owned by T.J. McNulty, Freddy King's drummer.
Zanzibar (13th & Ashland) Muddy Waters (1950's). Now a
church.
Bob and Sue Koester, Doug Engel, Jimmy Burns, and Steve Cushing. All photos copyright Greg Roberts.