Chicago Blues: A Living History (USA)

The stars of Chicago Blues: A Living History takes it audience on a never-before-seen chronological voyage through the evolution of the Chicago Blues tradition from the early 1940s when the first ensembles with drums were formed and principal instrument was the piano. The concert progresses through the 1950s and beyond as the electric guitar and harmonica took over as featured lead instrument and laid the foundation for rock, r&b, soul and pop music as we know it today.

For the first time, the men who played with the original Chicago-blues pioneers were gathered together to  bridge the gap between those early icons and today’s scene.

Chicago Blues: A Living History brings together two generations of Chicago’s greatest living traditionalists in an unprecedented collaboration. The legendary Billy Boy Arnold, John Primer, Billy Branch, Lurrie Bell and Carlos Johnson – all illustrious inheritors of the Chicago-blues tradition – have come together to honor the evolution of this music, from its creation to the present day.

Why? Because Chicago blues not only laid the foundation for Rock’n’roll and pop as we know it today—but its songs, sound, masters and myths have had an incalculable effect on American society and have touched lives on a global level as much as any other American art form. This group united to bear witness to the history and power of this music in its purest form, as they themselves are the artists who formed the bridge between the originators of the genre and the Chicago blues of today. Through them, Chicago blues remains a living tradition.

We hear the sound of Chicago blues all around the globe, from the biggest cities to the smallest rural villages. We hear it in commercials, on soundtracks and in the very D.N.A of huge hits across many genres. Rock stars have revered Chicago blues legends for decades. Clubs, festivals, societies and magazines have sprung up around the world to pay respect to this massively influential music.

It’s been a half century now that the gods of Rock ’n’ roll have been worshipping the men of Chicago blues. For their first single and first album, the Rolling Stones (who took their name from a Muddy Waters song) picked songs by Chicago-blues songwriting titan Willie Dixon. A young Eric Clapton and his band the Yardbirds made their first recordings as the backing band for Chicago- blues harmonica hero Sonny Boy Williamson II (Rice Miller) and decided on I Wish You Would—a classic by another Chicago-blues harmonica great, Billy Boy Arnold—for their first single. Eight years before Rumours, Fleetwood Mac came to Chicago to record with Willie Dixon and blues-piano legend Otis Spann. At the height of his Ziggy Stardust fame, David Bowie also chose I Wish You Would for his Pin Ups album.

Eric Clapton and Cyndi Lauper chose songs by Little Walter and Muddy Waters for their 2010 albums. It’s impossible to imagine the genesis of modern-day rock bands like the White Stripes and the Black Keys if Chicago blues had never been born. The same goes for pop stars from Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix to Bob Dylan and the Grateful Dead… from Led Zeppelin (noted idolizers of Chicago blues) to Prince (who’s known to play passionate after-hours blues sets) to Beyoncé (who portrayed Etta James in the movie based on Chicago’s Chess label, Cadillac Records). The unparalleled power of Chicago blues has been fueling artists around the world ever since the 1940s.

This collaboration has already won numerous international awards including a 2010 Grammy Award nomination and is recognized by critiques, musicians and historians around the world as the greatest tribute of our time to the Chicago Blues.

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