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A Pair of Queens Confirmed for Chicago Blues Festival 2007

Chicago Blues Festival
Blues lovers are in for a royal good time at this year’s Chicago Blues Festival! When it comes to singing the blues, women can hold court just as well as the men, if not better. Mark your calendar for June 7-10, 2007 in Chicago’s beautiful Grant Park!

Chicago’s Koko Taylo
r, queen of the blues, has been confirmed to open at the festival, June 7. Grammy®-winning Taylor has released her first CD in seven years, Old School, which was inspired by the sound and spirit of the Chicago blues of the 1950s. This CD is sure to be worth its weight in gold with five new original songs written by Taylor, along with carefully selected songs from Lefty Dizz, Magic Sam, Willie Dixon and more. Taylor continues to thrive, despite her health scare in 2003, and her quick recovery landed her back on stage as well as in the recording studio. The CD mixes a tough “old school” sound that comes straight from her heart, with a life-affirming, joyous sound reminiscent of the Koko Taylor from years past.

Irma Thomas, the soul queen of New Orleans, has also been confirmed to headline at the festival, Saturday, June 9. This year, Thomas earned a Grammy® for Best Contemporary Blues Album for After the Rain,— her first win in her acclaimed career of more than 45 years. Inspiration for the CD came from Hurricane Katrina’s impact on her home and club in August 2005, Thomas performs annually at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Although she has never crossed over to mainstream commercial success, she has written many popular songs that have been covered by the Rolling Stones, Otis Redding and more.

To match this pair, a couple of soul/blues icons also are scheduled to play the festival. Closing the festival on Thursday and Sunday are Willie Clayton and Bobby Rush, respectively. These artists are two of the final proponents of a blues style better known in southern cities even though they have significant roots in Chicago.

Blues fans cannot feed on the music alone, and there’s plenty of food to enjoy at the Chicago Blues Festival. Robinson's Ribs is back by popular demand, along with Zam-Zam's restaurant, featuring unique flavors of Chicago’s northside Indian community, and Lagniappe, featuring Chicago's Louisiana flavors.

The Chicago Blues Festival would like to thank the following sponsors: 7-Eleven, AT&T Yellow Pages, Billy Goat, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, Bud Light, Celebration Creamery, Chicago Tribune, Communications Direct, Connie’s Pizza, Chicago Transit Authority, Dominick’s Finer Foods, Gibson, Hinckley, Lagniappe, Louisiana Tourism, Mississippi Development Authority, National City, Pepsi, Robinson’s Ribs, Sensodyne, Southwest Airlines, Star of Siam, Starbucks Coffee Company, US Cellular, Vienna Beef, WSSD, WXRT, and Zam-Zam Restaurant.

For more information on the Chicago Blues Festival, visit www.chicagobluesfestival.us or call 312/744-3315 or 312/744-3370. For great hotel rates, visit www.877chicago.com or call 1877-chicago.

www.chicagobluesfestival.us


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