 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 Taylor, 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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