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- Music, Concert Preview Nov 1, 2019
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Sidemen supergroup Source One Band channel the excitement of old-school soul and blues revues
- Music, Concert Preview Oct 17, 2019
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Rhiannon Giddens honors the African and Arabic influences in American roots music on There Is No Other
- Music, Concert Preview Sep 26, 2019
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Chicago’s Countess Williams summons the theatrical panache of classic blueswomen
- Music, Concert Preview Jul 12, 2019
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Harpist Billy Branch draws from blues history to invigorate his sound
- Music, Music Feature Jun 4, 2019
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The Reader’s guide to the 2019 Chicago Blues Festival
The fest diversifies its lineup for its third year in Millennium Park, with suave and sexy R&B star Latimore, deep-soul legend Don Bryant, genre-defying singer Bettye LaVette, and many more.
- Music, Music Feature Jun 4, 2019
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Thinking outside the park (and beyond the weekend)
The Blues Festival spurs dozens of special events around town, including shows by Jamiah Rogers, Lurrie Bell, and Lynne Jordan—plus three historic photo exhibits.
- Music, Music Feature Jun 4, 2019
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O.B. Buchana sings about sin with the voice of a saint
This soul-blues superstar brings a distinctive grit to his tales of all-night escapades.
- Music, Music Feature Jun 4, 2019
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Melody Angel is the future of the blues
This Chicago musician and actress blends blues, old-school rock ’n’ roll, R&B, hip-hop, and more to create a style all her own.
- Music, Music Feature Jun 4, 2019
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Mzz Reese and her Reese’s Pieces serve up crowd-pleasing blues
Whether on well-chosen covers or her signature song “Cookies,” she prefers nuance and subtlety to pyrotechnics.
- Music, Music Feature Jun 3, 2019
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Karen Wolfe sings tough but supple southern soul-blues
This Memphis vocalist has adopted the persona of a vintage blueswoman—feisty, independent, and ready to call out no-good men.
- Music, Music Feature Jun 3, 2019
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If you see one set this Blues Festival, make it Jimmy Johnson
At 90 years old, the guitarist is a walking master class in modern blues greatness.
- Music, Music Feature Jun 3, 2019
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Billy Boy Arnold helped the blues give birth to rock ’n’ roll
He might be best known as Bo Diddley’s 1950s harmonica player, but he’s 25 years into a comeback of his own.
- Music, Concert Preview Apr 4, 2019
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Soul balladeer Lee Fields strikes the perfect balance on It Rains Love
- Music, Concert Preview Mar 14, 2019
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R&B singer Syleena Johnson channels her rootsier side at Chi-Town Blues Fest
- Music, Concert Preview Dec 13, 2018
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Shemekia Copeland takes on a wealth of social issues on the hard-driving America’s Child
- Music, Concert Preview Nov 15, 2018
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Sir Charles Jones revitalizes the classic soul ballad for today’s world
- Music, Music Feature Jun 5, 2018
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The Reader’s guide to the 2018 Chicago Blues Festival
The fest expands its footprint in Millennium Park with a diverse lineup that includes boogie-woogie pianist Erwin Helfer, southern soul-blues star Ms. Jody, and the Rising Stars Fife & Drum Band with Shardé Thomas.
- Music, Music Feature Jun 5, 2018
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Boogie-woogie torchbearer Erwin Helfer upholds the dignity, joy, and humor of an antique style
The 82-year-old pianist may be Chicago’s last living link to a tradition that arose more than a century ago.
- Music, Music Feature Jun 5, 2018
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Southern soul-blues queen Ms. Jody always respects herself in the morning
She can get pretty raunchy, but never at the expense of her self-worth or good sense.
- Music, Music Feature Jun 5, 2018
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The weekend’s best blues beyond the fest
Your options outside Millennium Park include Shemekia Copeland, John Primer, and Selwyn Birchwood.
- Music, Concert Preview May 11, 2018
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Eddy Clearwater remains one of Chicago’s most energetic and celebratory bluesmen
- Music, Concert Preview Mar 29, 2018
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Nellie “Tiger” Travis and Pokey Bear head to Chi-Town Blues Festival
- Music, Concert Preview Aug 17, 2017
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At 77 years old, soul-blues veteran Latimore is still his sultry self
- Music, Music Feature Jun 7, 2017
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Harmonica master Billy Branch celebrates 40 years leading the Sons of Blues
So many current stars have cut their teeth in Branch’s band that they could fill their own blues festival.
- Music, Music Feature Jun 7, 2017
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Guitarist Ronnie Baker Brooks balances his legacy with his drive to innovate
His father, the late Lonnie Brooks, appears on the new Times Have Changed—alongside Memphis rapper Al Kapone.