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List of Chicago blues musicians

Chicago blues is a form of blues music developed in Chicago, Illinois, in the 1950s, in which the basic instrumentation of Delta blues—acoustic guitar and harmonica—is augmented with electric guitar, amplified bass guitar, drums, piano, harmonica played with a microphone and an amplifier, and sometimes saxophone. The best-known Chicago blues musicians include singer-songwriters and bandleaders Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, and Willie Dixon; guitar players such as Elmore James, Luther Allison, and Buddy Guy; and harp (blues slang for harmonica) players such as Little Walter, Paul Butterfield, and Charlie Musselwhite. Since the 1960s, the Chicago blues style and sound has spread around the US, the UK and beyond.

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  • Lester Davenport (January 16, 1932, Tchula, Mississippi – March 17, 2009). Moved to Chicago in 1945. Electric Chicago blues harmonica player and vocalist, sometimes called Mad Dog Davenport. He recorded his first album in 1991 for Earwig Music. He recorded I Smell a Rat for Delmark Records in 2002.
  • Blind John Davis (December 7, 1913, Hattiesburg, Mississippi – October 12, 1985). Accomplished blues, jazz, and boogie-woogie pianist who recorded with Sonny Boy Williamson, Tampa Red, Big Bill Broonzy, Merline Johnson and others.
  • Jimmy Dawkins (October 24, 1936, Tchula, Mississippi – April 10, 2013). Moved to Chicago in 1955. Guitarist and vocalist and a fixture of the modern electric Chicago blues scene. His first album, Fast Fingers, was recorded in 1969 for Delmark Records, for which he recorded several others. He also recorded for the Earwig Music and other labels.
  • Detroit Junior (October 26, 1931 – August 9, 2005). Born Emery Williams Jr in Haynes, Arkansas, he was a pianist, vocalist and songwriter. He is known for songs such as "So Unhappy", "Call My Job", "If I Hadn't Been High", "Ella" and "Money Tree". His songs have been recorded by Koko Taylor and Albert King among others.
  • Bo Diddley (December 30, 1928, McComb, Mississippi – June 2, 2008). Guitarist and vocalist who performed electric Chicago blues, rock and roll and rhythm and blues. He had a long career, beginning in the 1950s. He recorded well over twenty albums for Checker Records, Chess Records, Atlantic Records and other labels.
  • Willie Dixon (July 1, 1915, Vicksburg, Mississippi – January 29, 1992). Double bassist, singer, songwriter, record producer and guitarist, a key figure in the acoustic and electric Chicago blues scene. He was involved in helping start the careers of Bo Diddley and Muddy Waters, to name only two. He recorded for numerous labels. He also performed jump blues and would sometimes sing jive.
  • Lefty Dizz (April 29, 1937, Osceola, Arkansas – September 7, 1993) Born Walter Williams in Osceola, Arkansas, and before his four-year tour of duty in the U.S. Air Force ended in 1956, Lefty began to play the guitar. When he returned to Chicago later that year, he came under the tutelage of Lacy Gibson and Earl Hooker. In 1958, Lefty joined Sonny Thompson's road band, playing rhythm 'n' blues throughout the country. During a gig in Seattle, a left-handed teenage guitarist named Jimi Hendrix, hung out with, and was influenced by, Lefty Dizz. In 1960, Lefty moved to Detroit, where he remained for four years, working with Junior Cannady and John Lee Hooker. From 1964 to 1971, Lefty worked with Junior Wells, during which time they toured the U.S., Canada, Africa, Europe, Southeast Asia, the Fiji Islands and Indonesia. Lefty then joined Hound Dog Taylor and the Houserockers, performing extensively until Hound Dog's passing in late 1975. He then formed his own band, Lefty Dizz and Shock Treatment. His most well-known compositions include "Bad Avenue", "I Found Out", If I Could Just Get My Hands on What I Got My Eyes On", Funny Acting Woman", "Somebody Stole My Christmas" and "Ain't It Nice to be Loved". Lefty Dizz died from esophageal cancer on September 7, 1993, at age 56, in Chicago.

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  • Paul Filipowicz (born March 24, 1950). Singer, guitarist, harmonica player and songwriter. A 2015 inductee to the Chicago Blues Hall of Fame.
  • Billy Flynn (born August 11, 1956). Electric guitarist, singer and songwriter.
  • "Baby Face" Leroy Foster (February 1, 1923 – May 26, 1958). Singer, guitarist, and drummer.
  • Little Willy Foster (April 5 or April 20, 1922 – November 25, 1987). Harmonica player, singer, and songwriter.
  • Steve Freund (born July 20, 1952). Guitarist, singer, bandleader and record producer.

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  • Harmonica Hinds (born January 4, 1945, Trinidad). Considered one of the most talented Chicago blues musicians, having played with many blues artists for more than five decades. He is still active on the Chicago blues scene.
  • Shakey Jake Harris (April 12, 1921, Earle, Arkansas – March 2, 1990). Singer, harmonica player and songwriter, long associated with his nephew, Magic Sam.
  • Homesick James (April 30, 1910 [uncertain] – December 13, 2006). Slide guitarist. Elmore James was his cousin.
  • Earl Hooker (January 15, 1930, Clarksdale, Mississippi – April 21, 1970). Moved to Chicago with his family in the early 1940s. Slide guitarist who left an indelible mark on the Chicago blues. Having learning the rudiments of slide guitar from Robert Nighthawk, he joined Ike Turner's Kings of Rhythm in 1949 and toured the South. He returned to Chicago in the mid-1950s and became much in demand as a session player, recording with artists like Pinetop Perkins, Muddy Waters and his cousin, John Lee Hooker.
  • Big Walter Horton (April 6, 1921, Horn Lake, Mississippi – December 8, 1981). Also known as Shakey Walter Horton, he was one of the better-known harmonica players of his day. He played the gamut, including Memphis blues, Chicago blues, juke joint blues and harmonica blues. He played both acoustic and amplified harmonica and was also a singer.
  • Howlin' Wolf (June 10, 1910 – January 10, 1976). Singer, guitarist and harmonica player.
  • J. B. Hutto (April 26, 1926 – June 12, 1983). Guitarist and singer.

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  • Daniel Ivankovich (Chicago Slim) (born November 23, 1963). Founding member of the Chicago Blues All-Stars. He has performed and recorded with many Chicago blues musicians, including Otis Rush, Magic Slim and Junior Wells. He is also an orthopedic surgeon and a co-founder and medical director of OnePatient-Global Health Initiative, an organization that provides medical care to the poor in Chicago and abroad.

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  • Lee Jackson (August 18, 1921 – July 1, 1979). Guitarist, bass guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although he did release a number of recordings in his own name, such as "Fishin' in My Pond" (1957), he is mostly known for his work on recordings with other blues musicians such as Johnny Shines, Willie Dixon, Jimmy Reed, J. B. Hutto, Sunnyland Slim, Lacy Gibson, and Little Walter.
  • Elmore James (January 27, 1918, Richland, Mississippi – May 24, 1963). Slide guitarist, playing acoustic and electric guitars, and singer. He performed Delta blues and Chicago blues and is best known for the latter. His technique influenced a generation of guitarists who followed.
  • Jimmy Johnson (November 25, 1928 – January 31, 2022). Guitarist and singer.
  • Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson (April 11, 1939 – December 25, 2022). Electric guitarist best known for his long stints with Muddy Waters in the 1970s. In 1980 he began doing solo work. His debut album was released by Evidence Records in 1976. He has also recorded for Telarc and Bullseye Blues.
  • Luther "Georgia Boy" Johnson (born Lucius Brinson Johnson, August 30, 1934, Davisboro, Georgia – March 18, 1976). Electric guitarist, singer and songwriter, also known as Snake or Snake Boy and sometimes billed as Luther King or Little Luther (he recorded under the latter name for Chess Records in the 1960s).
  • L.V. Johnson (December 25, 1946 – November 22, 1994). Guitarist, singer and songwriter.
  • Syl Johnson (July 1, 1936 – February 6, 2022). Blues and soul singer and record producer.
  • Floyd Jones (July 21, 1917 – December 19, 1989). Singer, guitarist and songwriter.
  • Johnny "Yard Dog" Jones (June 21, 1941 – September 16, 2015). Chicago blues and soul blues singer, guitarist, harmonica player, and songwriter.
  • Little Johnny Jones (November 1, 1924 – November 19, 1964). Pianist and singer.
  • Moody Jones (April 8, 1908, Earle, Arkansas – March 23, 1988). Guitarist, bass player, and singer. Performed on Maxwell Street in the 1940s. A significant figure in the development of postwar Chicago blues, backing his cousin Floyd Jones, Snooky Pryor and others on singles released in the late 1940s and early 1950s.
  • Tail Dragger Jones – (September 30, 1940 – September 4, 2023). American Chicago blues singer who performed since the 1960s and released four albums. Jones gained a certain notoriety in 1993, after being convicted of second-degree murder for the killing of fellow blues musician, Boston Blackie.

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  • Pierre Lacocque (born October 13, 1952). Harmonica player, songwriter, and Mississippi Heat band leader.
  • Sammy Lawhorn (July 12, 1935 – April 29, 1990). Guitarist.
  • Johnny Laws (January 12, 1943 – March 28, 2021). Guitarist, singer and songwriter.
  • Sam Lay (March 20, 1935 – January 29, 2022). Drummer and singer.
  • Bonnie Lee (June 11, 1931 – September 7, 2006). Singer.
  • J. B. Lenoir (March 5, 1929 – April 29, 1967). Guitarist, singer and songwriter.
  • Hip Linkchain (November 10, 1936 – February 13, 1989). Guitarist, singer and songwriter.
  • John Littlejohn (April 16, 1931 – February 1, 1994). Electric blues slide guitarist.
  • Little Walter (May 1, 1930 – February 15, 1968). Harmonica player and singer.
  • Robert Lockwood, Jr. (March 27, 1915 – November 21, 2006). Guitarist.
  • Professor Eddie Lusk (September 21, 1948 – August 26, 1992). Session and touring musician.
  • Willie James Lyons (December 5, 1938 – December 26, 1980). Guitarist, singer and songwriter. He worked primarily in the West Side of Chicago from the late 1950s up to his death. Lyons was an accompanist to many musicians who included Luther Allison, Jimmy Dawkins and Bobby Rush. A noted performer in his own right, Lyons work was influenced by B.B. King and Freddie King, T-Bone Walker and Lowell Fulson. His only solo album was Chicago Woman, recorded in France in 1979.

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  • Willie Mabon (October 24, 1925 – April 19, 1985). Pianist, singer-songwriter.
  • Magic Sam (February 14, 1937 – December 1, 1969). Guitarist and singer.
  • Liz Mandeville. Singer-songwriter, guitarist, rubboard player, music producer, owner of the record label Blue Kitty Music.
  • Earring George Mayweather (September 27, 1928 – February 12, 1995). Born in Montgomery, Alabama, United States. Although he only recorded a single solo album, Mayweather's harmonica work appeared on recordings by J. B. Hutto and Eddie Taylor.
  • Holle Thee Maxwell (born October 17, 1945, Chicago). Singer-songwriter with a six-decade career. She is known for her command of a wide range of genres. She replaced Tina Turner as vocalist with Ike Turner's band. Bobby Bland used one of the songs she wrote for his critically acclaimed album Come Fly with Me.
  • L. C. McKinley (October 22, 1918 – January 19, 1970). Guitarist.
  • Andrew "Blueblood" McMahon (April 12, 1926 – February 17, 1984). Bass guitarist, singer-songwriter. McMahon played bass guitar in Howlin' Wolf's backing ensemble for over a decade. He also backed a number of other Chicago-based blues musicians on record.

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  • Robert Nighthawk (November 30, 1909 – November 5, 1967). Guitarist, harmonica player and singer.

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  • Marty Sammon (October 14, 1977 – October 15, 2022). Keyboardist.
  • Ken Saydak (born August 18, 1951). Pianist and singer-songwriter.
  • Son Seals (August 13, 1942 – December 20, 2004). Electric blues guitarist and singer.
  • Eddie Shaw (March 20, 1937 – January 29, 2018). Tenor saxophonist.
  • Corky Siegel (born October 24, 1943). Singer-songwriter and composer, he plays harmonica and piano. He plays and writes blues and blues-rock music, and has also worked extensively on combining blues and classical music. He is best known as the co-leader of the Siegel-Schwall Band.
  • Little Mack Simmons (January 25, 1933 – October 24, 2000). Harmonica player, singer-songwriter.
  • Matthew Skoller (born August 3, 1962, in Canton, New York). Harmonicist, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He has released five albums, as well as recording his harmonica playing on other musicians work.
  • Barkin' Bill Smith. (August 18, 1928 – April 24, 2000). Singer-songwriter, performed solo and sang for electric blues bands, such as Dave Specter & the Bluebirds.
  • Byther Smith (April 17, 1932 – September 10, 2021). Blues guitarist and singer.

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  • Tampa Red (January 8, 1903 – March 19, 1981). Guitarist and songwriter.
  • Demetria Taylor (born February 28, 1973). Singer and songwriter, the daughter of the underneath named musician.
  • Eddie Taylor (January 29, 1923 – December 25, 1985). Electric blues guitarist and singer.
  • Eddie Taylor Jr. (March 27, 1972 – March 8, 2019). Chicago blues and electric blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. Son of the above.
  • Hound Dog Taylor (April 12, 1915 – December 17, 1975). Guitarist and singer.
  • Koko Taylor (September 28, 1928 – June 3, 2009). Singer.
  • Melvin Taylor (born March 13, 1959). Guitarist.
  • Johnny Temple (October 18, 1906 – November 22, 1968). Guitarist and singer.

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  • Johnny "Big Moose" Walker (June 27, 1927 – November 27, 1999). Chicago blues and electric blues pianist and organist.
  • Washboard Sam (July 15, 1910 – November 6, 1966). Washboard player and singer.
  • Muddy Waters (born McKinley Morganfield, April 4, 1913, Rolling Fork, Mississippi – April 30, 1983). Slide guitarist and singer who began his career playing Delta blues but is best known as a Chicago blues musician.
  • Valerie Wellington (November 14, 1959, Chicago – January 2, 1993). Classical opera singer who successfully turned to recording Chicago blues.
  • Junior Wells (December 9, 1934 – January 15, 1998). Harmonica player and singer.
  • Golden "Big" Wheeler (December 15, 1929 – July 20, 1998). Chicago blues and electric blues singer, harmonica player, and songwriter.
  • James Wheeler (August 28, 1937 – December 25, 2014). Chicago blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was the younger brother of the above named.
  • Big Joe Williams (October 16, 1903 – December 17, 1982). Better known as a Delta blues player and itinerant musician, but an important figure in the development of Chicago blues by virtue of his recordings with Sonny Boy Williamson I.
  • Johnny Williams (May 15, 1906 – March 6, 2006). Guitarist and singer.
  • Lil' Ed Williams (born April 8, 1955). Slide guitarist, singer-songwriter.
  • Sonny Boy Williamson I (John Lee Williamson, March 30, 1914 – June 1, 1948). Harmonica player, singer-songwriter.
  • Sonny Boy Williamson II (Alex or Aleck "Rice" Miller, possibly December 5, 1912 – May 24, 1965). Harmonica player, singer-songwriter.
  • Big John Wrencher (February 12, 1923 – July 15, 1977). Harmonica player and singer.

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See also

Further reading

References