BLUES AMPLIFIED
B
Koko Taylor with Lightning Hopkins from Amplified Chicago Blues
lues is not an easy art form to explain . Yes , it ’ s music that African Americans developed over 100 years ago but it can evoke a range of emotions , and the rhythms can sound both simple or complex . Blues is the ultimate American folk music , but it ’ s so much more . It ’ s a culture ; it ’ s a history , it ’ s a feeling . So how do you sum all of that up ? The Chicago History Museum has impressively figured that out with the masterful exhibit , Amplified Chicago Blues . The exhibit is on display through August 10 , 2019 , and supplies an essential Chicago experience for any music or history fan .
Much like the impression that people get of blues covering only sad topics , Amplified : Chicago Blues can be deceptive .
By Rosalind Cummings-Yeates
The exhibit builds around photographer Raeburn Flerlage ’ s black and white photos of the ‘ 60s Chicago blues scene . Flerlage lived on the South Side in the midst of the Great Migration and the development of the Chicago blues style that sprung from it . It was rare for a white man to live in or even visit the segregated Bronzeville and Grand Boulevard communities , and that comfort and intimacy reflect in Flerlage ’ s iconic images . The exhibit opens with photos of Willie Dixon , clad in an impeccable white shirt and tie , exuberantly laughing as he clutches his bass , with Arthur “ Big Boy Crudup smiling in the background . There is a shot of Muddy Waters holding a cocktail and smirking as John Lee Hooker leans on
his shoulder . The impression is that this is a showcase for some great blues photography , but that ’ s not it at all . Photos of blues clubs , South Side streets , and blues musicians accent the exhibit but the heart of Amplified , like blues itself , is in the interaction .
There are so many ways that the exhibit draws visitors into blues culture and history . The first is with a lively audio tour that features iconic artist spotlights . The iPod audio tour is free with admission , but some visitors overlook it , and that would be a mistake . The program features the quintessential Chicago bluesman voice of Billy Branch guiding listeners through the lives and music of five crucial Chicago blues artists – Howlin Wolf , Little Walter , Koko Taylor , Magic Sam , Willie Dixon , Little Brother Montgomery , Big Joe Williams and of course , Muddy Waters . Long-time blues enthusiasts might figure that the spotlights will only give general points that they already know , but that ’ s not the case . With Billie ’ s deep and craggy voice gliding over the words , we learn that Howlin ’ Wolf ’ s mother kicked him out for refusing to work on a farm as a kid , so he walked 85 miles through the Mississippi Delta to reunite with his father . We learn that Little Walter is the only musician inducted into the Rock N ’ Roll Hall of Fame solely for his harmonica skills . Interspersed are vital song clips so that listeners walk away with a meaningful understanding of these artist ’ s significance .
At the beginning of the exhibit , the “ Down Home Record Shop ” welcomes visitors with actual records and an engaging dose of blues history . A map hangs over record bins tracing the migration of blues from Mississippi , to Memphis , Kansas City , St . Louis and ultimately , Chicago . The bins are according to each city ’ s signature sound : Memphis featuring jug band , kazoos and
fiddles , Kansas City with its jazz-influenced , " brassy " style , St . Louis with its boogie-woogie mixed with ragtime , and Chicago ' s amplified blues . Classic albums by Muddy , Memphis Minnie , and Junior Wells provide concrete examples of the different styles . An old-school radio pumps out a DJ rhyming about the blues journey and playing Bessie Smith , Muddy and Koko . Old record promos of “ race records ” from the 1920s featuring tunes from labels like Okeh , Paramount , and RCA line the walls . But the most startling visual is a racist handbill from 1965 , urging New Orleans citizens to “ stop , help the youth of America ! Don ’ t buy negro records !”
In the next room , two sound booths feature one of Amplified ' s highlights : learning to play blues guitar . A stool with a guitar on it sits in front of a console that lets you choose from basic rhythm ; blues lead or advanced play .
A diagram labeled “ Music Within Reach ” contains lists of the clubs , artist homes , record shops , record labels and recording studios that formed the basis of the ‘ 60s Chicago blues scene . Familiar names like Club Delisa , Regal Theater and Pepper ’ s mix with the less familiar The Plugged Nickel , The Purple Cat and Fickle Pickle .
It ’ s all tied together with an apartment set that features a piano , photos , a piece of decorative pottery from Muddy Water ’ s house and a moving diorama of pictures on a wall that illustrate how the Great Migration helped create Chicago blues .
Amplified : Chicago Blues runs through August 10 , 2019 , at the Chicago History Museum , 1601 N . Clark St , ( 312 ) 642-4600 , Admission is $ 19 for adults , $ 17 for students and seniors .
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