Legendary guitarist Robert Johnson noted that Chicago has been a "sweet home" for the blues. Historically, it has been a welcoming place for experimentation, producing many new sounds from a rich and vibrant community. Some say the term "Jazz" was first used to refer to music in Chicago in 1915, as in reference to Joplin's Ragtime Jazz music. Where the word originated is still under debate, but its musical appearance and development in New Orleans, St. Louis and Chicago is not questioned. One can hear its migration up the Mississippi river as African-American musicians worked their way out of the South hoping for a better life in the North. The up-tempo music brought people to their feet and inspired the new "Flapper" style. Women cut their hair short, partly for rebellion against their parents' old ways, and partly to have an easier hairstyle to manage for a night of lively dancing. Their dresses were also cropped shorter so they could kick their feet up high, which had previously been considered a scandalous action. Chicago became the "home of the blues" in the mid 1920's when Alberta Hunter, Cow Cow Davenport, and blind Lemon Jefferson became the first blues artists to record locally at Paramount Records. Even though the depression caused the number of recordings to plummet, the migration of blues artists to Chicago never stopped and they used the city as their incubator. After World War II, "electric blues" became popular in Chicago. It consisted of an electric guitar and bass guitars, drums, and harmonica, and was played into a microphone that was attached to a PA system. Muddy Waters popularized this genre with his recording in 1948 of "I Can't Be Satisfied." In the mid 1960's a new style of "soul" music blossomed in Chicago. Inspired by the mournful music of the southern spirituals that had been sung by slaves in the 1800's, blues was now combined with a rich gospel sound which included its own lighter, more delicate heartache. As the community of artists and club owners grew, Chicago's South side and West side became the new venues where blues artists could perform. Over the decades, legendary musicians became club owners themselves, with Buddy Guy's Legends and "Queen of the Blues" Koko Taylor's Celebrity to name a couple. In 1978, comedians Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi founded The Blues Brothers, a soul revivalist band which gained notoriety with performances on Saturday Night Live. Their famous self titled movie shot in 1980 incorporated musical performances from greats like Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles and Cab Calloway, while showcasing the energetic city of Chicago as a colorful backdrop. Chicago still embraces it's musical heritage and yearly pays tribute to it with outstanding concerts in Millennium Park and Grant Park with the Gospel Music Festival, Chicago Blues Festival and the famous Chicago Jazz Festival.
This color coordinated collection of fashion fabrics was first featured in our Vogue Fabrics By Mail Summer 2010 catalog of swatches. Subscribe to receive home delivery of these catalogs every other month.
This color coordinated collection of fashion fabrics was first featured in our Vogue Fabrics By Mail Summer 2010 catalog of swatches. Subscribe to receive home delivery of these catalogs every other month.
