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Originally Posted by Rugaar  Blues Bros were almost more Memphis than they were Chicago. Duck Dunn and Steve Cropper, from Booker T and the MG's, were the Stax Records sound out of Memphis. 'Soul Man,' for example, was a Sam and Dave song off Stax and was pure Memphis sound. And 'Sweet Home Chicago' was actually a Robert Johnson song from the deep south, although many Chicago musicians adopted it for obvious reasons.
Norre and Mojo-Man hit on many of the true Chicago legends. Willie Dixon is definitely a key player. |
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If you want to learn Chicago Blues, listen to guys who were actually part of that scene. The Blues Brothers, as much as I love them, aren't the Chicago sound. They are definitely more Memphis, although they had Matt Murphy of Chess records.
There are many great and influential Bluesmen from Chicago, and if you are interested in the Blues I highly recommend listening to them. Modern Rock and Blues wouldn't exist without them.
The Chicago Blues is more driven than swung. It's more Rock than Jazz. The shuffles are hard driving, and the guitars are rockin. The harmonica is the horn section. The bass propels and drives the song forward. Master the 8th note shuffle, and you'll be on your way.
You start out with the Big Three:Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, and Howlin Wolf
Some good examples of classic Chicago Blues by these guys are: Wang Dang Doodle, Little Red Rooster, Goin Down Slow, Spoonful, Mannish Boy, Hoochie Coochie Man, I Ain't Superstitious, I Just Want to Make Love to You, I'm Ready, Rollin and Tumblin
From there listen to the following:
Buddy Guy, Magic Sam, Otis Rush, Hubert Sumlin, Little Walter, Earl Hooker, Elmore James, Hounddog Taylor, Koko Taylor, and Sonny Boy Williamson.
If you want to get an idea of Modern Chicago Blues, check out artists on the Alligator label.
If you want to learn about Chicago Blues, you gotta start at the source.
