Top 8 best blues clubs in Chicago, and out ...
The favorites are here, but a couple of picks might surprise you
Blues survives, always, in Chicago. Even after the darkest phases of the COVID-19 pandemic; clubs erected parking lot stages; reduced capacity; pivoted to virtual concerts; and raised funds through GoFundMe, PPP loans and government grants. And they continue to tap into the city’s mythological blues history — the 85-year-old guitar hero Buddy Guy, as ever, runs his Loop nightclub, Legends, and veterans from John Primer to Jimmy Burns are always on stage somewhere. Although B.L.U.E.S. on Halsted recently closed its bright-blue, rundown North Side building, the rest of the heavy-blues clubs are back to nearly full strength, if not seven nights a week, then Thursdays through Saturdays. Here are eight of the best places to check out the music locally, from bluesonly fixtures to more eclectic newcomers.
Blue Chicago (536 N. Clark St.) : Located in River North, Blue Chicago emphasizes female stars like locals Sheryl Youngblood, Shirley Johnson and Laretha Weathersby. The neon sign, curved arches out front and distinctive singer-and-microphone artwork by the late Charleston, South Carolina, painter John Carroll Doyle give the club a classic feel, one that makes the shows homey and intimate. After scaling back during the pandemic, like all music venues, the 37-year-old club has returned to a five-nights-perweek schedule. More at 312-6610100 or bluechicago.com
Buddy Guy’s Legends (700 S. Wabash Ave.): Tourists love electric guitars and long jams, and Legends, near the L tracks in the South Loop, has been serving it to them since 1989. The owner has been the most legendary (heh) bluesman in Chicago since the days of Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf, and has used his show business connections to draw rock stars from The Rolling Stones to Eric Clapton. Today’s headliners are local talents like guitarists Toronzo Cannon, Wayne Baker Brooks and veteran Jimmy Burns, who oversees a Wednesday night jam. An excellent line from the club’s website FAQ reads: “Does Buddy Guy hang out at Legends? If Buddy is in town, he can normally be spotted at the bar.” More at 312-4271190 or buddyguy.com
Epiphany Center for the Arts (201 S. Ashland Ave.): This churchturned-arts-campus books live events on various stages to go with its art studios and gallery. Amid a lineup heavy on jazz, Friday is R&B-soul-blues night, starring headliners like former Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly bassist Bear Williams and swinging guitarist Breezy Rodio. They may not be the type of household blues names you’d find at Kingston Mines, but they’re presented in a luxurious setting in a 42,000-square-foot space. “This place is like a fortress,” says Linda Cain, managing editor and founder of the Chicago Blues Guide. “They have stained-glass interiors that are preserved like it was when it was a church.” More at 312-421-4600 or epiphanychi. com
FitzGerald’s (6615 Roosevelt Road, Berwyn): Although founder Bill FitzGerald left his namesake club in March 2020, and new owner Will Duncan walked right into the pandemic, the Berwyn roadhouse known for the American Music Festival (July 1-4, starring North Mississippi Allstars, Marcia Ball, CJ Chenier and others) has persevered. “He built a permanent stage where the parking lot was, with Adirondack chairs, picnic tables, umbrellas and heaters,” Cain says. The club devotes nights to every kind of roots music: country, folk, jazz, soul, bluegrass, rock ’n’ roll, psychedelic cumbia and, of course, blues. More at 708-7882118 or fitzgeraldsnightclub.com
Hey Nonny (10 S. Vail Ave., Arlington Heights): When Hey Nonny opened in the northwest suburbs in late 2018 as a 150-capacity music room with an adjoining restaurant serving gazpacho and Argentine empanadas, its owners had no idea of the looming pandemic carnage. The club goes on, though, and frequently draws blues artists like Milwaukee’s Paul Cebar and Nashville’s Phillip-Michael Scales in addition to its pop and rock acts and Sunday jazz brunches. “It’s a real listening room with excellent sound and sightlines,” Cain says. More at 224-202-0750 or heynonny.com
House of Blues Chicago (329 N. Dearborn St.): Known over the decades for top touring acts from The Who to (next month) rapper Big K.R.I.T., Marina City club House of Blues supplements its New Orleans-style voodoo artwork, Sunday gospel brunches and fried-chicken sandwiches with actual blues music. Former Otis Rush sideman Doktu Rhute Muuzic plays frequently in the bar (as opposed to the main stage) on weekend evenings, and veteran drummer Rick King’s Royal Hustle regularly jams late into the night. 312-923-2000 or houseofblues.com
Kingston Mines (2548 N. Halsted St.): No blues club in Chicago sounds better when the clinking beer bottles, packed-in crowd of 400 people and air-raid guitar solos congeal into a roar. Just about every blues star has played this no-frills North Side fixture since it opened in 1968, from Junior Wells and Koko Taylor to hard-gigging regular Magic Slim to regulars like Carl Weathersby and Joanna Connor, who headlines multiple shows per weekend these days. The Mines struggled in the pandemic, relying at one point on $18,000 raised through GoFundMe, but crowds have returned for its Thursday-Saturday schedule. “We’re looking to going back for seven days,” owner Laura Gennaro says. “We are busy.” More at 773-4774646 or kingstonmines.com
Rosa’s Lounge (3420 W. Armitage Ave.): Maybe it’s the (relatively) plentiful parking, the West Side location or the perfectly rectangular shape of the music space, but something about 38-yearold Rosa’s gives it the feeling of walking out of a blizzard into a cabin. Over the years, owner Tony Mangiullo has brought in obscure gems (the late soul man James Carr comes to mind) to go with reliable guitar-slingers, and the roster these days is filled with local draws like Kinsey Report, John Primer and Toronzo Cannon.