On the South Side of Chicago, in a neighborhood called Bronzeville, many different blues styles were played alongside each other during the 40s and 50s.  This neighborhood was home to different races and social classes that developed innovations in blues music. “The Harlem of Chicago: The History of Bronzeville” is an exhibition at the Chicago Blues Museum.  This exhibit explores this neighborhood’s musical heritage through photographs and memorabilia.

Many African Americans had moved from the South to larger cities in the North during the Great Migration of the early twentieth century.   Bronzeville was a cultural hub for Chicago’s growing African American population and the blues community.  Nightclubs were opened that entertained with the electrically amplified instruments that had not been available in small southern communities.

The Chicago Blues Museum has collected a large number of artifacts by creating relationships with the families of blues musicians who performed during the 40s and 50s. These families have donated many rare items such as photographs and music. The hope of the museum is to encourage an appreciation for the blues through education programs and performances.  Make sure to visit the museum on your next venture to Chicago.

When we think of the blues, we can’t help but bring to mind one of the most beloved blues artists of our time, B.B. King.  As a matter of fact he is considered “The King of the Blues” and he has been performing and recording in the 1940s.  Originally a gospel music guitarist as a teenager, B.B. grew up sharecropping in Mississippi, not unlike the history of many blues artists.

His career began to take off when he moved to Memphis in the late 40s and turned to playing his blues.  He was extremely popular in clubs and on radio.  His recording of “Three O’Clock Blues” in 1951 kicked off his recording career.  It instantly became a top hit on the R&B charts.

In the 50s, King and his band toured the United States non-stop.  They performed hundreds of shows a year and began building their audience.  Mainstream success came in the late 60s when white audiences began to discover and love his talent.  Guitarists like Eric Clapton and Keith Richards began to sing his praises.  Soon he began to make crossover hits and performed in jazz and rock clubs.

B.B. King has recorded more than 50 albums, won 13 Grammys and received countless awards and honors over the years, and he continues to perform four or five nights a week.  At age 76 he continues to be light on his feet and plays with all the passion that he ever had.

King owns nightclubs in Memphis, Los Angeles and New York City.  His name B.B. originated from him calling himself the Beale Street Blues Boy.  He then shortened that to Blues Boy, and eventually just B.B.