Koko Taylor - Live From Chicago: An Audience With The Queen (1987) [CD Rip]

There were good reasons to call Koko Taylor the Queen of the Blues during her long reign: to quote Rolling Stone, which put it better than I can, “Deep soul, raw vocal power, blustery swagger...the great female blues singer of her generation.” Chicago, of course, has long been known for its muscular blues that traveled up the Mississippi and its blues shouters, and Taylor (1928-2009) was the greatest Chicago female blues shouter of them all. She was lauded for her rough powerful vocals and traditional blues stylings.

On this recorded-live CD, with the swinging backing of Michael (Mr. Dynamite) Robinson on guitar; Eddie King on guitar; Jerry Murphy on bass and Clyde (Youngblood) Tyler Jr. on drums, Taylor shows us how she earned her acclaim. She gives us a rollicking “Let the Good Times Roll,” which I believe also traveled upriver from New Orleans. Powerful renderings of “I’m a Woman,” “Come to Mama,” and “I’d Rather Go Blind.” And “Wang Dang Doodle,” recorded with call and answer audience response. According to Wikipedia, Taylor originally recorded this song in 1965, when she was signed by Chicago’s Chess Records subsidiary Checker Records. It had been written by Willie Dixon, who discovered her, and recorded by Howlin' Wolf five years earlier. The record became a hit for her, reaching number four on the R&B charts and number 58 on the pop charts in 1966, and selling a million copies. ~Stephanie De Pue