For immediate release: 5/27/02
Contacts: Frank Scott Jr. 773-264-4746; Sam Sadou 773-989-4569; Mr. H, 312-813-1051; Steve Balkin 312-341-3696, Email: mar@topicbox.com
Maxwell Street Blues during Chicago Blues Fest 2002 and beyond
The old Maxwell Street neighborhood is now mostly gone. It historic buildings and traditional Blues culture have been needlessly and almost totally destroyed by the University of Illinois at Chicago.
But where have the Maxwell Street Blues gone? Here is where some of it is:
- On Saturday afternoons (noon to 3PM), Blues musician and folk artist Frank 'Little Sonny' Scott Jr., known as the Supreme Mayor of Maxwell Street, has organized street-like Blues Revues and jam sessions at Sam Sadou's World Famous Maxwell Street Uptown Polish Sausage Restaurant, 4429 N. Broadway (just north of Montrose). The restaurant is near the Wilson El Stop on the Red line and is on the #36 bus route. Frank rotates the house bands with Motivation, Luke Pytel's Blues Crew with Al Harris, and the Bobby Davis Blues Show with Mr. H.. Lots of Maxwell Street veterans stop by. In bad weather the musicians play inside, and go outside when it is nice. The walls of the restaurant are completely covered with Frank's folk arts posters and he also sells Blues tapes and CDs. Says Frank Scott Jr. "I'm invitin all musicians to come jam with us. UIC has taken Maxwell Street and the Juketown bandstand but they can’t take the Blues. I'm taking the Blues Uptown on Broadway on the way to Hollywood."
- On Sunday afternoons (1PM to 4PM) in good weather, outside by the temporary hot dog stands on S. Union and Roosevelt Rd. in the old Maxwell Street neighborhood, there is Blues by Mr. H and the Blues Keepers with Bobby Davis. They welcome musicians to jam with them and fans to listen and dance. Mr. H grew up in the neighborhood and still loves playing blues amid the smell of grilled onions.
- Once in a great while, Blues musicians play in the New Maxwell Street Market on Roosevelt Rd and Canal. This has markedly decreased ever since the empty Earl Schieb lot, where the musicians played, has been turned into a strip mall. You are likely, though, to hear some Mexican street music.
- It is odd that the Chicago Blues Festival has never had a tribute to or even a mention of its origins, Maxwell Street. Nonetheless, the Fest has several featured acts with Maxwell Street roots. Most importantly, Johnnie Mae Dunson, the Queen of Maxwell Street, will be playing at the Petrillo Band Shell at 5PM on Sunday, June 2. Other musicians at the Fest with Maxwell Street roots include Fruitland Jackson (Thursday at 2PM), Carey Bell (Friday at 1PM), Poet Sterling Plumpp (Friday at 6PM), Carey Bell and John Primer (Friday at 6PM), Bo Diddley (Friday at 8:40PM), Honeyboy Edwards (Saturday 4PM), Sammy Fender (Sunday at 1:30PM), and Jimmy Dawkins (Sunday at 5:55PM).
You are also likely to see Maxwell Street Blues musicians playing on the street near the Blues Fest as well as at clubs and taverns around the city.
On a bittersweet note, legendary Jimmie Lee Robinson, the Lonely Traveler and King of Maxwell Street, has been fighting cancer but an operation to remove a tumor has been highly successful and he is on the rebound. We hope to see him out at some of the events. It would be nice if he heard good wishes from his fans. His phone number is 773-778-1476.
The Maxwell Street Historic Preservation Coalition is still fighting to save Paul and Bill's Tailor Shop (still in business) on 718 W. Maxwell Street, the Maxworks Building at 716 W. Maxwell, the old Jewish Butcher shop at 717 W. Maxwell, the still active Gesthemene Baptist Church (a former Romanian Synagogue) on South Union, and the two temporary hot dog stands, still serving up Maxwell Street Polish Sausages at Roosevelt Rd and Union. The Coalition is also working on outstanding issues such as the right for Reverend Johnson's Blues Bus and other former vendors to be able to sell in the old neighborhood, affordable housing in University Village, the rebuilding of the Juketown Community Blues bandstand, parking access and street reconfiguration for the historic St. Francis of Assisi Church, the use of three buildings for a Maxwell Street Museum, and the preservation of the 13th Street Community Gardens as well as book and video documentary projects.
For more information about Maxwell Street see <http://www.openair.org/maxwell/preserve.html> and <http://www.maxwellstreet.org>.
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