Maxwell Street was primarily known as a place for street musicians, the entering rung on the ladder. Some would latter get to play in Blues clubs, and eventually reach the top of the ladder to become a recording musician. Many musicians, still came down to Maxwell Street, even after their fame, to scout out new talent for bands, pick up tunes, engage in friendly jam sessions, or eat a polish sausage and get the latest news from Mississippi.
Less is known about the Blues club scene in and around the Maxwell Street neighborhood. The purpose of this website is to better document this history. It will always be a work-in-progress.
We seek to include all Blues bars that were a reasonable walk from the Maxwell Street neighborhood, centering on Halsted and Maxwell Streets. - SB
Ghetto Lounge.
I remember, back in the late 70s and early 80s, a boarded-up place on Newberry (I think it was) called the "Ghetto Lounge". I seem to think that Playboy Venson once told me that bands played there, at least occasionally. -DGW
Lee's Lounge, 18th and Michigan, - JLR
Mel's Hideaway NW corner of Roosevelt and Loomis.
As for Mel's Hideaway, this was of course the inspiration for the Freddie King hit of 1961, "Hideaway". -MG
Mom's Tavern on O'Brien. East of Halsted, in the middle of the block between Halsted and Union. Guys sit would sit there and play in the back of this place. This tavern was in an area called the 'Black Bottom', where the poorest people and poorest buildings were. -JLR; Johnnie Mae Dunson played there a few times. I got the name of the place from her.- SB
Rush Liquors.
I also remember hearing that bands sometimes played in a basement lounge, beneath Rush Liquors. - DGW
Vi's. NW corner of 14th and Ashland.
Club Zanzibar. NW corner of 13th and Ashland.
Flourished in the late 50s and early 1960s, and featured Howlin' Wolf, among others (this I know from research on the Chicago Defender@Northwestern University Library). - MG
I later heard the Muddy Waters band on a trip to Chicago, at the Club Zanzibar c.1957 and was perturbed that Little Walter had left and a new guy had taken his place but when I requested Key To The Highway and Muddy said, "I think Junior Wells does that better than I do," Junior certainly cut Walter in the vocal department. - Bob Koester talking about Junior Wells: Can I Do it Like I Want To? in Rhythm and News <http://www.idsonline.com/delmark/rhythm.junior.htm>
In 1956, Lee convinced Carey (Bell) that Chicago was the place to be for aspiring bluesmen, and on September 12, 1956 they arrived. Almost immediately, Bell went to see Little Walter perform at the Club Zanzibar at 14th and Ashland. The two became friends and Walter delighted in showing the youngster some of his tricks. - Article at <http://www.springfield.net/nathanp/cbell.html>
Bar above Jimmy's. I've hear various stories about a bar above Jimmy's, although the exact location of this place in the building has been a matter of some dispute. -DGW
Halsted and 14th Street, SW corner. Big nice bar -JLP
Roosevelt Rd. and Blues Island, off the corner. - JLR
14th and Blues Island, of the SE corner. - JLR
Club, by old El tracks, closest to 14th Street (Hastings?), West of Ashland. Big Bad Ben, Lester Davenport, Dusty Brown, Mighty Joe Young, Little Willie Foster played there. You would walk in and come in to a regular bar with a juke box. You could go back to the stairs to walk up to another level where it was an entertainment level. -JLR
Halsted and 22nd, NE corner. Me and Eddie Clearwater played there in the early 1960s. -JLR
Contributors
SB- Steve Balkin
DGW - David Whiteis
JLR - Jimmie Lee Robinson
MG- Max Grinnell
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