Geof Rogers <fltline@ibm.net> Date: Mon, 6 Oct 1997
Geof Rogers is the online host for the Chicago Blues Chat, every Tuesday night at 10 PM ET on the Blues Chat website. These notes were used for one of their programs. The Blues Chat website received the Blues Foundation's 1997 "Keeping the Blues Alive" Award in the category of "Blues on the Internet" .
The Maxwell Street Market was an open-air market which became a center for blues activity in Chicago. It was located on the near-West Side, off S. Halsted street, with it's center at Halsted and 14th streets. The Market was several blocks wide and stretched as far South as 18th street. It's focal points were Maxwell/ Peoria/ Sangamon/ Newberry Streets. Maxwell Street itself sits North of 13th street, and runs parallel to, and South of, Roosevelt Rd.
The Market began in the 1870's, and served the minority and poor populations of Chicago from that time. By the turn of the century, it was serving the needs of a growing Russian and European Jewish population. The near-West Side was a thriving residential and commercial area in the early 1900's, populated largely by immigrants and their families. In 1910, pushcart businesses began establishing themselves on Maxwell Street. In 1912, the City of Chicago officially established the Maxwell Street Market.
Throughout its existence, it has provided livelihoods for businessmen and musicians, while being an area for convenient, inexpensive shopping for the neighborhood residents. In the early part of this century, it resembled a gypsy bazaar. With the great influx of African-Americans to Chicago in the early 1900's, they gradually settled near this area as well. By the '30's and '40's, the Market began to take on the look and feel of a Southern farmer's market. Permanent stands appeared, competing with the pushcarts. There were also numerous storefronts along the streets.
The area was known to blacks as "Jewtown". This is because many of the merchants were of European Jewish descent. There was also a large Hispanic population in the area. In the early days of Chicago blues, the Bluebird recording artists were dominating the clubs. Those musicians not taken under the wing of Tampa Red, Big Bill Broonzy, or Sonny Boy Williamson I when they moved up from the South were left to fend for their livelihoods as street musicians.
Union rules prohibited established artists from playing at the Market, but there was plenty of talent to go around. The Golden Era of Maxwell Street was in the '40's and '50's. It was a proving ground for many aspiring musicians. The music was most prominent on Sundays. Street musicians would set up along the street and play for tips. In the early days, it might be a solo acoustic guitar or harmonica player, or there might be small groups. These consisted of jugs, wash tubs, harp, mandolin, and acoustic guitar, in various combinations. Washtubs were turned upside down, a rope was knotted through a hole in the middle, a broom handle was attached, and they had a rudimentary upright bass.
By the late 1940's, electric music was the norm. Artists such as Earl Hooker, Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Homesick James, Jimmy Rogers, Jimmie Lee Robinson, and Eddie Taylor got their starts there. Piano C. Red: "Muddy, Walter, Wolf, Elmore James, Jew Town Jimmy"… "This is where the blues really got started from, on Maxwell Street." Artists would plug in at houses along the streets. There was a blue school bus at the corner of Halsted and 14th street that blared the music to attract people to the market. The heavy hitters of the Golden Era were Moody Jones' Maxwell Street Band. Moody was an excellent guitar player, Ed Newman played upright bass, James (Fats) Kindle on banjo, and One Leg Sam Norwood on rhythm guitar. Jimmie Lee Robinson: "Moody Jones was my idol… He could read music and was the best guitar player on Maxwell Street." "Fats and One-Leg Sam…they were great too. Fats played the banjo. He tuned it like you tune a guitar. One-Leg Sam…he played rhythm…he'd just rap the guitar. He was the best rhythm guitar player. During the '40's and '50's, not only blues were being played and sung on Maxwell Street. There was gospel, folk, country'western, jazz, and polka, as well. Little Walter played waltzes and polka's when he first got to town. Daddy Stovepipe, who played there from the '20's to the late '60's played country' western, folk, and polkas. You could walk down the street and hear different versions of St. Louis Blues, Beer Barrel Polka, and the Tennessee Waltz, as well as the popular music of the day. However, the most tip money was made playing the blues. Some artists went from bar to bar, setting up and playing for a few dollars in tips. This practice was called "Scabbing".
Jimmie Lee Robinson, talking about the sanctified gospel singers on Maxwell Street: "They'd be playin' the blues"… "The only reason it wasn't classified as blues was because they wasn't talking about under the womens' clothes and talkin' about goin' to bed with 'em and layin' down and huggin' 'em all night long." Sammy Davis Jr. was well known on Maxwell Street… He taught tap dancing to kids at the Newberry Center, between Maxwell and Roosevelt.
Bernard Isaac Abrams, the owner of a radio repair and record store, recorded Little Walter, Othum Brown, Johnny Williams, and Johnny Young, for his Ora Nelle label. Only two 78's were released by Abrams. Several other artists (Sleepy John Estes, Jimmy Rogers, Jimmie Lee Robinson) were recorded, but not released.
Other record companies scouted Maxwell Street for talent, as well: thus much recorded blues got its start here. Bob Koester of Delmark made frequent visits to listen in the early '60's. The most talented weren't always the most recorded, though, due to management (or lack of) problems, or other social issues. Honeyboy Edwards: "You know, I can beat a lot of these guys playing guitar. But these guys who can't play as good as I can get further up in the world than I do."
By the 1960's, the area around the market was starting to decline. As buildings would become unsafe, they would be knocked down, and not replaced. This led to many vacant lots, and less sources of electricity. Tony Mangiullo, manager of Rosa's nightclub: "You had this market and a general atmosphere of decline." Kid Dynamite, a popular street performer in the '60's. "You had to hook your power source up to the stores, and then whatever vacant lot that you played on, you would get permission from whoever was next to the lot."
As the areas for music got farther apart, they separated somewhat from the vendors. Drinking and partying was more prominent in the empty lots than on the street. Newberry Street had the most vacant lots, and bands got there early Sunday morning for the prime slots. There was still money to be made. 20 to 30 thousand people went to the market each Sunday. Eddie Burks: "You made more in one day (on Maxwell Street) than in 1 1/2 weeks at clubs playing every night"… "We made $150 some days," in tips.
As Little Walter became less popular recording and in clubs, he went back to Maxwell Street in the mid and late-60's. The union didn't catch him because the white agent they sent down didn't know the musicians on sight.
The Willie James Maxwell Blues Band often played under a giant cottonwood tree on one of the lots. By the early '80's, John Embry, LV Banks, and Pat Rushing had prominent spots. Rushing set up on a fromer garage's concrete floor, and erected a canvas canopy over the stage.
As time went on, the University of Illinois at Chicago wanted the land around the Market for expansion. Because of a public perception of filth and crime, this eventually occurred. However, a retaliatory outcry got the city to open a new market.
The New Maxwell Street Market opened Sunday, August 28, 1994. It is four parallel rows of merchant stands along Canal Street, from Roosevelt Road South to 15th. It is due East, by about a half mile, from the original market. The blue bus has been moved to the entrance at Roosevelt Road. Inexpensive and used goods can still be found at the new market. Artists such as Piano C. Red (who drives a cab during the week) and the David Lindsay band play here.
There is currently a group fighting for historic status for the original Market area. They are called the Maxwell Street Historic Preservation Coalition. If this does not succeed, the remaining buildings will be torn down to make way for more University of Illinois at Chicago expansion. You can support the saving of the old Maxwell Street area by visiting the Preserve Maxwell Street home page <http://www.openair.org/maxwell/preserve.html> and sending a message of concern to University of Illinois Chancellor David Broski with a copy to the Coalition. Address and email information is on their homepage. There's a lot more at that site, as well… links to several interviews, as well as links to the New Maxwell Street Market site. There is a nice photo retrospective of the Market, by Linda Baskin.
Michael Bloomfield encouraged the production of a video on Maxwell Street, entitled, "And This Is Free". It is mostly shots of the people on the street, and shows the atmosphere at the Market. There's music in the background… not just blues. It's a very well-done piece. There's also a Rhapsody video, "Maxwell Street Blues", which is available.
web page provided by OPENAIR-MARKET NET
return to Preserve Maxwell Street