Remembering Koko Taylor
June 16th, 2009Filed under: History
I was 17 years old when I snuck into my first blues club in Chicago. I was curious about the blues, but like so many people I associated Chicago blues music with guitar-playing men, such as John Lee Hooker, Howlin’ Wolf, and Muddy Waters. I didn’t know who would be on stage that night, but I never expected Koko Taylor. She represented a blues tradition unfamiliar to me. Her inspirations were other great women singers like Big Mama Thornton, Memphis Minnie, and Gertrude “Ma” Rainey, none of whom were much talked about in my rural Illinois hometown. That night, Taylor’s stage presence and powerful voice redefined Chicago Blues, at least for me.
In a 1992 interview with the late Studs Terkel, broadcast on Chicago’s WFMT radio station, a 63-year-old Koko Taylor joined blues legend Willie Dixon to share a few stories about her experiences in the Chicago blues scene. Born Cora Walton on September 28, 1928, Koko Taylor migrated to Chicago from Memphis, Tennessee with her husband-to-be, Robert “Pops” Taylor. She liked to refer to herself as a country girl and during the interview recalled that when she discovered that she’d be moving to Chicago she thought, “…bright lights, big city…I’m leaving the country.” In fact, Taylor even dreamed of one day going back to Memphis to retire and “sit up in her rocking chair” just like Ma Rainey.
Dixon and Taylor met in Chicago in 1953. Dixon, who was a well established blues performer and composer of blues standards “Hoochie Coochie Man” and “Little Red Rooster,” took Taylor under his wing. He wrote many of the tunes Taylor used to establish herself in the Chicago club scene, including her 1965 hit, “Wang Dang Doodle.” During the broadcast, Taylor is featured belting out the explosive R&B tune, “You Can Have My Husband, But Please Don’t Mess With My Man” in her distinctive growl, as well as the soulful “I’d Rather Go Blind” by Ellington Jordan and Billy Foster, demonstrating the range of her skills as a blues singer.
On June 3, 2009, Taylor died of complications following surgery. She was 80 years old.
Listen to Koko Taylor sing:
“You Can Have My Husband, But Please don’t Mess With My Man”
“I’d Rather go Blind”
> Learn more about the history of the Blues in Chicago
References:
- WFMT radio broadcast of interview with KokoTaylor and Willie Dixon, conducted by Studs Terkel in February of 1992
Tags: Audio, Blues, John Russick, Koko Taylor, Musician, Singer, Studs Terkel, WFMT
June 24th, 2009 at 10:12 pm
I didn’t grow up in Chicago, and first discovered Koko Taylor onscreen in her cameo performance in David Lynch’s film “Wild at Heart.” I had no idea who she was but I was mesmerized by her voice and presence, and she wore this sparkling sapphire blue gown that looked fantastic. It wasn’t until years later that I found out who she was—but even not knowing, I never forgot.