2120 South Michigan Ave By Amanda on August 11, 2009 6:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)
Visiting the Chess Records studio at 2120 S. Michigan Ave in Chicago.
One of the most storied addresses in popular music, 2120 South Michigan Ave is down on Chicago's south side, and is now run by the Willie Dixon Blues Heaven Foundation. Which is fitting because although Dixon is less well known than other Chess figures, he was a crucial part of the label as a songwriter and producer as well as musician. Here's Muddy Waters doing one of Willie Dixon's most famous songs "Hoochie Coochie Man" at Newport and Willie doing one of my fave songs "Built for Comfort." There are various gold records on the walls from the likes of Eric Clapton for albums which have W.Dixon compositions on them. Oh and this one is great (complete with audience of Don Draper impersonators.) And this! In the gift shop I bought his autobiography, I Am the Blues.
Next to the studio building is the Willie Dixon Blues Garden (locked when we were there) where they have free concerts now.
Willie, Muddy, Buddy! A picture taken right here in this room!
View from the old control room into the studio.
Willie Dixon Grammy.
An original inlay from the Chess period. I think it was in pretty bad condition when the Blues Foundation took over the building and its been extensively remodeled and reconstructed.
In the old sorting and shipping room there are various displays of memorabilia and also these casts of the faces of many great blues folk. Here is Phineas inspecting them, and I should also thank him for putting me up (and putting up with me) in Chicago and letting me drag him way across town to places like this.
By Daphon
on August 18, 2009 6:40 AM
Those casts are way too spooky for me; they're more like death masks.