Maxwell St Blues during Blues Fest 2002 and beyond
Steve B.
Contacts: Frank Scott Jr. 773-264-4746; Sam Sadou 773-989-4569; Mr. H
312-813-1051; Steve Balkin 312-341-3696, Email: m...@topicbox.com
Maxwell Street Blues during 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 on Sunday. 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 does have 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) at 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 visit
<www.maxwellstreet.org> and
<http://www.openair.org/maxwell/preserve.html>.
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