One Last Jam

B.B. King wasn't thinking about Chicago blues clubs when he wailed, "The thrill is gone." But it certainly could apply. Six ways to revive a fading cultural art form

(page 2 of 4)

 

1. Turn it on

"You walk into an airport in Detroit and there's Motown. You go to Memphis and [you hear] Elvis and Sun Records. You go to New Orleans and you have Al Hirt and Louis Armstrong blowing trumpets in the airport," says Buddy Guy. "You go to Chicago, you ain't got shit." O'Hare and Midway could pipe in music  from natives like Lil' Ed and the Blues Imperials or Johnny Drummer (both airports currently play a soundtrack of local jazz) and set up kiosks that offer a dose of blues history. The locals could also take a cue from Austin's airport administrators and provide regular live concerts (currently, each of Chicago's airports offers only six concerts a year). What better way for frenzied travelers to de-stress than to watch Eddy "The Chief" Clearwater duck-walk by baggage claim?

 

 

2. Hire a music czar

Seattle has one. So does Austin. Even Oklahoma City. Music is an economic boon for any city: in Seattle, it generates $1.2 billion and 9,000 jobs annually. City Hall could follow Seattle's lead and add a music wing to its film office-or Mayor Daley could create a director of music akin to the "fashion czar" he hired last summer. "We [proved we] were an industry just like manufacturing and biotech. It was legitimized," says James Keblas, director of Seattle's film and music office. Keblas was hired in 2005; with just one other full-time staff person and a spending budget of $25,000 a year, he helps facilitate relationships between the city and its clubs, recording studios, record labels, and, ultimately, musicians. He also helps promote the city's music scene all over the world through remote offices, ensuring that record stores have a Seattle section in their music bins and acting as a liaison for everyone from journalists to international concert promoters. A similar effort could help Chicago use its blues history as a tourist draw, not just relegate it to a poorly funded summer festival. "It's all about people's perceptions," Keblas adds. "I think cities will get over their fear of music and . . . realize it's a great thing and something to be proud of."

 

3. Tune it in

Last January, WBEZ canceled two of its longest-running blues programs-Blues Before Sunrise and Comin' Home. Except for a few isolated shows on WXRT and infrequent college station airplay, the Chicago airwaves have forgotten the blues. "This is a global treasure right here in the city and a lot of people aren't aware of it. [Radio] refuses to play it," says Karen Hanson, author of the recent book Today's Chicago Blues. More airplay would encourage a younger generation of players to return to the roots of today's music. "For me, the one criterion for a real bluesman is you grew up listening to blues," says Steve Cushing, the host of Blues Before Sunrise, which has moved to the College of DuPage's station, WDCB (90.9 FM). The city could help out by providing incentives (reduced-price advertising space on city buses, key ad placement at city festivals) to stations willing to devote weekly airtime to the blues during peak hours. Maybe even co-opt some bandwidth to create a live, streaming Internet blues station, broadcasting from atop City Hall?