Comments on: living blues in postwar Chicago

living blues in postwar Chicago

madamjujujive — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 17:09:42 -0800

Wayne Miller's compelling B&W photos of Chicago 1946-1948 set to Muddy Water's "I feel like going home." (flash alert; via bifurcated rivets)

By: flapjax at midnite

flapjax at midnite — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 17:25:54 -0800

Whoa, these photos are EXCELLENT. This is a great find, mjj. Consider it favorited about 10 times from yours truly. Related: an FPP I made back in January on Chicago's Maxwell Street.

By: JohnnyGunn

JohnnyGunn — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 17:44:08 -0800

THis really struck me as authentic. You can almost feel their blues through the photos.

By: JohnnyGunn

JohnnyGunn — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 17:53:00 -0800

Flapjax, I missed your post the first time around. I just checked it out and really appreciate all the old footage. Having lived in Chicago for 13 years, I love looking at its history. Chicago's history is rich in culture and tradition. It is a blue collar city with a small town feel.

By: LiveLurker

LiveLurker — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 18:33:33 -0800

Thanks madamjujujive, and flapjax too for your earlier post which I loved when I first saw it. Oddly, instead of seeing "blues", I see people who at least appear to be rising above it through their personal, family and social connections. Now when you put that blues music to these pictures? I get "the blues".

By: stbalbach

stbalbach — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 18:53:07 -0800

Native sons.

By: flapjax at midnite

flapjax at midnite — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 18:56:38 -0800

The wonderful Hubert Sumlin reminisces (all too briefly, unfortunately) about Maxwell Street. Entertaining interview with Muddy Waters in Norway, 1977. A typically earnest but somewhat awkward young fellow interviews Muddy. Muddy shows a hint of annoyance toward the end with the "political" question... then he calls Norway a "small island". Heh heh! I recently purchased a DVD with a film from 1970 called Chicago Blues, which I'd recommend highly for its covering both well-known and unknown blues artists, giving equal weight to both. It takes a frank look at the hard realities of the blues life, and life in Chicago. Here's a clip from the film, including performance and interview with Muddy Waters.

By: Atreides

Atreides — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 18:56:38 -0800

I'm curious if events and interactions during the war lead the photographer to adopt the mentality he did when taking the photos, or that he already had the mindset, but simply gained the confidence or drive to go forward and take the pictures from the war. Very nice link, thanks.

By: flapjax at midnite

flapjax at midnite — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 19:05:59 -0800

OK, sorry y'all, just one more Muddy link (I love him so much) and then I'll stop cluttering up this thread: my FPP on Got My Mojo Working.

By: veggieboy

veggieboy — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 19:24:10 -0800

Great post. I appreciate it.

By: Bummus

Bummus — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 19:27:05 -0800

Great post--thank you.

By: madamjujujive

madamjujujive — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 21:04:45 -0800

Hey flapjax, quit your foolin - adding Muddy Waters links is a gift, not clutter - you can never have too much Muddy. McKinley Morganfield and Chester Burnett are two of my main men ;-) You know, I hadn't been on the wikipedia page for blues in a long time, and it is not half bad - someone has been putting a lot of work into it. It gives a pretty good historical overview of the early blues development for anyone who is wanting to learn more.

By: maggieb

maggieb — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 22:22:41 -0800

mjj, thank you for this link. It is perfect.

By: bonaldi

bonaldi — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 03:53:59 -0800

I'm really pleased that Magnum is now getting its online act together

By: sleepy pete

sleepy pete — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 10:23:53 -0800

That was really wonderful. Thanks so much, mjj.

By: shakespeherian

shakespeherian — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 10:55:50 -0800

Excellent photos. Unfortunately my favorite— of the man dancing, which appears right before this one— doesn't appear in the Magnum portfolio for Wayne Miller.

By: madamjujujive

madamjujujive — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 12:36:54 -0800

I love that one too, shakespeherian, he is so into his dancing and so are the band members, smiling away at his moves. He has a derby and tall riding boots, and what looks to be a tux jacket. It might be in his book - Chicago's South Side, 1946-1948 - which I think I am going to have to buy now after seeing his work.