Results tagged “otisclay”

The power of 300 voices rocked the Jay Pritzker Pavilion during “An Evening of Elegance” at the Chicago Gospel Festival last night, and that was just one act. We heard from Otis Clay, the Bady Brothers, and the Brown Sisters. "The Professor Thomas A. Dorsey Tribute" closed the evening and recognized Chicago’s own Thomas Dorsey, who is considered the Father of Gospel. Dorsey developed gospel music by combining Christian praise with the rhythms of jazz... more ›

There’s a decent barroom argument to be had over whether Sam Cooke or Ray Charles can rightly be called the inventor of soul music. Both men took the structures and idioms of gospel music and adapted them to create a new, modern sound. Though it took Brother Ray a few years before he moved away from aping Charles Brown and Nat King Cole, Cooke’s voice was so distinctive that when he released his first pop song, “Loveable,” under the name Dale Cook, gospel audiences immediately recognized his familiar tenor. more ›

Saturday night’s your last chance to experience the free “high culture” of the Grant Park Music Festival and your best chance to wish WTTW a Happy 50th. When it comes to birthday bashes, these folks aren’t messing around. The emcess for the night are Joe “Fat Tony” Mantegna and Irma P. Hall who, for all their work supporting Hollywood’s biggest stars, have never actually worked together until now. more ›

It’s no secret July is going to be a huge month for live music in Chicago with Intonation Fest next weekend and Lollapalooza the week after that. Yet the whole idea of fests like these is to get exposed to music you’ve never heard before. So anyone who’s REALLY into music would be a fool to miss this weekend’s Eight Annual Folk and Roots Festival sponsored by the Old Town School of Folk Music. If... more ›

The Chicago Blues Festival kicks off its 21st year today. The largest free-admission blues festival in the world is in Grant Park today through Sunday; doors open at 11 a.m., music starts at noon plays until 9:30. This year�s theme is �It�s About Time� and as usual the festival will honor a few blues greats. This year�s honorees are Robert Jr. Lockwood, David Honey Boy Edwards, and Homesick James, three of the greatest living blues guitarists. Otis Clay, Nora Jean Bruso, C.J. Chenier, and the Fat Possum Caravan will all be returning to the CBF stage, along with over 70 other performers. You can find the full performance schedule and learn more about the blues here. more ›