Chicago blues legend Koko Taylor dies at 80
Koko Taylor more than once said she hoped that when she died, it would be on stage, doing the thing she loved most: Singing the blues.
She nearly got her wish. The Chicago musical icon died Wednesday at age 80 of complications from gastrointestinal surgery less than four weeks after her last performance, at the Blues Music Awards in Memphis, Tenn. There she collected her record 29th Blues Music Award, capping an era in which she became the most revered female blues vocalist of her time with signature hits "Wang Dang Doodle," "I'm a Woman" and "Hey Bartender."
Taylor died at Northwestern Memorial Hospital 15 days after her May 19 surgery. She appeared to be recovering until taking a turn for the worst Wednesday morning, and was with friends and family when she died.
“Koko Taylor’s life and music brought joy to millions of people all around the world and Chicago is especially honored that she called our city her home for more than 50 years,” Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley said. “The strength of her style was formed in the night clubs of Chicago’s South Side and she carried that spirit with her wherever she went. She was an ambassador for our city and truly was the queen of a kind of music that makes people think of Chicago whenever they hear it.”
Among those with her Wednesday was Bruce Iglauer, owner of Chicago-based Alligator Records, who was her producer, manager and friend since 1974.
He recalled that Taylor had a similar surgery in 2004 and was on a ventilator for nearly a month. “The doctors were very discouraged then about her coming back, and she willed herself back to life,” Iglauer said. “We were hoping she would do the same this time.”
Born Cora Walton in 1928 in Memphis, Tenn., Taylor literally got up off her knees to become a blues icon.
Growing up on a sharecropper's farm outside Memphis, young Cora and her three brothers and two sisters slept on pallets in a shotgun shack with no running water or electricity. By the time she was 11, both her parents had died. She picked cotton to survive, and moved to Chicago in the early '50s to be with her future husband, Robert "Pops" Taylor, who died in 1989. She found a job working as a domestic, scrubbing floors for rich families.
She had sung gospel music in church while living in the South, and on weekends would attend the blues clubs on Chicago’s burgeoning South Side scene, the heyday of Chess Records and such stalwarts as Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf and Willie Dixon. She would occasionally sit in and caught the ear of Dixon, who approached her in the early ‘60s about recording one of his songs, “Wang Dang Doodle.”
"I didn't know Willie Dixon from Adam's house cat," Taylor recalled in an interview with the Tribune. "But he says to me, 'I love the way you sound' and, 'We got plenty of men out here singing the blues, but the world needs a woman like you with your voice to sing the blues.' ”
Taylor’s 1965 hit recording of “Wang Dang Doodle” launched her career, and established her sound: a gruff, no-nonsense roar that was the female equivalent of Howlin' Wolf's baritone growl. By becoming a band leader and a powerful voice in a male-dominated scene, she broke down barriers for many female entertainers who followed.
“Some of the lady singers who were working little local clubs, or maybe just attempting to sing in choirs and churches, they got into the blues scene because of Koko,” said Bob Koester, founder of Delmark Records. “Zora Young, Big Time Sarah, Shirley Johnson - they were inspired to try to come out and sing blues because of Koko's success. Without Koko, that might not have happened."
But when Chess folded in the early ‘70s, Taylor was back where she started, scrapping for a living.
"It was a devastating time for my mom," Taylor's daughter, Joyce "Cookie" Threatt, once told the Tribune. "Then she met Bruce [Iglauer]. It was like God put him there."
Iglauer had never worked with a female vocalist before on his fledgling label, which was dominated by guitar-playing men. But he was impressed by Taylor’s moxie and her sound.
“She was of the same generation as Muddy and Wolf, she had those [Mississippi] Delta roots,” he said Wednesday. “Even though she had been living in Chicago since the ‘50s, her music was still deeply rooted in the South. She had that rhythmic sense, that sense of where you lay the words and how the band locks in around the singer, that intensity of people who have lived that life.”
Taylor was already a distinctive artist when she came to Alligator, and with Iglauer's help began exploring a more vulnerable side to her persona on select ballads such as her epochal version of the Etta James hit "I'd Rather Go Blind." Even when recording other people's material, the singer put her idiosyncratic touch on it, usually singing it a cappella in the studio, with the musicians following her.
Taylor never adopted the blues lifestyle of hard drinking and philandering that consumed some of her peers. She was a devout woman, but at the same deeply appreciative of how the blues communicated honestly and directly about everyday life.
As her daughter once told the Tribune: “She grew up singing in [the Baptist] church in Memphis, and people come into church to get washed. They don't come in there already clean."
At the same time, she was not one to mince words. She could be devastatingly direct with anyone who crossed her.
“She was meticulous about her music, so if her band screwed up, they would hear about it,” Iglauer said. “She would not bite her tongue.”
For her, the blues was life. She bounced off her death bed in 2004 to write and record another album, the aptly titled “Old School,” released in 2007 on Alligator. It would prove to be her final recording, though Iglauer said that in recent months Taylor was calling him and singing new songs over the phone.
“She was scheduled to go to Spain next week,” he said. “She was still performing. At the Blues Awards in Memphis a few weeks ago, she was absolutely glowing. She would be exhausted standing by the edge of the stage, but when the lights went up, she would hop up and dance as soon as the music started. She would always say, ‘If I can brighten one person’s day with my music, that’s what I live for.’ ”
Survivors include her husband, Hays Harris; daughter Joyce Threatt; son-in-law Lee Threatt; grandchildren Lee Jr. and Wendy; and three great-grandchildren.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
greg@gregkot.com
The Tribune’s Howard Reich contributed to this report.
Greg, we posted a link to this story on our obits blog, http://voices.washingtonpost.com/postmortem/
Posted by: Pat Sullivan | June 03, 2009 at 05:22 PM
R.I.P. to the Queen of the Blues.
Posted by: Tim Alexander | June 03, 2009 at 05:22 PM
It's a blue day for the blues. Koko inspired me to play the blues and gave me the opportunity to get on stage with her band and play the harmonica, even though she'd never heard me play. She was, indeed, the Queen of the Blues.
Posted by: Johnny | June 03, 2009 at 05:23 PM
Rip aunt koko you will b truely missed in our lives ... From tha Tate family in memphis
Posted by: Tania Combs | June 03, 2009 at 05:29 PM
I remember seeing her first at a student hall auditorium, and she was on fire! She was such a great performer, funny, wise, knowing with a voice to back it up. There are few women who can make a song like "63 Year Old Mama" sound both hilarious and convincing. Like the title of one of her albums, she was a "force of nature" and I will always love her. Bless you, Koko, for being such an inspiration. I know you are up in that great choir in the sky, and they are embracing you as we speak.
A fan,
Bette Dillinger
Posted by: Bette Dillinger | June 03, 2009 at 05:29 PM
I only got to see her perform once, about 11 years ago, on a bill with Buddy Guy. She was certainly past her prime, but she carried the title of "Queen of the Blues" with regal pride anyhow. I'm glad I got the chance to see her perform.
Likewise, I'm glad my daughter knows who she is... Thanks to the PBS show "Arthur" where she and the great Taj Mahal made a guest appearances, in animated form, a number of years ago.
Her music will live on, and may she pitch a Wang Dang Doodle wherever she is now!
Posted by: Shaun | June 03, 2009 at 05:38 PM
Today I shall mourn. She was incredible!
Posted by: ScottSpencer | June 03, 2009 at 05:38 PM
From the Allison Family.....Our hearts and lives are saddened by this news on the passing of, "Queen Of The Blues", Koko Taylor. Our condolences to the Taylors and extended family.....God's Spead
Posted by: Luther Allison, Jr. | June 03, 2009 at 05:38 PM
A truly sad day. The Blues will never be the same. Thanks for everything Koko.
Just a thought: the Blues fest this year should shift priorities to honor her memory.
Posted by: Aaron Stroud | June 03, 2009 at 05:42 PM
a tremendous loss for chicago, music and the world. you will be missed dearly and never forgotten.
Posted by: k | June 03, 2009 at 05:48 PM
A sad day as another blues legend passes. I didn't realize Koko was 80.
May she join Muddy Waters, Mighty Joe Young, Johnny Lee Hooker, Ray Charles, Willie Dixon and the other departed legends in singing the blues to the Angels.
Posted by: KAG | June 03, 2009 at 05:50 PM
Woo 80! thats a long life. The times they are changing. Bluesfest will be a liitle less without the Queen. RIP Miss KOKO
Posted by: jacko | June 03, 2009 at 05:56 PM
Definitely a sad day for a truly great lady.
RIP
Posted by: SgtX | June 03, 2009 at 05:58 PM
Peace to a great lady and fabulous singer.
Having seen her a few times, she lit up the stage with her voice and stage presence.
now I got the blues, we shall all crank up "wang dang doodle" or "I'm a woman" now.
Posted by: ryan greene | June 03, 2009 at 06:02 PM
I would consider it a great honor to be one of the twelve men asked to be one of her pall bearers.
Posted by: Reggie | June 03, 2009 at 06:07 PM
I used to venture down to the sothside clubs back in the 60's and 70's. There used to be a dive called Theresa's at around 18th and Indiana, I think, where I saw her play in the late 70's. As I was the only white person in the club, she and two of her band mates were gracious enough to sit down at break time and have a beer with me at my table! Great memory!
Posted by: Bob McKay | June 03, 2009 at 06:13 PM
Koko Taylor was an exceptional performer. I saw her sing "Wang Dang Doodle" with the Mannish Boys at this year's Blues Music Awards, and at several Chicago Blues Festivals. Her music has been a part of my life since 1972 and I will treasure her passion for the blues.
Posted by: Eric Steiner | June 03, 2009 at 06:15 PM
'Bye, KoKo. Sing some Blues for the angels. Thank you for all the years you helped bring joy to Chicago.
Posted by: jorge | June 03, 2009 at 06:15 PM
Godspeed Koko. You will never be forgotten.
Posted by: D. Martin | June 03, 2009 at 06:18 PM
I used to venture down to some of the south side clubs back in the 60's and 70's. There used to be a dive called Theresa's at around 18th and Indiana, I think, where I saw her perform. As I was the only white person in the club, she and two of her band mates were gracious enough to invite me to their table for a beer at break time. Great memory!!
Posted by: Bob McKay | June 03, 2009 at 06:19 PM
Rest In Peace Koko. You will be missed.
One day while watching PBS, there was a special in which you were on. Ever since that day, I became a fan. I consider myself blessed to have been able to catch a few of your live concerts - highlights and memories that will always be with me.
You were the true Queen of the Blues.
To your family and friends, please know that she is now at Peace in the Kingdom of God. You were blessed to have known this wonderful lady on a personal level.
Now I'll watch few up your performances on YouTube.
Posted by: David K | June 03, 2009 at 06:35 PM
Back in the 70's we had a little promotion company that brought blues bands to Ft Wayne, Indiana. Our biggest thrill was introducing Koko Taylor to the blues fan in the Fort. What a show she put on. Memories for a lifetime! God Bless you Koko Taylor.
Bill Schwalm
Posted by: Bill Schwalm | June 03, 2009 at 06:40 PM
See you around, KoKo. It's time to serve the Lord in a different way.
Posted by: Pearl | June 03, 2009 at 06:44 PM
Queen Koko, thank you so much for the gift of your music that you have left us with.
As Shaun posted earlier, I also watch the PBS show "Arthur" that featured Koko. It is available on YouTube, search "Big Horns George 1" & "Big Horns George 2", it is in two parts but well worth watching.
Rest In Eternal Peace Koko.
Posted by: Alex | June 03, 2009 at 06:56 PM
My wife and I saw her perform at the Blues Music Awards. We have photos and everything......May the living CREATOR bless & rest her soul & comfort her family.
Posted by: TheProfezzional | June 03, 2009 at 07:00 PM