The Chicago Blues Hall of Fame website has a few cool videos worth watching. You'll find a couple by Elmore James Jr., recorded a few years back at The Big O bar and the Keynote Lounge (Chicago Southside clubs). Also Sexie Jamie, a featured artist with the Broomdusters Blues band, singing Wang Dang Doodle. Plus, vids with Vance Kelly and Magic Slim.

They're pretty good quality -- decent sound and lighting. I think you'll enjoy them.

Here's the link:
http://www.bluesgonecyber.com/video.html

I don't know what's going on with the Chicago Blues Hall of Fame organization and their website. The last updates were over a year ago, so it's a little neglected.

On Saturday, March 15 2007, The Hideout, one of Chicago’s best kept entertainment secrets, will host a benefit for the Tamms Year Ten Coalition. Music includes our own Elmore James Jr. and Rupert.

Tamms Ten Year Campaign is a coalition to publicize and protest the conditions at Tamms C-MAX prison in Illinois. To mark the tenth anniversary of the prison’s opening in downstate Illinois, the group has scheduled a series of events to raise funds and awareness of the prison conditions.

In their own words…

"The Year Ten coalition asks the people of Illinois to join our coalition of prisoners, families and concerned citizens in protesting the IDOC’s misguided and inhumane policies, and in calling for legislation to end the torture of prisoners in Illinois."

Curious, I did a little Google research on the facility. This looks like an awfully bad place. I don’t really know enough to take a position on it, but I thoroughly support the efforts of the Ten Year Coalition to bring attention to the situation.

The Hideout is located just east of Elston and north of North Ave. As they say, “The Hideout is a regular guy bar for irregular folks who just don’t fit in, or just don’t want to fit in.”

They host a lot of benefits there, and definitely have a strong political point of view. That’s so unusual for a commercial operation, but the risk has gained them a strong following of bands and music fans who share this way of looking at the world, and wish to celebrate it together.

We’re looking forward to performing there on the Ides of March.

Elmore James Jr. was born in Richland, Mississippi, the same Delta town in which his dad, Elmore James, was born.

The Mississippi Delta region was the source of so many blues and R&B musicians, many of whom migrated to Chicago, just as Elmo and Elmo Jr. Influential characters like Carey Bell, Howlin' Wolf, Eddie Clearwater, Tyrone Davis, Magic Slim, Hubert Sumlin, Muddy Waters -- to name a few.

Students from Starkville High School created and maintain a comprehensive web page listing literally hundreds of notable musicians native to Mississippi. It's absolutely mind blowing to read down this list and realize how much influence this small geographical region has had on American music.

Here's the link:
Mississippi Musicians