Wednesday, June 03, 2009

"Queen of the Blues" Koko Taylor dies at 80


Alligator Records reported the death of Koko Taylor, 80, on June 3, 2009, in her hometown of Chicago. The Grammy Award-winning blues singer died as a result of complications following her May 19 survey to correct a gastrointestinal bleed.

Taylor’s final performance was on May 7, 2009 in Memphis at the Blues Music Awards, where she sang “Wang Dang Doodle” after receiving her award for Traditional Blues Female Artist Of The Year.

Born Cora Walton on a sharecropper’s farm just outside Memphis, TN, on September 28, 1928, Koko, nicknamed for her love of chocolate, fell in love with music at an early age. Inspired by gospel music and WDIA blues disc jockeys B.B. King and Rufus Thomas, Taylor began belting the blues with her five brothers and sisters, accompanying themselves on their homemade instruments. In 1952, Taylor and her soon-to-be-husband, the late Robert “Pops” Taylor, traveled to Chicago with nothing but, in Koko’s words, “thirty-five cents and a box of Ritz Crackers.”

In Chicago, “Pops” worked for a packing company, and Koko cleaned houses. Together they frequented the city’s blues clubs nightly. Encouraged by her husband, Koko began to sit in with the city’s top blues bands, and soon she was in demand as a guest artist. One evening in 1962 Koko was approached by arranger/composer Willie Dixon. Overwhelmed by Koko’s performance, Dixon landed Koko a Chess Records recording contract, where he produced her several singles, two albums and penned her million-selling 1965 hit “Wang Dang Doodle,” which would become Taylor’s signature song.

Survivors include Taylor’s husband Hays Harris, daughter Joyce Threatt, son-in-law Lee Threatt, grandchildren Lee, Jr. and Wendy, and three great-grandchildren.

Follow this link for more information.



5 comments:

Tim said...

Koko was truly a legend and will be missed. I'm thankful I had the chance to see her many times and enjoy her live performances. By the way, I like your blog. Rock on!

Anonymous said...

For blues fans attending the Monterey Bay Blues Festival this weekend in Monterey CA, check out www.montereylocal.com

It has links to all hotels, restaurants, shopping and activities in the area including Carmel. It's a comprehensive list of everything you need to know for your visit.

--monterey local

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

Hey there...had a great interview with John Mayall I wanted to share with you and your readers. You can find it at www.midliferocker.com.
Love the blog.

live music long island said...

She died with gastrointestinal bleed? That really hurts because my grandmother experienced that last year and she's lucky that she survived. Koko Taylor is one of my favorite singers and I will miss her live performances.