2024-01-05 17:24:56
FROM LEGENDARY WAYNE BAKER BROOKS Wayne Baker Brooks knows a thing or two about the blues — and Chicago. The famed blues-rock guitarist has graced the stages of the city’s most iconic blues venues during his more than 30-year career. Wayne grew up on the city’s south side, living in Bronzeville, Englewood, and other neighborhoods. His father Lonnie Brooks was a Chicago blues master, and Wayne remembers watching him play alongside icons like Koko Taylor, Willie Dixon, Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, and more. As a teenager, Wayne started playing guitar with his father’s band and eventually went on to form his own group, the Wayne Baker Brooks Band. His experience growing up around Chicago blues greats laid the foundation for his own innovative style. Today, Brooks is a music legend in his own right. A Chicago Blues Hall of Famer, Brooks has shared a stage with some of the genre’s biggest names and toured the world with his band. But no matter where he’s playing, he’s still a Chicagoan at heart. “I’m repping Chicago everywhere I go,” Brooks says. “This is where the greatest blues men and women live. Nowhere on earth do you have a concentration of great musicians in one spot like this, and that’s what makes the place unique.” Here are just a few of Wayne Baker Brooks’ favorite places to play and hear blues music in Chicago. CITY WINERY “It’s intimate; you’re up-close and personal. They’ve got good wine and food, and top-notch acts. The staff is wonderful. Just a good vibe.” BUDDY GUY’S LEGENDS “Buddy Guy’s has always been a home to me. I played my first gig in Chicago here. It’s where I honed my craft and learned to be an entertainer.” REGGIE’S CHICAGO “Reggie’s is a great venue, and they try to do as much blues as possible. The sound system is amazing there, the staff is amazing. They really take care of you, as an artist and a patron.” CHESS RECORDS “It’s a piece of American music history — it’s also a Chicago landmark and you can sign up for a tour of the building. Hit records were being pumped out of this place. This is where people like Muddy Waters helped change the course of music.” KINGSTON MINES “They’ve been around for a long time. The music never stops. It’s two stages, so you won’t be waiting for a break, you jump right straight in. People sit there all night long and listen.” ROSA’S LOUNGE “I like Rosa’s a lot. It’s an authentic, family-owned blues joint. It’s always packed when you have a big name playing there because people love the joint.” CHICAGO BLUES FESTIVAL “Chicago Blues Fest is like the mecca of blues music. People flock to Chicago — not only local residents, but people from all over the world. I’ve performed in 45 different countries, and people around the world fantasize about coming to Chicago for Blues Fest.”
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