Heaven Has Gained A Queen
By Teeny Tucker – June 5, 2009
(Images courtesy of Robert Hughes Photography)
............................................................................
KoKo Taylor – ..Island.. ..Park.. ....Dayton.. ..Ohio.... Summer of 2007
Across
....America.... and abroad, if you get the daily newspaper, listen to
the T.V. news or radio you know the Queen passed away. I searched the
word Queen in the dictionary and it means a female sovereign or
monarch. I call it a supreme ruler.
KoKo
Taylor passed away on June 3, 2009 at the ..Northwestern.. ..Memorial..
..Hospital.. in ....Chicago.... with complications from surgery. She
entered into the gates of Heaven and a host of angels welcomed her to ..
Blues Street..
in a mansion fit for a Queen. Born Cora Walden in ....Memphis..,
..TN.... and raised on a sharecropper’s farm, she later found her home
in the heart of Southside Chicago. She will always be remembered as
“Queen of the Blues.”
Her
dedication to the Blues and her Blues fans go back over five decades
launching her into the true Legend status. She paved the way for female
blues artists like me and many others. In 1962, her gutsy and powerful
voice caught the attention of arranger/composer Willie Dixon. Impressed
by her voice, he got her a Chess recording contract and produced
several singles (and two albums) for her, including the million-selling
1965 hit, "Wang Dang Doodle," launching her recording career.
My
band and I had the pleasure of playing on the same bill with KoKo on
two special occasions to include the 2004 Monterey Bay Blues Festival
in ..Monterey.. ..California.. and the ..Island.. ..Park.. in
....Dayton.., ..Ohio.... when only she and I shared the bill for a 2007
Aides Task Force Concert. I found out prior to her performance at the
....Island.. ..Park.... concert, that 6 days prior to her performance
then, she had recently left the hospital for another surgery. Looking
a little tired, she gained a burst of energy when it was time for her
to hit the stage. She commands your attention and once she gets it,
you are hooked in as if you were under a spell. Her powerful growl
would make you stand at attention. Toward the end of the concert, she
called some of her fans on stage while her daughter Cookie tried to get
her to take it easy, but she kept reiterating that her fans deserved
all she could mustard up. For me, it was like magic and you can bet
your last dollar, I took something from this legend and put it into my
own musical career bag. Perhaps that is the reason I felt so honored to
have been nominated in the same Best Female Artists category with her
for the 2008 Blues Blast Music Award. I knew I couldn’t win over the
Queen: who does that to a real Queen? But I felt highly honored to be
mentioned in the same light.
At
the end of her set, she called me on stage to sing with her and I could
hardly keep my composure. After her set, she and I talked and I
shared some of my trials and tribulations of my musical journey and how
I wanted to give up at one time, but my heart and soul wouldn’t let
me. She imparted some heartfelt wisdom that I will hold in my memory
for a lifetime.
........
It’s
pretty amazing to be blessed with five decades of doing something you
have a passion for. I’ve always said if you think of something 98% of
the time, then that is what you should be doing. This lady knew the
Blues. She lived it, sang it and shared it with the world. I recently
wrote a song titled “Didn’t Let the Blues Conquer Me” it reminds me of
KoKo. The chorus goes “I walked with it, I wrestled with it but it
wouldn’t let me be, but I didn’t let the Blues conquer me.”
Bruce
Iglauer is a blessed man to have found a diamond in the rough when he
signed KoKo to his then nascent Alligator Records in 1975. I’ve pulled
up some of her past performances on You Tube and “Oh my God,” the lady
is a power-house. During her 50 years in the music business she has
received just about every award the Blues world has to offer. She
received Grammy nominations for seven of her last eight Alligator
Records and took a Grammy home in 1984 for her performance on the
compilation Blues Explosion. She holds 29 Blues Music Awards (more than
any other blues artist male or female). She’s taken home twenty five
W.C. Handy Awards. One of her most outstanding accomplishments is when
Mayor Richard Daly of ....Chicago.... declared March 3 each year as
“KoKo Taylor Day.” She’s been inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall
of Fame and she is featured in film roles and PBS documentaries.
At 80, how many of us will make our last appearance days before our death? Now that’s impressive!
Rest in peace my friend. You will forever be in our hearts.
-Teeny Tucker