We went to Boulder for the live taping of "Queen of the Blues" Koko Taylor's first appearance on the national radio show etown. (The show tapes about 2 hours' worth of material, then cuts it down to about 1 hour for the show you hear each week) Koko Taylor came out on stage at the Chautauqua Auditorium dancing and kept on going. She was backed by her Blues Machine, with Calvin Louden on guitar, Melvin Smith on bass, Shunsuke Kikuta on rhythm guitar, Stanley Banks on keyboards and Ricky Nelson on drums. Even her bodyguard got an introduction. After a couple of songs, she talked about growing up poor in Bartlett, Tennessee, being orphaned at age 11 with her two sisters and three brothers. All of them sang in church. Her dad wanted them to sing gospel, but she and her siblings would secretly sing blues. She later went to Chicago with her secret boyfriend ("the only one who knew he was my boyfriend was me!"). The bus driver let her on the bus even though they didn't have enough money for her to ride. They sat in the back of the bus ("I sat in the back but I got there the same time as the front!") She later married her boyfriend, who encouraged her to sing.
Also on the show, Mississippi bluesman Pinetop Perkins, just shy of 95. He came out sharply dressed in a bright red suit and matching top hat. (Not really a top hat but I'm not up on my haberdashery terms.) He played piano and sang. Willie "Big Eyes" Smith accompanied on harmonica and also sang. They tried to interview him but he mostly wanted to play. At the end he and Big Eyes and Koko Taylor and her Blues Machine all played together. Anyway, you can hear it for yourself on etown. Most likely airing in 4-6 weeks.
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