The road from the Mississippi Delta to Chicago has been traversed by many blues artists. Since after World War II, movers and shakers such as Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf brought the down-home sound north, electrified it, and gave it a new home in many a Windy City bar. The remaining artists who can boast of this lineage are few -- and those still making vital music are fewer still. Morris Holt, a.k.a. Magic Slim, is one of them. The sixtysomething Mississippi-bred guitarist and vocalist, known for growling vocals and raw, relentless playing, heads up what has been tagged with only slight exaggeration as "the last Chicago blues band."
Arriving in Chicago in the '50s, Slim sat in with numerous bands and formed the Teardrops in 1967. The bar circuit kept him busy through the '70s, but his recording career didn't truly begin until the '80s. His most recent work has been for Blind Pig, including 2002's Blue Magic. With slight dashes of present-day urban enhancement, courtesy of producer and labelmate Popa Chubby, it's a solid outing that's true to the man's rep.
Latest in Livewire
-
Concert Calendar
A packed week of don't-miss shows
- Aug 3, 2011
-
Concert Calendar
The shows you need to see this week
- Jul 27, 2011
-
Concert Calendar
Shows you should see this week
- Jul 20, 2011
- More »
