I'm not only a wine lover, I'm also a huge blues fan. I've visited this blues club about 20 times over the last 12 or 14 years. It consistently delivers the most authentic blues experience. Always a groovy experience. On a beverage note, this is certainly more suitable for beer, but I've ordered some nice wines here in the past too. For example some lovely Australian shiraz and cabernet.

 As told by Rob Hecko

As with most legends, the club B.L.U.E.S. had humble beginnings and went through a bit of an evolutionary process. Robert Hecko started in the bar business as owner of a De Paul University watering hole called Omni (as in the airplane terminal). Although this successful 1977 business was not a blues bar, it gave Rob his start in the field.

By 1979 the City of Chicago ruled that alcoholic beverages could not be served to 19 and 20 year olds any longer. This caused a dramatic decline in business at Omni. Robert started to think of other options. The blues idea started to surface a number of ways. A man named Bill Gilmour was involved in a club called Elsewhere, owned by white piano player Erwin Helfer. At the time, the venerable Kingston Mines was suffering through a relationship with a landlord that did not like them. They were on Lincoln Avenue at the time. Owner Doc Pelligrino soon moved it to Belmont and Clark. At the time, the club was called Jamie's, then Jamie's Elsewhere Lounge. Unfortunately, the club soon closed down (later to reopen with smashing success). Not knowing much about the blues, but intrigued, Robert investigated. Someone recommended he go to Kingston Mines to check it out. He remembers seeing Roy Hightower perform. This and subsequent performances impressed Rob. He felt that this was a genre he could really work with. So, Robert and Bill Gilmour soon wound up discussing the possibility of becoming blues club partners...

To take it a step further, they met at a Chicago Dance company event above the Biograph Theater, made infamous as the site where gangster John Dillinger was shot. A birthday party was being thrown for Jimmy Walker (b.1905 - d.1997). Rob and Bill signed a partner agreement that night.

B.L.U.E.S. opened in April 1979. Big Time Sarah and Sunnyland Slim (b.1905 - d.1995) were the opening act. If you've noticed that the anniversary celebrations take place in November, this is just for convenience. Bill and Robert were partners in the business for the first 18 years, and the two had some good times together. In the early days Bill handled the door and Robert was at the bar. They even owned and operated a Chicago Blues bar in New York for a while. A soul train of blues greats graced the stage at the little Chicago club over the years... Buddy Guy, Luther Allison (b.1939 - d.1997), James Cotton, Robert Lockwood, Lewis Myer, Blind John Davis, Little Brother Montgomery, Jimmy Johnson, Magic Slim, Junior Wells, and MacIntyre Murphy.
  

B.L.U.E.S. has earned the distinction among many observers as being the most genuine, intimate and consistently satisfying blues club in Chicago. A typical night there will weave itself into a tapestry of musical story-telling, hearty instant friendships with fellow patrons, friendly service and good times. It's both an experience and a work of art. If you live in Chicago, this is the place to bring out of town visitors for blistering blues licks and wailing vocals. If you're visiting the city on business or pleasure, don't be shy, this is the place to experience genuine Chicago blues. Robert told me he's pleased with how many great blues musicians there are in the city. “There's always a steady stream of available talent” he says.

Back in the days before B.L.U.E.S., a lot of people felt that the Wise Fools club was the place to catch the blues. Rob remembers names like Earl of Old Town and Steve Goodman from those days. He speaks warmly of Doc, in fact his eyes mist a bit as he talks of his dear friend who runs Kingston Mines. “We go to fests together and link up in Las Vegas, that kind of stuff,” Rob expounds.

The blues bar business has seen a lot of changes over the years. For one thing, property taxes that were just $2,000 per year in the 70’s are now $20,000. Rob told me he could not afford to run the club today if he had to start from scratch. This does not bode well for the future of live blues venues. It would be sad if the only venues left some day are only corporate-sponsored music festivals. 

Club owners and musicians are “always looking for a new audience” today – to keep things fresh. Jimmy Johnson was one of the hottest young guitar players in the 1960’s and 70’s. Now many of the baby boomers come to the club to hear exactly Jimmy’s type of blues - traditional style. Yet others are looking for blues with a fresh twist.  That’s why some of the newer blues artists have such a strong following. They creatively and respectfully weave jazz, rock and funk into their blues. They're breathing new life into the genre. Many readers will remember a club called Blues Etc. It was a large sister club that opened in ’87. It seated 240 people (vs. about 70 at B.L.U.E.S). The advantage of that club was that Rob could book bigger acts that demand higher pay. People like Albert King, Willie Dixon, and Savoy Brown. They even tried to get B.B. King, but were unsuccessful. The larger club could not be sustained long term because James Cotton opened a club just 3 blocks away, and it was a similar size to Buddy’s Legends, thus many bigger acts often had to make a choice as to which club to play when they came to town.

Some of the early players at the B.L.U.E.S: Buddy Guy, Luther Allison, James Cotton, Robert Lockwood, Sunnyland Slim, Blind John Davis, Little Brother Montgomery, Jimmy Johnson (who still plays the club regularly), Magic Slim, Big Time Sarah, Junior Wells, MacIntyre Murphy. Rob has watched the fortunes of some players really increase over the years. He remembers you could get Buddy Guy for $1,200 to $1,500 a night in the 70’s. He guesses that he now probably commands $15,000 and higher depending on circumstances.

Some famous customers: David Bowie, Bono of U2, John Fogerty, Chevy Chase, John Belushi, Jack Nicholson, Billy Crystal, Robert Plant, Huey Lewis, Jimmy Buffet, Bo Derek, members of the Grateful Dead, Robert Cray, Michael J. Fox, Richard Gere, Jimmy Page, Jeff Healy. Rob also remembers personally charging Eric Clapton at the door and Johhny Rivers walking in and saying, “now that’s more like it.” Dan Aykroyd comes two to three times per year, always a generous and gracious patron.

Rob is grateful for the tremendous staff he’s been blessed with. Door man Mark (of Canned Heat fame) has been with him for 19 years. Jennifer has been the club manager for 10 years. “Everything is perfect,” he tells me. He’s also enriched by the deep friendships he has developed with many of the musicians. People like Jimmy Johnson and Lonnie Brooks.

Some of the new talent Rob is proud to book: Mike Wheeler, John Primer, Little Ed, Pistol Pete, Chico Banks and Vance Kelly.

So, the club has been weaving its magical tapestry of music and life for 25 years and it’s going stronger than ever. Rob may think “everything is perfect.” Those of us who have been there agree!