She Was A Woman - R.I.P. Koko Taylor

Sad news tonight as we learn that Chicagoan and Queen of the Blues Koko Taylor has died at the age of 80 from complications from a gastrointestial surgery. The daughter of Tennessee sharecroppers who both died before she was 11 years old, Taylor was entranced by gospel music at church, as well as blues DJs on her radio at a young age. She and her five brothers and sisters made homemade instruments and starting singing the blues. After she was married, Koko and her husband traveled to Chicago where he found work at a packing company and she cleaned houses. The young couple would often visit the blues clubs on Chicago's south side, and her husband "Pops" Taylor encouraged Koko to sit in with the musicians. There, she was discovered by Willie Dixon, who was intrigued by her voice and eager to have a woman be a blues band leader. He landed her a contract with the famous Chess Records in Chicago, where she released many Grammy nominated albums, including the hits "Wang Dang Doodle" and "I'm A Woman". Taylor traveled the world, becoming the first high profile woman to sing the blues, and earning her nickname of "Queen of the Blues". After Chess Records went out of business, Koko moved to another Chicago label, Alligator Records, where she enjoyed continued success. Her many awards from the city of Chicago as well as national and international music organizations included the Blues Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999. Even at age 80, Koko was still going strong. She was scheduled to perform in Spain next week, and recently performed at The Kennedy Honors in Washington DC in honor of Morgan Freeman. She sang "I'm A Woman" for that appearance, and was she ever. Go in peace Koko... Chicago thanks you, for everything.