The finale of 2026 Chicago Blues Festival featured master musician I have become incredibly familiar with: Taj Mahal. The first time I ever saw him was in 1973 on a show called The Midnight Special. I had never seen or heard anyone quite like him. He was accompanied by Ry Cooder, someone else I had never heard of either. I started looking for Taj Mahal albums and could not find them at the local record shop. I had to go downtown to the Loop to find any of his records, the same spot where my mom would eventually buy Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti for me.
The finale also honored Tome Marker. When I first started listening to WXRT as an adult, Tom Marker had a show called Blues Breakers, heralding the genre, Marker has served as the emcee for the Chicago Blues Festival for many years, and this year, he received his own proclamation from the City of Chicago. It was well-deserved, as Marker still promotes the Blues on WDCB better than anyone.
I got to Millennium Park just as Canadian-born Sue Foley was burning up the stage with guitar licks as red-hot as her hair. Yes, a red-headed woman was singing and playing the blues, and she was fantastic. Some of the best musicians have come out of Canada, like Neil Young and Joni Mitchell. Now, Sue Foley is rocking her own compositions, "Southern Man," and "Dallas Man." She has a bold pick-and-strum style reminiscent of Link Wray's "Rumble." Her band provided a driving bass and solid backbeat. Her version of Howlin' Wolf's. "Howlin' for My Darling" was fire, and then she lit into "If the House is a Rockin' Don't Bother Knockin'" in tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughan. She added some fun theatrics, playing the guitar behind her head on her finale, "Do the Barefoot Rock." Foley's set was what I call a barn-burner, and I hope to see her again on a Chicago stage.
Chris Cain took the stage after Sue Foley. He hung out on Maxwell Street back in the day and was deeply influenced by B.B. King, Albert Collins, and Ray Charles. His guitar style is clean without a wasted note or chord, like King's, and he plays a Gibson, but his is named Melba. Cain sounded like an old Black Blues singer who came up through Mississippi. I would never have known that he was a white guy from Pomona, California, but he is the real deal. He sang in tribute to Collins with "Call Your People, I'm Gonna Leave You." Cain is also a great keyboard player as he played the Nord on "What's to Become of Me," with a cry in his voice that reminded me of Ray Charles and Sunday morning. He played Stevie Wonder's "Livin' for the City" and some fantastic lyrics. "Brother, I believe I got off cheap, watching Dr. Phil and drinking Tanqueray, lyin' around all day." Cain ended the set with "Hush Money" cementing his amazing set, another new find for me.
A light rain began to fall just as the setup for Taj Mahal began. I was nearly distraught at the thought of a rainout. Marker came out and just announced, "Taj Mahal!" No buildup or laudatory talk, just into the music. Mahal is 86, but came strutting like a boss. Speaking of strutting, he sat down surrounded by his banjo, acoustic guitar, and harmonica, and jumped right into "Strut." He sang about unfaithful women with their hair all tangled and dresses messed up. Someone yelled from the audience, and Mahal asked, "How old are you?" He then sang the praises of older women, calling their gray hair "illuminated, everywhere." Mahal has Caribbean roots and added some Reggae flavor with "Wild About My Lovin." That song was written in 1928 by Jim Jackson, from Mississippi, where so much of the Blues originated. He then rocked "Statesboro Blues," which Blind Willie McTell wrote and recorded in 1928. Mahal recorded it in 1968 before it became a hit by the Allman Brothers.
The skies had cleared by the time Mahal and his band lit into "The Whammy," "Movin' to the Country," and the classic "Further on Up the Road." "She Caught the Katy and Left Me a Mule to Ride," "Crazy About that Red-Headed Woman," and "Got a Rainbow on My Shoulder" shifted the show into full gear. Everyone was on their feet, singing and dancing along. He ended the show with "Way Back Home," written by Wilton Felder of the Crusaders, with the lyrics added by Junior Walker in 1971. Mahal was in fine voice and full of cheek, and I was thrilled to have been a part of the audience that night.
The 2026 Chicago Blues Festival closed on Sunday, June 7. I walked away filled with the happiness that great live music provides. It was a successful festival, curated in conjunction with The Blues Foundation, WDCB, WVON, and Visit Mississippi, among others. The event was curated by the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), which has a full slate of free festivals planned for the summer. The Chicago Blues Festival is the largest free Blues festival in the world in the best city in the world- Chicago!
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