James Cotton & Eddy “The Chief” Clearwater

During the early- to mid-1900s, African Americans fled the racially divided South for Northern cities in what was known as the Great Migration, bringing many Southern influences with them, including the blues. Chicago developed into a hub for the blues, housing greats like Buddy Guy, Bo Diddley and Muddy Waters, as well as accomplished but less-celebrated figures like guitarist Eddy Clearwater, nicknamed “The Chief” because he commonly wears American-Indian headdresses, who brought more of a party-blues aesthetic to the sometimes serious Chicago scene. Tonight Clearwater shares a show with pioneering harmonica player James Cotton, whose half-century career began with a stint in the Muddy Waters Band.