“Queen Of The Blues” Koko Taylor passed away this afternoon in a hospital in Chicago, the result of complications from surgery last month. Taylor moved to Chicago with her would-be husband Robert “Pops” Taylor when she was in her 20s. After her big voice got the attention of songwriter/producer Willie Dixon at a Chicago jam session, she signed with the legendary blues label Chess Records; she had a No. 4 hit on the R & B charts with her version of the Dixon-penned “Wang Dang Doodle” in 1966. Taylor left Chess in 1973, and in 1975, she signed with the Chicago-based blues label Alligator Records. Taylor, who won 29 Blues Music Awards and a Grammy over the course of her career, also co-hosted a blues radio show in nearby Gary, Ind., when her schedule permitted. A few tracks from her body of work after the jump. More ยป
