- Koko Taylor
Infobox musical artist |
Name = Koko Taylor
Img_capt = Koko Taylor atNew Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival , 2006
Img_size =
Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Cora Walton
Alias = KoKo
Born = Birth date and age|1928|9|28|df=y
Died =
Origin =Memphis, Tennessee
Instrument =
Genre = bluesR&B
Occupation = singer
Years_active = 1960s - present
Label =Alligator Records
Associated_acts =
URL = http://www.kokotaylor.com
Current_members =
Past_members =
Notable_instruments =Koko Taylor sometimes spelled 'KoKo Taylor' (born Cora Walton,
28 September 1928 , inShelby County, Tennessee ) is an Americanblues musician , popularly known as the "Queen of the Blues." She is known primarily for her rough and powerful vocals and traditional blues stylings.Taylor left Memphis for
Chicago, Illinois in 1954 with her husband, truck driver Robert "Pops" Taylor and in the late 1950s began singing in Chicago blues clubs. She was spotted byWillie Dixon in 1962, and this led to wider performances and her firstrecording contract . In 1965, Taylor was signed byChess Records , for which her single "Wang Dang Doodle" (written by Dixon, and a hit forHowlin' Wolf five years earlier) became a major hit, reaching number four on the R&B charts in 1966, and selling a million copies. Taylor has recorded many versions of this Dixon-pennedsong over the past few decades and has added more material, both original and covers, but has never repeated that initial chart success.National touring in the late 1960s and early 1970s improved her fan base, and she became accessible to a wider record-buying public when she signed with
Alligator Records in 1975. She has since recorded over a dozenalbum s for that label, many nominated forGrammy Award s, and come to dominate the female blues singer ranks, winning twenty five W. C. Handy Awards (more than any other artist). After her recovery from a near-fatal car crash in 1989, the 1990s found Taylor infilm s such as "Blues Brothers 2000 ", and she opened a blues club on Division St. in Chicago in 1994, but it closed in 1999.Taylor has influenced musicians such as
Bonnie Raitt ,Shemekia Copeland ,Janis Joplin ,Shannon Curfman , andSusan Tedeschi . She currently performs over 70concert s a year, and resides just south of Chicago inCountry Club Hills, Illinois Music awards
*
Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album - 1985
*Howlin' Wolf Award - 1996
*Blues Hall of Fame - Inducted 1997
*Blues Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award - 1999
*NEA National Heritage Fellowship - 2004
*Blues Music Award (formerly the W. C. Handy Award) - 24 times, including the following categories:
**Contemporary Blues Female Artist
**Entertainer of the Year
**Female Artist
**Traditional Blues Female Artist
**Vocalist of the YearAt age 76 in 2004, she appeared as a special guest with Taj Mahal on an episode of "Arthur".Discography
*"Love You Like a Woman" (Charly Records) - November 30, 1968
*"Koko Taylor" (MCA/Chess) - 1969
*"Basic Soul" (Chess) - 1972
*"South Side Lady" (Evidence Records) - 1973
*"I Got What It Takes" (Alligator) - 1975
*"Southside Baby" (Black & Blue) - 1975
*"The Earthshaker " (Alligator) - 1978
*"From The Heart Of A Woman " (Alligator) - 1981
*"Queen of the Blues" (Alligator) - 1985
*"An Audience with Koko Taylor" (Alligator) - 1987
*"Live from Chicago" (Alligator) - 1987
*"Love You Like a Woman" (Charly Records) - November 30, 1968
*"Wang Dang Doodle " (Huub Records) - 1991
*"Jump for Joy" (Alligator) - 1992
*"Force of Nature" (Alligator) - 1993
*"Royal Blue" (Alligator) - 2000
*"Deluxe Edition" (Alligator) - 2002
*"Old School" (Alligator) - 2007ee also
*
Chicago Blues Festival External links
*imdb name | id=0852725 | name=Koko Taylor
*
* [http://www.kokotaylor.com/ Koko Taylor Official Web site]
* http://titan.iwu.edu/%7Ejplath/taylor.html
* http://www.geocities.com/shakin_stacks/kokotaylor.txt
*allmusicguide | id = 11:kzaqoaeabijm | label = Koko Taylorkoko Taylor is also the c/o host on Gary' only FM radio station WGVE 88.7.With host Clarence Stevens. And On The web at www.blueswebradio.com
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