My Kind Of Town

I have had the opportunity recently to reflect on the incredible music scene that was the city of Chicago in the mid-to-late 1960s. On the rock and pop front, you had a stunning array of bands that included: The Buckinghams, The New Colony Six, The American Breed, The Ides of March, The Cryan Shames, The Shadows of Knight, just to name a few. These are just the ones who notched mentions on the Billboard Hot 100 and Bubbling Under charts. I am not even mentioning the ones who were just a local phenomenon and only scored local plays and sales, like the Yardbirdsy Del-Vetts.
Certainly one of the reasons the above-mentioned groups went beyond the purely local scene and into some national recognition was because of a fairly locally-oriented playlist philosophy from former Top-40 monster, WLS. This station could get the above-named bands, and others recognition in about 38 states with its night-time signal. A lot of these bands got followed throughout their entire careers. WLS was playing new records by the New Colony Six in the twilight of their career around 1972. You will probably find old-timers in Chicago who would swear that I Confess, circa 1965, was a major hit record.
Leave us not forget that, of course, Chicago was home city to the electric blues and the sounds of Koko Taylor, Muddy Waters, and Willie Dixon wafted mightily out of the Chess studio on Michigan Avenue, hung briefly over Lake Michigan and then hopped the pond where hundreds of young limey lads were inspired to take up the guitar.
But, Chess was always an eclectic outfit, and its many subsidiary labels spun out slick rockabilly, R N B, and soul sides.
Let us linger a bit on the Chicago soul scene. The names of Gene Chandler, Major Lance, and Curtis Mayfield and the Impressions cause the hearts of many latter-day soul men to flutter. I am not even mentioning such marginal, sales-and-play-wise outfits like the Accents, who were probably a major force on the local Chicago nightclub circuit and local airwaves.
An Interesting compilation project would be a two-CD set of Chicago Rock and Soul from the mid-to-late 60s. Many of the marginal singles and acts would be a good presentation of the Second City from this era. An Armload of WLS Silver-Dollar Surveys from the era would provide the raw data.
I am sure many teen-dance venues were stocked with locals only talent.
So, a toast to you, City of the Broad Shoulders and the local talent you gave us in the first full decade of the Rock and Roll Era.