Music Americana: Born from the Second City

Chicago has produced a remarkable number of musicians who have gone on to shape American music, from soul legends Curtis Mayfield, Sam Cooke, and Lou Rawls, to blues giants Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, and Paul Butterfield. The city also gave us rock-and-roll pioneers Chuck Berry and Etta James, folk favorites Bob Gibson, Steve Goodman, and John Prine, and rock superstars Chicago, Cheap Trick, and Earth, Wind & Fire.

The city even produced memorable one-hit wonders, including The Shadows of Knight, whose 1965 recording of “Gloria” helped define the garage-rock era.

Join Rod MacDonald for an entertaining musical journey through the artists, stories, characters, and sounds that made Chicago one of America’s most vibrant and influential music capitals.