The songs and stories behind the Chicago Blues will come to parks across the city this summer as Chicago singer, composer and bandleader Lucy Smith and writer and narrator Cheryl Corley present “Chicago Bound: The Great Migration of the Blues.”
The concert is a celebration of the lives and artistry of legends Muddy Waters, Memphis Minnie, Willie Dixon, Otis Rush, Koko Taylor, Lillian Green and more. Three public performances are scheduled as part of the Chicago Park District’s Night Out in the Parks: Saturday, July 6, at 6 p.m. at Ellis Park in Bronzeville’s Douglas neighborhood; Saturday, August 3, at 3:45 p.m. at Ada Park during the Morgan Park neighborhood’s Roots Festival; and Friday, September 6, at 6 p.m. at Warren Park in the West Ridge (West Rogers Park) neighborhood.
All performances of “Chicago Bound” are free to attend and appropriate for all ages. For more information, visit https://tinyurl.com/y4756n.
“Chicago Bound: The Great Migration of the Blues” showcases the works of musicians who laid the foundations of the Chicago Blues sound as they traveled from the Mississippi Delta to neighborhoods on the South and West sides of Chicago. They often performed at Chicago’s historic Maxwell Street market, where they created the electrified urban Blues sound that came to be known as the Chicago Blues.
Many of those talented artists signed on with the city’s acclaimed Chess Records label, leaving legacies that live on today.
“Chicago Bound: The Great Migration of the Blues” is part of the Chicago Park District’s 2024 Night Out in the Parks programming.
Performance details and locations:
Chicago Bound: The Great Migration of the Blues
Saturday, July 6, from 6–7:30 p.m.
Ellis (Samuel) Park, 3520 S. Cottage Grove Ave. Free admission.
Artists: Cheryl Corley, writer and narrator; Lucy Smith Quintet: Lucy Smith, vocals; Ernie Adams, drums; William Kurk, keys; Michael Ross, guitar; and Ivan Taylor, bass.
Saturday, August 3, from 3:45–5:15 p.m. Morgan Park Roots Festival at Ada (Sawyer Garrett) Park, 11250 S. Ada St. Free admission.
Artists: Cheryl Corley, writer and narrator; Lucy Smith Quintet: Lucy Smith, vocals; Ernie Adams, drums; Chris Mahieu, keys; Michael Ross, guitar; and Ivan Taylor, bass.
Friday, September 6, from 6–7:30 p.m. Warren (Laurence) Park, 6601 N. Western Ave. Free admission.
Artists: Cheryl Corley, writer and narrator; Lucy Smith Quintet: Lucy Smith, vocals; Ernie Adams, drums; Chris Mahieu, keys; Junius Paul, bass; and Michael Ross, guitar.
Lucy Smith is a singer, composer, bandleader, cultural programmer, and producer whose quartet/quintet is a dynamic part of Chicago’s music scene. She was born and raised in Englewood. Her musical collaborations include works for theatre, film and spoken word productions. Lucy’s holiday album, Singing Christmas, ranked No. 1 on the Americana Charts in January of 2023. She worked for eight years as the music director for Chicago’s Fourth Presbyterian’s “Jazz at Four” service, where she created a new jazz-infused paradigm for worship while rearranging centuries-old hymns and keeping alive the legacy of sacred jazz music.
A Chicago native, Cheryl Corley is National Public Radio’s Midwest Bureau Chief. She curates, assigns and edits stories primarily about issues that impact the Midwestern part of the country from reporters throughout the region, as well as editing stories about religion. Prior to her current position, Corley was a longtime NPR correspondent covering criminal justice issues, as well as some of the country’s most important breaking news stories in the Midwest and across the country, including the infamous Trayvon Martin shooting in Florida, the campaign and re-election of President Barack Obama, the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina and oil spills along the Gulf Coast, as well as numerous other disasters, and the funeral of the “queen of soul,” Aretha Franklin.
Since its inception in 2013, the Chicago Park District’s Night Out in the Parks (NOITP) has provided thousands of hours of safe, diverse, and unique arts programming where artists and audiences can connect and celebrate Chicago’s rich cultural tapestry in neighborhood parks.
With generous support from the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, as well as support from additional local funders, NOITP produces free cultural events annually in all 77 community areas of Chicago, ensuring equity in access to the arts for all Chicagoans.
Through multiple disciplines—theater, music, movies, dance, site-specific work, nature programs and community festivals—the Chicago Park District brings high-caliber performances and world-class cultural events into the city’s parks.
