By Chris M. Slawecki
She was born Cora Walton on a sharecroppers farm in Memphis, September 1935. She moved to Chicago as an 18 year old bride and began singing in clubs. Thats where she was spied by the legendary Willie Dixon, who was moved to tell her, "My God, I never heard a woman sing the blues like you sing the blues." Today, she is most likely the baddest, hardest rockin female sexagenarian the world has ever known. The world knows her as Koko Taylor, "The Queen of the Blues."
Dixon brought Taylor to Chess Records, where he wrote, produced and played on several singles for her. One of them, "Wang Dang Doodle," became a million seller in 1965 and established Taylor as the reigning blues matriarch. When Chess Records closed in 1975, Taylor simply moved to Chicagos newest blues label, Alligator Records. Eight albums and six Grammy nominations later, that "Queen of the Blues" crown has rarely been challenged.
Koko Taylor has won more W.C. Handy Awards, the equivalent of the Grammy for the blues community, than any other female artist 14. She was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame last year, and recently released her first album in more than five years, Royal Blue. Royal Blue presents "The Queen" among such blues royalty as veteran pianist Johnnie Johnson, Keb Mo, and guitar whiz-kid Kenny Wayne Shepherd. Even legendary guitarist B. B. King pairs with the powerhouse vocalist for a tour of the "Blues Hotel."
The hard rocking sound of Royal Blue proves that Koko Taylor is still pretty tough to beat. "It's a challenge," she says. "It's tough being out here doing what I'm doing in what they call a man's world. It's not every woman that can hang in there and do what I am doing today."
Q: What took so long (seven years) between Force of Nature and Royal Blue?
A: It didnt seem like it was that long. But Ill tell you what: To me, its not important how quick you get another, new CD out. Whats most important to me is when you have it come out, make it a good one, one that people appreciate listening to on the radio, appreciate making a trip to the record shop to buy that CD, get up and dance off it, or just stick the plugs in your ears and go to sleep with it at night. To me, thats important. But to have something out there, Oh, its been a long time, I got to hurry up and get something out there, and its not worth listening to
then its not that important, to me or my fans.
Q: One thing thats striking about Royal Blue is both the number and quality of musical guests. Were you able to spend much time with most of them?
A: Oh, yeah, I spent quite a bit of time with them. Plus, I knew them and every one of them is just really sweet people and they were already my friends. B. B. King is my big ol play brother, he tells everybody Im his little sister. And little Kenny Wayne Shepherd is my little play son. Hes as sweet as he can be and aint but, what, about 21 years old? And hes a bad little motor scooter!
Q: If Alligator came to you and asked you to help assemble Koko Taylor Deluxe Edition, what would you get on this set?
A: Id put on there "Im A Woman." Now we wont say "Wang Dang Doodle," cause thats already known. I would say, "Id Rather Go Blind." Id put on there "Old Woman." Id put on there, "Im A Queen Bee." I could go on and on.
Q: What is your first memory of music?
A: One of my greatest memories of my music, going way back to my family when I was a very young age, my dad said everybody in his house had to go to church on Sunday. And we did, me and my two sisters and my three brothers, six of us. He said we had to go to church and sing gospel on Sunday. But good god almighty, he didnt know what was happenin on Monday!
We sang gospel on Sunday. Monday we go to the cotton fields. I may be talking out of your knowings now, I dont know if you know about cotton fields or not, but I was born and raised on a sharecroppers farm, and we had to chop cotton, we had to pick cotton. When we come out of the cotton fields, late in the evening, wed go in the back of the house, our little shotgun house. And my little brother had him a corncob harmonica he made. My older brother had him a homemade guitar he put nails behind the house with hay bailing wire on it, made himself a guitar. And I didnt need no harmonica! Wed get back there and play music and sing and have us a good time! He thought we was playing, but we wasnt. Hed be up in the front smoking his pipe, and back there his kids were singing what he called "the devils music."
But it sounded good to me, and we all just loved it. We used to listen to the radio and a DJ named Rufus Thomas, out of Memphis. Rufus would play all them good ol blues, and this older blues singer, I just loved her. Her name was Memphis Minnie. She had this song called "Me And My Chauffeur Blues;" on the other side of that record was a song called "Black Rat Blues." And, oh, that "Black Rat Blues," that was my song, it stuck to my ribs like red beans and rice. It did! I sang it every day. (Sings)"Yeah, you one black rat/ Someday Im gon find your trail/ Yeah, and Im gonna hide my shoes/ Somewhere near your shirttail
" (Laughs)
Q: When you get in the mood to listen to a jazz singer, who do you like to listen to?
A: Back in those days, I used to listen to Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday
I dont listen to too much jazz now. Nowadays on the jazz stations, they dont play nothing but soft jazz, so theres nobody really in particular that I listen to. Mostly Im listening to blues nowadays.
Q: Who do you think most closely resembles your personal style?
A: Who do I think sounds like me?
Q: Maybe not "sounds like" you, but shares your approach to a song, your attack or phrasing or something like that.
A: I would say Big Mama Thornton.
Q: Is there an instrumentalist who most influenced the way you sing?
A: Muddy Waters.
Q: Have you considered writing and recording an entire album of holiday music?
A: Ive thought about it, and I think Im going to write some songs and come up with something like that. Also, Im thinking about doing a gospel CD. I would love to do a gospel CD, and I believe
that would just make my day.
Q: Do you have a favorite blues for when youre angry?
A: (Sings) "Baby please dont dog me/ When you know you doin wrong yourself/ Cause you aint doing nothing/ But driving me to someone else." Thatll do it!
Q: Why has your relationship with Alligator Records been so successful?
A: Well, Ive been a hard worker. Ive been with them 23 years. Ive been a very hard worker, a very sincere person with the music. Its not just a job. Im very sincere, from the heart. Every lyric that I put into a song, it means something. It might not mean nothing to YOU or somebody else. But then somebody else comes along and it does mean something to them. Every lyric that goes out of my mouth is from the heart, and I think they can see that, they can feel that. Even my fans can feel it, thats why they started calling me "The Queen of the Blues." Because they can feel that I put my whole soul into what Im doing. Its like putting money in the bank if you dont put nothing in, you aint gonna get nothing out!
Q: Your autobiography would span so many changes in the relationships between the sexes, between races, changes in politics, music and technology. Have you ever thought about writing your lifes story?
A: Yes, I have. But then I also thought about, wheres it gonna end? When I get through writing it, what am I going to do with it? I bet Im going to tell it someday.
Q: Which is the better song and why: "At Last" by Etta James, or "Mississippi Goddamn" by Nina Simone?
A: Now, Etta James? I can relate to that. Anybody that has any kind of feelings of music and of life could relate to what Etta James is saying in her song, and the way she says it. You know when she sings, (Sings)"At la-a-s-s-st, my lo-o-o-ve has come along"? She almost brings tears to your eyes, and when youre listening to her, its like she just tears your heart out.
Nina Simone, I cant say anything about her except that shes a beautiful singer, I love her singing. But Im a listener to Nina Simone like I am to Etta James. I like Nina. Its just that, you know how you might listen to Muddy Waters more than you would listen to
hey, Paul Butterfield, somebody. Its not that you dont like them. Theyre just your favorite man. People ask me who was my number one influence and all of that, I would tell them right away, "Muddy Waters." Now, they want to know why. Why? Because there aint but one Muddy Waters, and thats who I liked! I loved all them singers out there, but Muddy Waters was the one that turned ME on.
