Willie Dixon was called the "father of the blues" for good reason. As Chess Record's producer, arranger, recording artist, talent scout, bandleader, bass player and writer of many classic blues for Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf (among others) Willie left an indelible stamp on postwar Chicago blues. He died in '92, but not before establishing the non-profit Blues Heaven Foundation to promote the proper recognition of the blues as a performing art. Today it’s a museum and a popular tourist stop on Michigan Avenue in Chicago. Willie's friend in this photo is Nancy Covey, concert director at McCabe’s from ’74 to ’83. Since Willie was one of the first bluesmen to have a song covered by rock and rollers, I asked him what he thought of the Rolling Stones’ version of his “Little Red Rooster.” He didn’t like it much until he got a very large royalty check, and then he said he “Liked it fine.”

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