Blues legend Koko Taylor has died in Chicago, just weeks after undergoing surgery for a gastrointestinal bleed.
The singer had been recovering from the surgery from May 19 but according to Alligator Records spokesperson Marc Lipkin, “She was recovering slowly but surely, but then had a real bad night”.Koko Taylor was regarded as The Queen of Blues.
She was born Cora Walton in Memphis on September 26, 1928 and moved to Chicago in 1952.
Her first deal was with Chess Records. She recorded the Willie Dixon song ‘Wang Dang Doodle’ and scored her first major hit. It sold one million copies in 1966.
Check out the movie Blues Brothers 2000. Koko had a role in that.
She is also widely cited as an influence by people like Bonnie Raitt and Susan Tedeschi. Janis Joplin also drew from the sound of Koko Taylor.
Koko’s most recent performance was on May 7, 2009 at the Blues Music Awards in Memphis. She performed ‘Wang Dang Doodle’ at the show after receiving the award for Traditional Blues Female Blues Artist of the Year. It was her 29th Blues Award.
Her last album was ‘Old School’ on Alligator in 2007 was nominated for a Grammy.
