1950s Archives - Chicago Concert Reviews

PureSoul Presents City Winery with “A Quincy Jones Celebration” in honor of the late local

The late 2024 loss of producer, composer, arranger, conductor, multi-instrumentalist, bandleader and first ever Black record label executive Quincy Jones was immeasurable, [More…]

First ever chart-topper, genre Grammy winner Chubby Checker twists his way towards Arcada

“American Bandstand” host and “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” founder Dick Clark once said, “The three most important things that ever happened in the music industry [More…]

Marriott Theatre’s “The Music Man” breaks out “Seventy-Six Trombones” of timelessness

The 1950s had its fair share of Broadway showstoppers, but one that’s still being talked about is Meredith Willson’s “The Music Man,” especially after being revived a [More…]

Cadillac Palace portrayal of complicated jazz king Louis Armstrong is “A Wonderful World”

So many standards Louis Armstrong popularized or personalized throughout the last century are permanently woven into America’s artistic fabric, but ever since his passing [More…]

Des Plaines Theatre “Dancing In The Streets” over the “Heat Wave” of Motown’s Martha Reeves

Prior to finding global fame as the superstar singer behind “Dancing In The Street,” “Jimmy Mack,” “Heat Wave,” “Nowhere To Run” and tons more, Martha Reeves [More…]

“Ring Of Fire” heats up Drury Lane with the currency of Johnny Cash’s country and gospel legacy

Few country and gospel artists crossed over to all audiences to the degree of Johnny Cash, or rocked as hard in the process, while his authenticity behind the scenes also [More…]

Studebaker Theater’s “Personality” sheds light on Lloyd Price’s business and R&B innovation

Named after the signature song, “Personality: The Lloyd Price Musical” is much more than merely a jukebox rehashing of his many R&B and crossover chart-toppers [More…]

A half-century of Los Lobos, collaborations and Lil’ Ed close a chilly Chicago Blues Festival

It’s always a shame when the weather doesn’t cooperate with an event planned for the great outdoors, but the Chicago Blues Festival nonetheless soldiered on and fans [More…]

Blind Boys Of Alabama, Bobby Rush, Albert King’s centennial salute begin bountiful Blues Fest

Since 1984, the Chicago Blues Festival has hosted every major musician of its stripe imaginable, attracting both a considerable local and international audience along the [More…]

Classic crooner Engelbert Humperdinck “All About Love” during Rialto Square Theatre sell out

When it comes to crooners, England’s Engelbert Humperdinck is amongst the world’s most revered and longest-running, who even at 86, keeps recording and rolling down the [More…]