Rock music in Chicago is a comparatively late addition to the Windy City's established musical curriculum vitae. For nearly a century, Chicago served as a hotbed for musical talent, serving as the cutting edge for music.
From turn of the century jazz, the early days of Chicago blues in the 1940s and 1950s, with the popularization of folk music in the 1960s and 1970s as well as the rock and roll of the 1960s and 1970s, Chicago has stayed competitive with the music scenes in Los Angeles and New York across all genres.
Rock music in
Chicago has continued to be a mainstay throughout the 1990s, contributing its share of national acts to the alternative rock scene, and has achieved high acclaim since the beginning of the new millennium with its hip-hop scene. Despite the popularity of all styles of music in
Chicago, rock music in
Chicago is sometimes overlooked in favor of music scenes in
New York and
Los Angeles.
One can only guess why
Chicago continues to be so richly cultivated with musical talents.
Perhaps it's the ley lines that criss-cross the city, or the ghosts and spirits that inhabit
Chicago and speaks through its artists. Or maybe the rattle of windows as the "El" makes its way between stations or the feel of a cold wind off the
Lake on a mid-winter day that provides fodder to foster creative minds. One thing is for sure, in
Chicago, music is in the air. Maybe the collective conscience of Chicagoans combined with the heterogeneous nature of the city creates and contributes to the wide array of musical stylings.
Rock music in
Chicago, although not necessarily as popular as other genres like jazz, blues, hip-hop and house, is an integral part of the
Chicago music scene.
Where blues fans have the harmonies of Koko Taylor and Buddy Guy, hip-hop fans have the urban rhythm of artists such as Kanye West and Common.
The icons of rock music in
Chicago are often cast in the shadows. Since the 1960s, with
Chicago's very own The Buckinghams–the Midwest's answer to
California's pop-rock sensations the Beach Boys–rock music in
Chicago has contributed locally to the national scene. Rock music in
Chicago in the 1970s and 1980s reached its apex with rock super groups such as Cheap Trick, Styx and
Chicago. Alternative rock of the 1990s and 2000s saw the local rise and eventual national stardom of alternative icons The Smashing Pumpkins and Local H, as well as the emergence of bands across other rock genres such as rock-pop diva Liz Phair, alternative-country musicians Wilco and the industrial powerhouse My Life With the Thrill Kill Cult.
Currently punk and pop-punk groups such as Fall Out Boy, Alkaline Trio, Smoking Popes and Rise Against carry the torch of rock music in
Chicago. Initially popular artists of the local Chicago punk scene–veterans of performance spaces such as the Fireside Bowl then the stages of hollowed grounds such as The Vic, The Metro and The Riv–these bands have gone on to capture fame on the national stage.
"Music of Illinois." Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 2 Sep 2006. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 11 Sep 2006 .<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki//Music_of_Illino is>
"Liz Phair". Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 2 Sep 2006. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 11 Sep 2006. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liz_Phair>
"Wilco". Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 2 Sep 2006. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 11 Sep 2006. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/wilco>
"Rise Against" Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 2 Sep 2006. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 11 Sep 2006. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rise_Against>< br />
"The Buckinghams" Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 2 Sep 2006. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 11 Sep 2006. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Buckinghams&g t;
"My Life With The Thrill Kill Cult". Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 2 Sep 2006. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 11 Sep 2006. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Life_with_the_ Thrill_Kill_Cult>
"Cheap Trick". Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 2 Sep 2006. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 11 Sep 2006. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheap_Trick>
"Styx". Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 2 Sep 2006. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 11 Sep 2006. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/styx>
