Mavis Staples and Koko Taylor thrill fans in sold-out Chicago concert

Jet, Feb 14, 2005

Soul-gospel legend Mavis Staples recently teamed up with the Queen of Blues Koko Taylor for a sold-out concert at Harold Washington Cultural Center, aptly called "A Pair of Queens."

The concert won rave reviews from critics and fans. The Chicago Sun-Times raved: "Staples and Taylor cast a musical spell.....Staples and Taylor offered sets that were personified by character and empowerment."

Each music queen performed a separate set. Taylor thrilled fans with her blues hits, including her signature cover of the late blues legend Willie Dixon's Wang Dang Doodle for which she was joined by Dixon's talented granddaughter, Keisha Marie Nelson. She left her fans satisfied after she delivered knockout renditions of her other hits, I'm A Woman, Let The Good Times Roll and I'd Rather Go Blind.

Staples took the stage backed with a five-piece band and her sister Yvonne on backup vocals. She performed such Staple Singers favorites as I'll Take You There, Respect Yourself and Why? (Am I Treated So Bad), a civil rights protest song written by her late father, Roebuck "Pops" Staples. She went on to thrill fans with several new tunes, including the optimistic Have A Little Faith and the soul-stirring gospel tune, God Is Not Sleeping both from her latest critically acclaimed CD, Have A Little Faith.

When Staples asked Taylor to come back on stage to sing her signature hit, Wang Dang Doodle, it was a highlight of the evening. The two music queens thrilled the fans as they sang "Wang dang doodle all night long!"

"A Pair of Queens" was sponsored by the Mayor's Office of Special Events and presented as part of the Chicago Winter Delights arts and cultural series.