Anyone who appreciates blues music knows that legendary blues singer Koko Taylor, known worldwide as the Queen of the Blues, is one of the best. The five members of the Empty Can Band, a local classic blues and rock group, will get the chance to admire Taylor close up when they open for her at 6:30 p.m. Friday, during Downtown Blues, part of the City of Aurora's Downtown Alive series.

"It is a total kick to open for the Queen of the Blues," said Dave Glynn of Aurora, leader of the Empty Can Band. "We have phenomenal respectfor her. We've seen her over the years and we are huge fans. We are proud to be part of her show."

And it should have been easy for the band to catch Koko Taylor's act, since she has been performing for more than 40 years. Over the years Taylor's contribution to the blues has been impressive. Her numerous albums have appeared on such well known blues labels as Chess and Alligator Records. She has received six Grammy nominations and was a Grammy-award winner in 1984. In 1999, she was inducted into the Blues Foundation's Blues Hall of Fame. She also performed at the George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton inauguration parties. She will perform in Aurora with her five-piece group called The Blues Machine.

"Blues is my life," said Taylor. "I am out there singing, making people happy with my music all over the world. It is what I do.

"The blues are something special for me," Taylor continued. "People walk up to me after a show and say, 'That song lifted me up. I was so depressed when I came in. You made my day.' "

Taylor performs about 125 times each year and brings her blues music to fans all over the world. She recently completed a concert tour in Finland. Although the Empty Can Band does only about two or three gigs a month, they are no less dedicated to their music. The group, which has been together about three years, performs a mix of classic blues and rock songs including tunes from the Allman Brothers, Willie Dixon, Van Morrison, The Wallflowers, Big Head Todd, Robert Cray and the Grateful Dead.

"Lately we have started doing more original work," said Glynn, who plays rhythm guitar and is the group's lead vocalist. "I wrote several songs that we will be doing in the show. Tomorrow's Comin'; a fast acoustic bass song which is an indirect tribute to the Rolling Stones and their life in the 1960s; and Standing in the Rain, a derivative of the B.B. King song, The Thrill is Gone, to name a few."

Other Empty Can Band members include Paul Wegman on drums, J.D. Klatt on bass, Rich Van Ham on harmonica, and Johnny Mack on lead guitar and background vocals. For the Koko Taylor show the lineup also will include a horn section featuring Dale Muir on trumpet, Teresa Muir on flute, and Lori Klatt on saxophone. The band has performed regularly at the House of Blues and the Emerald Isle in Chicago, and the Shore Club, Mike & Denise's, and LaAurora in Aurora.

But despite the group's experience, Glynn believes they will all be in awe of Koko Taylor.

"I think all of us will be a little nervous," he said. "We will be nervous meeting her, and we want to put in a quality performance for her, but we are all from the Aurora area, and our whole town will have its eyes upon us."



AURORA — Downtown Alive! just keeps getting bigger.
(Reprinted by permission from Aurora's Beacon News - July 12, 2003)

By David Garbe
STAFF WRITER

For the second time this summer, the weekly concert series and citywide block party Friday night drew more than 10,000 people.

"It's at least as crowded as last time, probably more," said Tess Wackerlin, the city's manager for special events. "I'm very happy with that; I just wish I had a wider street."

Two weeks ago, Downtown Alive! drew its first crowd of 10,000 ever when Paul Revere and the Raiders performed.

This week, Downer Place was packed elbow-to-elbow by sunset, when the headline show — blues legend Koko Taylor and her Blues Machine band — took the stage.

The gathered thousands cheered and got their groove on as Taylor's soulful voice and sizzling backup filled the streets of Stolp Island.

Almost within arm's reach of the stage, Auroran Terri Ruskin danced and clapped with the beat.

"Koko's my girl; she's the Queen of the Blues," she said.

Ruskin said she is a fan of Taylor in particular but comes to Downtown Alive! regularly. This week was special, though, she said.

"I think I like this better than the Chicago Blues Festival. It's smaller, and you can get close. And all the music is good, even the opening band."

The local "Empty Can Band" performed before Taylor.

The evening also offered an assortment of games for kids too young to appreciate Taylor's talents, chatting with friends, and sampling the variety of food and drink that drew so many adults to the event.

Clad in a jumpsuit with a Velcro exterior, Joshua Delao, 6, bounced his way up to a giant inflated wall covered with more Velcro, trying to stick himself in place with his feet above the ground.

It worked, and he squealed with delight as he dangled. His mother, Maria, laughed as her son slowly peeled off and fell back to the inflated cushion.