Music of Illinois
Encyclopedia
Illinois
, which includes Chicago
, has a wide music
al heritage. Chicago is most famously associated with the development of electric (or Chicago-style) blues
music. Chicago was also a center of development for early jazz
and later for house music
, and includes a vibrant hip hop
scene and R&B. Chicago also has a thriving rock
scene that spans the breadth of the rock genre, from huge stadium-filling arena-rock bands to small local indie bands. Chicago has had a significant historical impact on the development of many rock sub-genres including power pop
, punk rock
, indie rock
, emo rock, pop punk
, and alternative rock
.
music was developed as black musicians influenced by Delta blues
joined the post-World War II
migration to the burgeoning industrial city from the deep south, and, seeking a way to be heard in the raucous clubs, turned to electric guitar
and other forms
of amplified music. The result was a tough, gritty sound that directly led to the creation of rock and roll
. As the style developed, artists added more instruments and diversification of styles. Key early Chicago blues artists included Howlin' Wolf
, Willie Dixon
, Bo Diddley
and Muddy Waters
. Chicago would continue to be a hotbed of activity in this genre, with artists including Buddy Guy
, Koko Taylor
, Junior Wells
, Son Seals
, and others calling the city home and performing regularly.
as it left the city of its birth, New Orleans, Louisiana
. The name jazz (and its early variations jass or jas) may have first been applied to the music in Chicago in the 1910s, as such hot New Orleans bands as Tom Brown
's made a hit up north. New Orleans pioneers together with enthusiastic younger musicians from the Midwest gathered in Chicago. The result has sometimes been called Chicago Style. The saxophone
first became a significant instrument
in jazz in Chicago, and the city remained the most vibrant and advanced center of the music through the 1920s.
Famous jazz musicians originally from Illinois include Miles Davis
(from Alton, Illinois
near St. Louis
), Benny Goodman
, Ramsey Lewis, and Herbie Hancock
. One of early jazz's great groups, the Austin High Gang, originated from the western suburbs of Chicago. Sinyan Shen, internationally known for his Shanghai classical repertoire and Shanghai jazz performances based on tonal interests and just intervals, is based in Chicago.
Rachael Lee originally from Macon, Illinois has gained international fame while performing in canada and Japan where she made cd's in Japan. Rachael was widely know among the Jazz circuit in chicago and champaign, Illinois. She dedicated her life to Jazz and even taught jazz for a short time at Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois. Due to health issues she retired in 2010 and currently resides in Decatur, Illinois.
is its role as the birthplace of house music
. The name House music is said to come from the Chicago dance club, the Warehouse, where the legendary Frankie Knuckles
DJed. The classic house record label
Trax Records
was based in Chicago, and put out seminal house records like Jamie Principle & Frankie Knuckles's "Your Love" and Marshall Jefferson
's "Move Your Body". Other influential house artists to come out of Chicago include Adonis
, Larry Heard
, Ron Hardy
, Phuture
, Robert Owens
, and Farley Jackmaster Funk
.
is Illinois' premier symphonic orchestra and has received widespread recognition for its recordings. The orchestra has received 10 Grammys in the classical album category, more than twice the number of any other group. Each summer since 2004, Southern Illinois University Carbondale
plays host to the Southern Illinois Music Festival, which presents dozens of performances throughout the region. Classical singer Deborah Voigt
was born in the Chicago area. Irwin Bazelon
was a successful composer born in Evanston. Professional violinist David Kim
was born in Carbondale.
in Chicago, Illinois has become one of the leading country music
destinations outside the City of Nashville, Tennessee
.
Alison Krauss
was part of the revival of bluegrass music
in the late 1990s. She grew up in the central Illinois city of Champaign. Suzy Bogguss
from Aledo
in western Illinois had a number of country hits in the 1990s. Gretchen Wilson
of Pocahontas, Illinois
charted several top ten hits from 2004 to 2006. Illinois is also a center of the shaped note singing revival with the Midwest Sacred Harp
convention taking place yearly in Chicago. David Lee Murphy
who hails from Herrin, Illinois
had hits in the mid 90's. Joshua Scott Jones, Big Machine Records
recording artists, Winner of Season 2 of CMT
"Can You Duet" and one-half of the duo "Steel Magnolia
", is from the south eastern town of Charleston, Illinois
.
, hailing from downstate Illinois
, helped popularize folk music, with releases beginning in the 1940s.
Chicago was a focal point for the folk music boom of the 1960s and early 1970s. A center of activity was the Old Town School of Folk Music
which opened in the late 1950s and helped launch the careers of many folk musicians associated with the city, including John Prine
, Steve Goodman
, and Bonnie Koloc
.
A large influx of Polish immigrants into Chicago in the late 19th and early 20th centuries brought Polka
music with them; this music evolved into several local styles. The Polka
Hall of Fame is located in Chicago, and is home to the International Polka Association
which hosts a yearly convention.
There is a thriving indie folk scene across the state, most notably from Chicago south to Bloomington. Artists such as Chicago Farmer, Jaik Willis, and 2nd Timothy are prime examples of the limitations of folk music being broadened in the state of Illinois.
, a genre that evolved out of surf-rock and early pop/rock acts such as the Mamas and the Papas. This fad featured bands such as Shadows of Knight
, The New Colony Six, The Cryan' Shames
, Ides of March, The Mauds
, Mason Proffit
, H.P. Lovecraft
, most notably The Buckinghams
, among others. The Buckinghams topped the Hot 100 charts in 1966 with their song 'Kind of a Drag'. The Shadows of Knight's cover of Van Morrison's Gloria is still a classic 40 years later. The Ides of March topped the chart with Vehicle. This was a great period during the 60's where Chicago was a very happening place both musically and nationally with the 1968 Democratic National Convention and the Sly and the Family Stone riot. This fad died with the growth of psychedelia, and so did the popularity of most of these bands.
and rock
bands include, Styx
(whose members originally lived in the Chicago suburbs), Chicago
(the original members of which were students at DePaul University
in Chicago and hailed from the area, though they moved to Los Angeles
before becoming famous), Jim Peterik
(who founded Chicago-area band the Ides of March and was later a member of Survivor
). The Boyzz, or the Boyzz from Illinois, were a hard rock, boogie band from the Fox River Grover area. Power pop four-some Cheap Trick
came from nearby Rockford, Illinois
and members of REO Speedwagon
hailed from Champaign-Urbana. Enuff Z'nuff
, who had a couple of minor hits in 1989 with the songs "New Thing" and "Fly High Michelle", hailed from the Chicago suburb of Blue Island. The Southern and South Central Illinois
regions have also produced influential rock, most notably Head East
. Dan Fogelberg
, an influential singer/songwriter of the 70s and 80s, was from Peoria, Illinois
. The heavy metal band Mudvayne
was also a product of Peoria. The death/doom metal band Novembers Doom
are from Chicago. Death metal legends Macabre
are from Downers Grove. The rock band Dope from Villa Park was formed in Chicago.
club in Chicago was La Mere Vipere, located near DePaul University
. Chicago's first punk rock band was The Crucified, who issued their own self-titled EP in 1977. Hated by the locals, La Mere Vipere "mysteriously" burned down in 1978. A gay club called O'Banion's replaced it, and New Wave
bands like Special Effect, The Dadistics, Epicycle and Ono
played there. Another gay bar, Oz, soon opened and began catering to the burgeoning hardcore punk
scene as local bands like Naked Raygun
, Big Black
, Strike Under
and, most famously, The Effigies
, formed. The next wave of Chicago hardcore was more pure hardcore, as opposed to incorporating many different influences, and included Articles of Faith
and Rights of the Accused.
Chicago maintains a thriving pop punk
scene. Bands such as Rise Against
, The Lawrence Arms
, The Squids
, and Alkaline Trio
are prime examples of "second wave" pop-punk musical acts that hail from Chicago. Smoking Popes
, another Chicago-area pop-punk band, maintains a small but loyal following throughout the country. The Fireside Bowl
provided a venue for many local acts cutting their teeth, and a unique venue for touring bands. Fall Out Boy
has been the most commercially successful band to come from the Chicago area in recent years. Celtic punk rock bands Like The Tossers
and Flatfoot 56
are also from Chicago.
Though they can be considered Garage rock, Superchick
comes straight out of Chicago.
tradition in the mid-1980s. Industrial musicians from Chicago included members of Ministry
, My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult
, and Pailhead
. The Chicago-based Wax Trax!
label put out several key industrial rock recordings during the 1980s.
During the early 1990s, several Illinois alternative rock artists garnered national attention, including Didjits, Disturbed, SOiL
, The Smashing Pumpkins
, Local H
, Liz Phair
, Urge Overkill
, and Veruca Salt
. Members of several notable early 1990s alternative rock groups were originally from the state. Soundgarden
's Kim Thayil
and Bruce Pavitt
, the founder of Sub Pop Records, both were from Illinois and Pearl Jam
frontman Eddie Vedder
was originally from Evanston, Illinois
. The guitarist Tom Morello
(of the bands Rage Against the Machine
and Audioslave
) was originally from Libertyville, Illinois
as well as Adam Jones
from the band Tool
. Kill Hannah
, an alternative band from Chicago, Illinois, has gained great popularity over the last few years, and still remains famous in Chicago, playing their annual Christmas show in their hometown. The space rock
band Hum
originate from Champaign, Illinois. The band Chevelle
originated from Grayslake, Illinois
. Wilco
, a popular Chicago-based indie rock group, formed out of the ashes of Uncle Tupelo
, who in turn hailed from Belleville, Illinois
. Lucky Boys Confusion
is also from Illinois
, in Downers Grove and Naperville
. Also other bands that come from the Chicago area are The Hush Sound
from Dupage County, The Academy is from Hoffman Estates and The Plain White T's
whom are also from Dupage County. Doug Pinnick
, vocalist and bassist of the hard rock/progressive rock band King's X
was from Joliet
.
Although not always Alternative Rock or necessarily Chicago area, Champaign, Illinois
has a rich local rock scene, mainly because it is a large college town, home of the University of Illinois. Many of the surrounding towns throughout central and southern Illinois have rich local scenes, with a large number of hardcore bands and alternative rock
bands. This includes the newly signed Tooth & Nail Records
band Icon For Hire
, based out of Decatur, Illinois
, and the popular Champaign native So Long Forgotten. Illinois is also known for the famous Cornerstone Festival
, which is held every year in Bushnell, Illinois
on the Fourth of July time period.
, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and Jim O'Rourke
, experimental musician. The Indie scene in Chicago has not had as huge an impact as some of the other genres, however, it is on the rise. Evidence of this is the upcoming radio station Region Radio. (www.facebook.com/regionradio) They play lots of local artist such as Steepwater, Crawpuppies, Toronzo Cannon, Marrakesh Express, and Asteria.
scene for decades, relatively few artists have broken out and garnered national attention. A few exceptions in recent years have been Kanye West
, Common
, Twista
, Rhymefest
, R. Kelly
, and Lupe Fiasco
. On the underground level, Chicago is home to The Molemen, Gravel Records and Mc juice
. William Upski Wimsatt
also began writing about hip-hop in Chicago.
bands have come out of Illinois, such as the group Champaign
from Champaign, IL with classic hits like "How 'Bout Us
".
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, which includes Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, has a wide music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
al heritage. Chicago is most famously associated with the development of electric (or Chicago-style) blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
music. Chicago was also a center of development for early jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and later for house music
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
, and includes a vibrant hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
scene and R&B. Chicago also has a thriving rock
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
scene that spans the breadth of the rock genre, from huge stadium-filling arena-rock bands to small local indie bands. Chicago has had a significant historical impact on the development of many rock sub-genres including power pop
Power pop
Power pop is a popular musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop and rock music. It typically incorporates a combination of musical devices such as strong melodies, crisp vocal harmonies, economical arrangements, and prominent guitar riffs. Instrumental solos are...
, punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
, indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
, emo rock, pop punk
Pop punk
Pop punk is a fusion music genre that combines elements of punk rock with pop music, to varying degrees. Allmusic describes the genre as a strand of alternative rock, which typically merges pop melodies with speedy punk tempos, chord changes and loud guitars...
, and alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
.
Blues
Chicago bluesChicago blues
The Chicago blues is a form of blues music that developed in Chicago, Illinois, by taking the basic acoustic guitar and harmonica-based Delta blues, making the harmonica louder with a microphone and an instrument amplifier, and adding electrically amplified guitar, amplified bass guitar, drums,...
music was developed as black musicians influenced by Delta blues
Delta blues
The Delta blues is one of the earliest styles of blues music. It originated in the Mississippi Delta, a region of the United States that stretches from Memphis, Tennessee in the north to Vicksburg, Mississippi in the south, Helena, Arkansas in the west to the Yazoo River on the east. The...
joined the post-World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
migration to the burgeoning industrial city from the deep south, and, seeking a way to be heard in the raucous clubs, turned to electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
and other forms
of amplified music. The result was a tough, gritty sound that directly led to the creation of rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
. As the style developed, artists added more instruments and diversification of styles. Key early Chicago blues artists included Howlin' Wolf
Howlin' Wolf
Chester Arthur Burnett , known as Howlin' Wolf, was an influential American blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player....
, Willie Dixon
Willie Dixon
William James "Willie" Dixon was an American blues musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger and record producer. A Grammy Award winner who was proficient on both the Upright bass and the guitar, as well as his own singing voice, Dixon is arguably best known as one of the most prolific songwriters...
, Bo Diddley
Bo Diddley
Ellas Otha Bates , known by his stage name Bo Diddley, was an American rhythm and blues vocalist, guitarist, songwriter , and inventor...
and Muddy Waters
Muddy Waters
McKinley Morganfield , known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues musician, generally considered the "father of modern Chicago blues"...
. Chicago would continue to be a hotbed of activity in this genre, with artists including Buddy Guy
Buddy Guy
George "Buddy" Guy is an American blues and jazz guitarist and singer. He is a critically acclaimed artist who has established himself as a pioneer of the Chicago blues sound, and has served as an influence to some of the most notable musicians of his generation...
, Koko Taylor
Koko Taylor
Koko Taylor sometimes spelled KoKo Taylor was an American Chicago blues musician, popularly known as the "Queen of the Blues." She was known primarily for her rough, powerful vocals and traditional blues stylings....
, Junior Wells
Junior Wells
Junior Wells , born Amos Wells Blakemore Jr., was an American Chicago blues vocalist, harmonica player, and recording artist...
, Son Seals
Son Seals
Frank "Son" Seals was an American electric blues guitarist and singer.-Career:He was born in Osceola, Arkansas where his father, Jim "Son" Seals, owned a small juke joint. He began performing professionally by the age of 13, first as a drummer with Robert Nighthawk, and later as a guitarist...
, and others calling the city home and performing regularly.
Jazz
Chicago was the first important center of jazzJazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
as it left the city of its birth, New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
. The name jazz (and its early variations jass or jas) may have first been applied to the music in Chicago in the 1910s, as such hot New Orleans bands as Tom Brown
Tom Brown (trombonist)
Tom Brown , sometimes known by the nickname Red Brown, was an early New Orleans dixieland jazz trombonist. He also played string bass professionally....
's made a hit up north. New Orleans pioneers together with enthusiastic younger musicians from the Midwest gathered in Chicago. The result has sometimes been called Chicago Style. The saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
first became a significant instrument
Musical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...
in jazz in Chicago, and the city remained the most vibrant and advanced center of the music through the 1920s.
Famous jazz musicians originally from Illinois include Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
(from Alton, Illinois
Alton, Illinois
Alton is a city on the Mississippi River in Madison County, Illinois, United States, about north of St. Louis, Missouri. The population was 27,865 at the 2010 census. It is a part of the Metro-East region of the Greater St. Louis metropolitan area in Southern Illinois...
near St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
), Benny Goodman
Benny Goodman
Benjamin David “Benny” Goodman was an American jazz and swing musician, clarinetist and bandleader; widely known as the "King of Swing".In the mid-1930s, Benny Goodman led one of the most popular musical groups in America...
, Ramsey Lewis, and Herbie Hancock
Herbie Hancock
Herbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock is an American pianist, bandleader and composer. As part of Miles Davis's "second great quintet," Hancock helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the "post-bop" sound...
. One of early jazz's great groups, the Austin High Gang, originated from the western suburbs of Chicago. Sinyan Shen, internationally known for his Shanghai classical repertoire and Shanghai jazz performances based on tonal interests and just intervals, is based in Chicago.
Rachael Lee originally from Macon, Illinois has gained international fame while performing in canada and Japan where she made cd's in Japan. Rachael was widely know among the Jazz circuit in chicago and champaign, Illinois. She dedicated her life to Jazz and even taught jazz for a short time at Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois. Due to health issues she retired in 2010 and currently resides in Decatur, Illinois.
Electronic music
Chicago's greatest influence on electronic dance musicElectronic dance music
Electronic dance music is electronic music produced primarily for the purposes of use within a nightclub setting, or in an environment that is centered upon dance-based entertainment...
is its role as the birthplace of house music
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
. The name House music is said to come from the Chicago dance club, the Warehouse, where the legendary Frankie Knuckles
Frankie Knuckles
Frankie Knuckles is an American DJ, record producer and remix artist. He played an important role in developing house music as a Chicago DJ in the 1980s and he helped to popularize house music in the 1990s, with his work as a producer and remixer...
DJed. The classic house record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
Trax Records
Trax Records
Trax Records is a house-music record label based in Chicago. It played a major part in the development of house music with records such as Jamie Principle & Frankie Knuckles's "Your Love."...
was based in Chicago, and put out seminal house records like Jamie Principle & Frankie Knuckles's "Your Love" and Marshall Jefferson
Marshall Jefferson
Marshall Jefferson is an American musician, working in house music, in particular, the subgenres of Chicago house and deep house.-Biography:...
's "Move Your Body". Other influential house artists to come out of Chicago include Adonis
Adonis (artist)
Adonis is a Chicago acid house pioneer who made his name with the classic 1986 tracks 'No Way Back' and 'We're Rockin Down The House'.Adonis recorded many innovative and influential dance tracks. Born and raised on the West Side of Chicago, Adonis was introduced to music at a young age...
, Larry Heard
Larry Heard
Larry Heard is a Memphis, Tennessee-based musician widely known for the Chicago-based house music he produced during the mid-1980s and continues to produce today. He was leader of the influential group Fingers Inc. and has recorded solo under various names, most notably Mr...
, Ron Hardy
Ron Hardy
Ron Hardy was an instrumental DJ in the development of house music. An innovator and originator of the genre, he is highly regarded not only for his iconic performances at the Muzic Box, a Chicago house music club, but for his pioneering edits and mixes of disco, soul music, funk and early house...
, Phuture
Phuture
Phuture is a Chicago-based acid house group founded in 1985 by Spanky, DJ Pierre and Herb J.The group's 12-minute track "Acid Tracks" is one of several recordings that lay claim to being the first-ever acid house record....
, Robert Owens
Robert Owens
Robert Owens may refer to:* Robert Bowie Owens , a U.S. electric engineer who discovered alpha rays* Robert A. Owens , U.S. Marine, hero of the WWII landing at Bougainville; posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor...
, and Farley Jackmaster Funk
Keith Farley
Farley Keith is a DJ and record producer of Chicago house music. He is notable for producing a number of tracks in the mid and late 1980s...
.
Classical music
The Chicago Symphony OrchestraChicago Symphony Orchestra
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Chicago, Illinois. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1891, the Symphony makes its home at Orchestra Hall in Chicago and plays a summer season at the Ravinia Festival...
is Illinois' premier symphonic orchestra and has received widespread recognition for its recordings. The orchestra has received 10 Grammys in the classical album category, more than twice the number of any other group. Each summer since 2004, Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a public research university located in Carbondale, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1869, SIUC is the flagship campus of the Southern Illinois University system...
plays host to the Southern Illinois Music Festival, which presents dozens of performances throughout the region. Classical singer Deborah Voigt
Deborah Voigt
Deborah Voigt is an American operatic soprano. Voigt regularly performs in opera houses and concert halls worldwide.- Early life and education :...
was born in the Chicago area. Irwin Bazelon
Irwin Bazelon
Irwin Bazelon was an American composer of contemporary classical music.Contemporary American composer Irwin Bazelon’s music is known for its interesting rhythms and its emphasis on the brass and percussion sections. In total, Bazelon composed nine symphonies and over sixty orchestral, chamber, and...
was a successful composer born in Evanston. Professional violinist David Kim
David Kim
David Kim is a violinist born in Carbondale, Illinois and was the only American to win a prize at the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 1986, where he got sixth prize. Since 1999, he has been the concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra...
was born in Carbondale.
Country music
With the largest country radio station, WUSNWUSN
WUSN is an FM radio station in Chicago, Illinois, The station broadcasts on 99.5 MHz and is a country radio station owned by CBS Radio. The station focuses on country music from the '90s, along with current product and some classic country from the '70s and '80s.-99.5 WEFM/99-"We" FM:Until 1978,...
in Chicago, Illinois has become one of the leading country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
destinations outside the City of Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
.
Alison Krauss
Alison Krauss
Alison Maria Krauss is an American bluegrass-country singer, songwriter and fiddler. She entered the music industry at an early age, winning local contests by the age of ten and recording for the first time at fourteen. She signed with Rounder Records in 1985 and released her first solo album in...
was part of the revival of bluegrass music
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
in the late 1990s. She grew up in the central Illinois city of Champaign. Suzy Bogguss
Suzy Bogguss
Susan Kay "Suzy" Bogguss is an American country music singer. In the 1980s and 90s she released one platinum and three gold albums and charted six top ten singles, winning the Academy of Country Music's award for Top New Female Vocalist and the Country Music Association's Horizon Award.After...
from Aledo
Aledo, Illinois
Aledo is a city in Mercer County, Illinois, United States. The population was 3,613 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Mercer County.-Geography:Aledo is located at ....
in western Illinois had a number of country hits in the 1990s. Gretchen Wilson
Gretchen Wilson
Gretchen Frances Wilson is an American country music artist. She made her debut in 2004 with the Grammy Award-winning single "Redneck Woman," a number-one hit on the Billboard country charts. The song served as the lead-off single of her debut album, Here for the Party...
of Pocahontas, Illinois
Pocahontas, Illinois
Pocahontas is a village in Bond County, Illinois, United States. The population was 727 at the 2000 census. Pocahontas is the hometown of country music singer Gretchen Wilson and also the hometown of alt-country noise rockers Grandpa's Ghost.-History:...
charted several top ten hits from 2004 to 2006. Illinois is also a center of the shaped note singing revival with the Midwest Sacred Harp
Sacred Harp
Sacred Harp singing is a tradition of sacred choral music that took root in the Southern region of the United States. It is part of the larger tradition of shape note music.- The music and its notation :...
convention taking place yearly in Chicago. David Lee Murphy
David Lee Murphy
David Lee Murphy is an American country music artist. Signed to MCA Nashville Records in 1994, Murphy made his first appearance on the Billboard country charts that year with "Just Once", a song from the soundtrack to the 1994 film 8 Seconds. A year later, Murphy's debut album Out with a Bang was...
who hails from Herrin, Illinois
Herrin, Illinois
Herrin is a city in Williamson County, Illinois, United States. The population was 12,501 at the 2010 census. It is home to Country Musicstar David Lee Murphy, the hometown of baseball's Cleveland shortstop Ray Chapman, and the hometown of San Diego State University men's basketball coach Steve...
had hits in the mid 90's. Joshua Scott Jones, Big Machine Records
Big Machine Records
Big Machine Records is an Independent American record label specializing in country music artists. It was launched in 2005 by former DreamWorks Records executive Scott Borchetta. The label was part of a joint venture between Borchetta and country singer Toby Keith, although Keith dropped his...
recording artists, Winner of Season 2 of CMT
CMT
- Medicine :* California mastitis test* Certified Massage Therapist* Cervical motion tenderness, a sign of pelvic inflammatory disease* Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease* Chemically modified tetracyclines* Circus Movement Tachycardia...
"Can You Duet" and one-half of the duo "Steel Magnolia
Steel Magnolia
Steel Magnolia is an American country music duo that won season two of the television talent show Can You Duet. The duo consists of Meghan Linsey and her fiance, Joshua Scott Jones. After becoming the top winner on the show, the duo signed a recording contract with Big Machine Records, and released...
", is from the south eastern town of Charleston, Illinois
Charleston, Illinois
Charleston is a city in and the county seat of Coles County, Illinois, United States. The population was 21,838 as of the 2010 census. The city is home to Eastern Illinois University and has close ties with its neighbor Mattoon, Illinois...
.
Folk music
Burl IvesBurl Ives
Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives was an American actor, writer and folk music singer. As an actor, Ives's work included comedies, dramas, and voice work in theater, television, and motion pictures. Music critic John Rockwell said, "Ives's voice .....
, hailing from downstate Illinois
Downstate Illinois
Downstate Illinois refers to all of Illinois outside of the Chicago metropolitan area. This term is flexible, but because it is generally meant to refer to everything outside the Chicago-area, some cities in Northern Illinois, such as Rockford and DeKalb, , are considered to be "downstate".The term...
, helped popularize folk music, with releases beginning in the 1940s.
Chicago was a focal point for the folk music boom of the 1960s and early 1970s. A center of activity was the Old Town School of Folk Music
Old Town School of Folk Music
The Old Town School of Folk Music is a Chicago teaching and performing institution that launched the careers of many notable folk music artists...
which opened in the late 1950s and helped launch the careers of many folk musicians associated with the city, including John Prine
John Prine
John Prine is an American country/folk singer-songwriter. He has been active as a recording artist and live performer since the early 1970s.-Biography:...
, Steve Goodman
Steve Goodman
Steve Goodman was an American folk music singer-songwriter from Chicago, Illinois. The writer of "City of New Orleans", made popular by Arlo Guthrie, Goodman won two Grammy Awards.-Personal life:...
, and Bonnie Koloc
Bonnie Koloc
Bonnie Koloc is an American folk music singer-songwriter, actress, and artist who was considered one of the three main Illinois-based folk singers in the 1970s, along with Steve Goodman and John Prine forming the "trinity of the Chicago folk scene."...
.
A large influx of Polish immigrants into Chicago in the late 19th and early 20th centuries brought Polka
Polka
The polka is a Central European dance and also a genre of dance music familiar throughout Europe and the Americas. It originated in the middle of the 19th century in Bohemia...
music with them; this music evolved into several local styles. The Polka
Polka
The polka is a Central European dance and also a genre of dance music familiar throughout Europe and the Americas. It originated in the middle of the 19th century in Bohemia...
Hall of Fame is located in Chicago, and is home to the International Polka Association
International Polka Association
The International Polka Association, IPA is located in Chicago, Illinois and dedicated to the study and preservation of polka music and the cultural heritage of Polish Americans who have made this music tradition part of their heritage. The IPA hosts an annual festival and convention as well as its...
which hosts a yearly convention.
There is a thriving indie folk scene across the state, most notably from Chicago south to Bloomington. Artists such as Chicago Farmer, Jaik Willis, and 2nd Timothy are prime examples of the limitations of folk music being broadened in the state of Illinois.
Sunshine Pop
From the years 1966 to 1967, the Chicago area was a key area in the rise of Sunshine popSunshine pop
Sunshine pop is a subgenre of pop music originating in the United States, mainly the state of California, in the mid-1960s. Sunshine pop, by nature, is cheerful and upbeat music which is characterised by warm sounds, prominent vocal harmonies, as well as sophisticated productions...
, a genre that evolved out of surf-rock and early pop/rock acts such as the Mamas and the Papas. This fad featured bands such as Shadows of Knight
Shadows of Knight
The Shadows of Knight are an American rock band from the Chicago suburbs, formed in the 1960s, who play a form of British blues mixed with influences from their native city. At the time they first started recording, the band's self-description was as follows: "The Stones, Animals and Yardbirds...
, The New Colony Six, The Cryan' Shames
The Cryan' Shames
The Cryan' Shames is an American garage rock group from Hinsdale, Illinois. They originally formed as The Travelers, with founding members Tom Doody , Gerry Stone , Dave Purple of The Prowlers, Denny Conroy and Jim Fairs from The Roosters, Jim Pilster , and Bill Hughes...
, Ides of March, The Mauds
The Mauds
The Mauds were an influential band in the 1960s Chicago music “garage band” scene that included The Buckinghams, The Cryan Shames, New Colony Six, The Ides Of March and Shadows of Knight. The Mauds was founded in 1965 by Bill Durling, rhythm guitar. Bill knew Jimy Rogers from 1964 and convinced...
, Mason Proffit
Mason Proffit
Mason Proffit was a folk rock band from Chicago, Illinois that released five albums between 1969 and 1973.-History:Brothers Terry Talbot and John Michael Talbot played together in several local bands around Indianapolis, Indiana and later in Chicago...
, H.P. Lovecraft
H. P. Lovecraft (band)
H. P. Lovecraft was an American psychedelic rock band, formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1967 and named after horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. Much of the band's music was possessed of a haunting, eerie ambience, and consisted of material that was inspired by the macabre writings of the author whose...
, most notably The Buckinghams
The Buckinghams
The Buckinghams are an American Sunshine Pop band from Chicago, Illinois. They formed in 1966 and went on to become one of the top selling acts of 1967. The band dissolved in 1970 but reformed in 1980 and continue to tour throughout the United States....
, among others. The Buckinghams topped the Hot 100 charts in 1966 with their song 'Kind of a Drag'. The Shadows of Knight's cover of Van Morrison's Gloria is still a classic 40 years later. The Ides of March topped the chart with Vehicle. This was a great period during the 60's where Chicago was a very happening place both musically and nationally with the 1968 Democratic National Convention and the Sly and the Family Stone riot. This fad died with the growth of psychedelia, and so did the popularity of most of these bands.
Rock and roll
Notable Illinois popPop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
and rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
bands include, Styx
Styx (band)
Styx is an American rock band that became famous for its albums from the late 1970s and early 1980s. The Chicago band is known for melding the style of prog-rock with the power of hard rock guitar, strong ballads, and elements of American musical theater....
(whose members originally lived in the Chicago suburbs), Chicago
Chicago (band)
Chicago is an American rock band formed in 1967 in Chicago, Illinois. The self-described "rock and roll band with horns" began as a politically charged, sometimes experimental, rock band and later moved to a predominantly softer sound, becoming famous for producing a number of hit ballads. They had...
(the original members of which were students at DePaul University
DePaul University
DePaul University is a private institution of higher education and research in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th century French priest Saint Vincent de Paul...
in Chicago and hailed from the area, though they moved to Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
before becoming famous), Jim Peterik
Jim Peterik
Jim Peterik is an American musician and songwriter. He is best known as a member of the band Survivor and as vocalist and songwriter of the hit song "Vehicle" by The Ides of March...
(who founded Chicago-area band the Ides of March and was later a member of Survivor
Survivor (band)
Survivor is an American rock band formed in Chicago in 1978. The band achieved its greatest success in the 1980s with its AOR sound, which garnered many charting singles, especially in the United States. The band is best known for its double platinum-certified 1982 hit "Eye of the Tiger", the theme...
). The Boyzz, or the Boyzz from Illinois, were a hard rock, boogie band from the Fox River Grover area. Power pop four-some Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973. The band consists of members Robin Zander , Rick Nielsen , Tom Petersson , and Bun E...
came from nearby Rockford, Illinois
Rockford, Illinois
Rockford is a mid-sized city located on both banks of the Rock River in far northern Illinois. Often referred to as "The Forest City", Rockford is the county seat of Winnebago County, Illinois, USA. As reported in the 2010 U.S. census, the city was home to 152,871 people, the third most populated...
and members of REO Speedwagon
REO Speedwagon
REO Speedwagon is an American rock band. Formed in 1967, the band grew in popularity during the 1970s and peaked in the early 1980s. Hi Infidelity is the group's most commercially successful album, selling over ten million copies and charting four Top 40 hits in the US...
hailed from Champaign-Urbana. Enuff Z'nuff
Enuff Z'nuff
Enuff Z'Nuff, pronounced "enough's enough," is an American glam rock band from Blue Island, Illinois. Founded by singer Donnie Vie and bassist Chip Z'Nuff, this Chicago area band is best known for their charting singles "Fly High Michelle" and "New Thing." Enuff Z'Nuff has continually recorded and...
, who had a couple of minor hits in 1989 with the songs "New Thing" and "Fly High Michelle", hailed from the Chicago suburb of Blue Island. The Southern and South Central Illinois
South Central Illinois
South Central Illinois is a region in the southern part of Illinois; its approximate boundaries are US 50 in the south, and Illinois Highway 16 in the north. Blessed with fertile soil throughout the region, agriculture is a chief industry here. Some of the largest communities in south-central...
regions have also produced influential rock, most notably Head East
Head East
Head East is an American hard rock band originally from South Central Illinois. The band was formed by vocalist John Schlitt, guitarist Mike Somerville, keyboardist Roger Boyd, bassist Dan Birney, and drummer Steve Huston. They met and formed the band while studying at the University of Illinois,...
. Dan Fogelberg
Dan Fogelberg
Daniel Grayling "Dan" Fogelberg was an American singer-songwriter, composer, and multi-instrumentalist, whose music was inspired by sources as diverse as folk, pop, rock, classical, jazz, and bluegrass music...
, an influential singer/songwriter of the 70s and 80s, was from Peoria, Illinois
Peoria, Illinois
Peoria is the largest city on the Illinois River and the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, in the United States. It is named after the Peoria tribe. As of the 2010 census, the city was the seventh-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 115,007, and is the third-most populated...
. The heavy metal band Mudvayne
Mudvayne
Mudvayne is an American heavy metal band. Their work is marked by the use of sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate visual appearance, which has included face and body paint, masks and uniforms...
was also a product of Peoria. The death/doom metal band Novembers Doom
Novembers Doom
Novembers Doom is a death/doom metal band from Chicago, Illinois. They are currently signed to The End Records. Novembers Doom is one of the earliest U.S. death/doom metal bands that are still active today along with Evoken and Rigor Sardonicous....
are from Chicago. Death metal legends Macabre
Macabre (band)
Macabre is an extreme metal band from Illinois. They were formed in 1985 in Chicago, Illinois, and have never had a line-up change. They blend thrash metal, death metal, and grindcore to form their own unique style dubbed murder metal...
are from Downers Grove. The rock band Dope from Villa Park was formed in Chicago.
Punk rock
The first punk rockPunk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
club in Chicago was La Mere Vipere, located near DePaul University
DePaul University
DePaul University is a private institution of higher education and research in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th century French priest Saint Vincent de Paul...
. Chicago's first punk rock band was The Crucified, who issued their own self-titled EP in 1977. Hated by the locals, La Mere Vipere "mysteriously" burned down in 1978. A gay club called O'Banion's replaced it, and New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
bands like Special Effect, The Dadistics, Epicycle and Ono
Ono
ONO, Ono or Ōno may refer to:-People with the Japanese surname:In Japanese, Ono and Ōno are different place names and also common surnames. Ono means "small field" and Ōno means "large field". Both are used as Japanese surnames.* Ono no Azumabito ONO, Ono or Ōno may refer to:-People with the...
played there. Another gay bar, Oz, soon opened and began catering to the burgeoning hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
scene as local bands like Naked Raygun
Naked Raygun
Naked Raygun is a Chicago-based punk rock group. Initially active from 1980 to about 1992, Naked Raygun had several short-lived reunions afterwards and a full-time reformation in 2006....
, Big Black
Big Black
Big Black was an American punk rock band from Evanston, Illinois, active from 1981 to 1987. Founded by singer and guitarist Steve Albini, the band's initial lineup also included guitarist Santiago Durango and bassist Jeff Pezzati, both of Naked Raygun...
, Strike Under
Strike Under
Strike Under was an influential Chicago punk rock band of the early 1980s. It was started by Steve Bjorklund after the demise of The Rabbits. The principal musicians, besides Bjorklund, were his brother Chris , Pierre Kezdy , and Bob Furem .Strike Under was founded in 1979 or 1980...
and, most famously, The Effigies
The Effigies
The Effigies is an early post-hardcore group from Chicago. The band, first formed in 1980, was active for approximately a decade, undergoing multiple personnel changes, with frontman John Kezdy the only constant, before disbanding in 1990 . The band released 5 LPs and several EPs, most on...
, formed. The next wave of Chicago hardcore was more pure hardcore, as opposed to incorporating many different influences, and included Articles of Faith
Articles of Faith (Band)
Articles of Faith were a Chicago-based hardcore punk band notable for songwriting in a class above most of their contemporaries . The band's later work, the posthumous In This Life LP in particular, either founds or foreshadows the emo sound...
and Rights of the Accused.
Pop Punk
Screeching Weasel - MethadonesChicago maintains a thriving pop punk
Pop punk
Pop punk is a fusion music genre that combines elements of punk rock with pop music, to varying degrees. Allmusic describes the genre as a strand of alternative rock, which typically merges pop melodies with speedy punk tempos, chord changes and loud guitars...
scene. Bands such as Rise Against
Rise Against
Rise Against is an American punk rock band from Chicago, Illinois, formed in 1999. The band currently consists of Tim McIlrath , Zach Blair , Joe Principe and Brandon Barnes .Rise Against spent its first five years signed to the independent record label Fat Wreck Chords, on which it...
, The Lawrence Arms
The Lawrence Arms
The Lawrence Arms are an American punk rock band from Chicago, Illinois, formed in 1999. They have released five full-length albums and toured extensively.-Pre-history:...
, The Squids
The Squids
The Squids are a Chicago-based punk band that was created by Chicago born singer/songwriter Joey Spatafora and William LaTour also known as LaTour. The Squids appeared to break up recently though it is never clear when they will resurface. The Squids toured and recorded from 1990 to 2002...
, and Alkaline Trio
Alkaline Trio
Alkaline Trio is an American punk rock band that formed in McHenry, Illinois, in 1996. The band's line-up consists of Matt Skiba , Dan Andriano , and Derek Grant...
are prime examples of "second wave" pop-punk musical acts that hail from Chicago. Smoking Popes
Smoking Popes
The Smoking Popes are an American pop punk from the northwest suburbs of Chicago, Illinois, formed in 1991. They play punk-influenced pop music with crooning vocals...
, another Chicago-area pop-punk band, maintains a small but loyal following throughout the country. The Fireside Bowl
The Fireside Bowl
The Fireside Bowl is a bowling alley and music venue established in the 1940s, located at 2648 W Fullerton Ave in Chicago, Illinois.-History:The building was an ice factory in its early days...
provided a venue for many local acts cutting their teeth, and a unique venue for touring bands. Fall Out Boy
Fall Out Boy
Fall Out Boy is an American rock band from Wilmette, Illinois, formed in 2001. The band consists of vocalist, guitarist and composer Patrick Stump, bassist and lyricist Pete Wentz, guitarist Joe Trohman, and drummer Andy Hurley. The band released five studio albums from 2003–2008...
has been the most commercially successful band to come from the Chicago area in recent years. Celtic punk rock bands Like The Tossers
The Tossers
The Tossers are a six-piece Celtic punk band from Chicago, Illinois. They formed in July 1993. They have toured with Murphy's Law, Streetlight Manifesto, Catch 22, Dropkick Murphys, The Reverend Horton Heat, Flogging Molly, Street Dogs, Clutch, Sick of it All & Mastodon. They opened for The Pogues...
and Flatfoot 56
Flatfoot 56
Flatfoot 56 is a Celtic punk band from Chicago, Illinois. The group's use of Scottish Highland bagpipes has led to their classification as a Celtic punk band, comparable to Dropkick Murphys or Flogging Molly.-History:...
are also from Chicago.
Though they can be considered Garage rock, Superchick
Superchick
Superchick, originally known as Superchic[k], is an American Christian alternative pop/rock band. Their music incorporates various styles such as pop, punk, rock, rap, and R&B. Their sound has been compared to mainstream artists No Doubt and Avril Lavigne with a heavier sound...
comes straight out of Chicago.
Alternative rock
Growing out of the Chicago hardcore scene was a vibrant industrial rockIndustrial rock
Industrial rock is a musical genre that fuses industrial music and specific rock subgenres. Industrial rock spawned industrial metal, with which it is often confused...
tradition in the mid-1980s. Industrial musicians from Chicago included members of Ministry
Ministry (band)
Ministry is an American industrial metal band founded by lead singer Al Jourgensen in 1981. Originally a synthpop outfit, Ministry changed its style to industrial metal in the late 1980s. Ministry found mainstream success in the early 1990s with its most successful album Psalm 69: The Way to...
, My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult
My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult
My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult is an American electronic industrial rock band originally based out of Chicago, Illinois.-History:...
, and Pailhead
Pailhead
Pailhead was a short-lived side project of the industrial metal band Ministry, which featured Ian MacKaye on vocals...
. The Chicago-based Wax Trax!
Wax Trax! Records
Wax Trax! Records was an independent record label in the United States. Wax Trax! began as a record shop in Denver, Colorado opened by Jim Nash and Dannie Flesher. They sold the store in 1978 and, in November of that year, opened a new one under the same name at 2449 North Lincoln Avenue in...
label put out several key industrial rock recordings during the 1980s.
During the early 1990s, several Illinois alternative rock artists garnered national attention, including Didjits, Disturbed, SOiL
SOiL
Soil, often typeset as SOiL, is an American rock band that formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1997.Soil's success came in 2001 when Pat Lynch of Orlando rock radio station WJRR, played the demo of "Halo" in heavy rotation. A major label bidding war erupted, the band chose J Records...
, The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins are an American alternative rock band that formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1988. Formed by Billy Corgan frontman and James Iha , the band has included Jimmy Chamberlin , D'arcy Wretzky , and currently includes Jeff Schroeder Mike Byrne , and Nicole Fiorentino The Smashing...
, Local H
Local H
Local H is an American rock duo, formed by Joe Daniels and Scott Lucas in Zion, Illinois in 1987. Local H's 1996 album, As Good as Dead, includes the top 10 hit "Bound for the Floor" Author, rock critic and Rolling Stone contributor Greg Kot and the Chicago Tribune named the band its 2008 Chicago...
, Liz Phair
Liz Phair
Phair's entry into the music industry began when she met guitarist Chris Brokaw, a member of the band Come. Brokaw and Phair moved to San Francisco together, and Phair tried to become an artist there...
, Urge Overkill
Urge Overkill
Urge Overkill is an alternative rock band, formed in Chicago, United States, consisting of Nash Kato , and Eddie "King" Roeser . Their cover of Neil Diamond's song "Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon" appeared prominently in the movie Pulp Fiction, and became a hit in 1994...
, and Veruca Salt
Veruca Salt (band)
Veruca Salt is an alternative rock band founded in 1993 in Chicago, Illinois. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included vocalist-guitarist Louise Post. Guitarist Stephen Fitzpatrick has been with the band since 1999 and drummer Kellii Scott has worked with the group on and off since 1999...
. Members of several notable early 1990s alternative rock groups were originally from the state. Soundgarden
Soundgarden
Soundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 by singer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto...
's Kim Thayil
Kim Thayil
Kim Thayil is an American guitarist best known as the lead guitarist of the Seattle-based grunge band Soundgarden, which he cofounded with singer Chris Cornell and bassist Hiro Yamamoto in 1984...
and Bruce Pavitt
Bruce Pavitt
-History:After briefly attending Blackburn College in Carlinville, Illinois and subsequently transferring to The Evergreen State College in Washington State, Pavitt started a fanzine entitled Subterranean Pop in Olympia, Washington in 1980, about American independent rock bands. Three cassette...
, the founder of Sub Pop Records, both were from Illinois and Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included Eddie Vedder , Jeff Ament , Stone Gossard , and Mike McCready...
frontman Eddie Vedder
Eddie Vedder
Eddie Vedder is an American musician and singer-songwriter who is best known for being the lead singer and one of three guitarists of the alternative rock band Pearl Jam. He is widely considered a cultural icon of alternative rock.He is also involved in soundtrack work and contributes to albums...
was originally from Evanston, Illinois
Evanston, Illinois
Evanston is a suburban municipality in Cook County, Illinois 12 miles north of downtown Chicago, bordering Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, and Wilmette to the north, with an estimated population of 74,360 as of 2003. It is one of the North Shore communities that adjoin Lake Michigan...
. The guitarist Tom Morello
Tom Morello
Thomas Baptiste "Tom" Morello is a Grammy Award-winning American guitarist best known for his tenure with the bands Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave, his acoustic solo act The Nightwatchman, and his newest group, Street Sweeper Social Club...
(of the bands Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1991, the group's line-up consists of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commerford, guitarist Tom Morello and drummer Brad Wilk...
and Audioslave
Audioslave
Audioslave was an American rock supergroup that formed in Los Angeles, California in 2001. It consisted of former Soundgarden lead singer/rhythm guitarist Chris Cornell and the former instrumentalists of Rage Against the Machine: Tom Morello , Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk...
) was originally from Libertyville, Illinois
Libertyville, Illinois
Libertyville is an affluent northern suburb of Chicago in Lake County, Illinois, United States. It is located west of Lake Michigan on the Des Plaines River. The 2000 census population was 20,742; the 2005 estimate was 21,760...
as well as Adam Jones
Adam Jones (musician)
Adam Thomas Jones is a three time Grammy Award-winning Welsh-American musician and visual artist, best known for his position as the guitarist for Grammy-Award winning band Tool. Jones has been rated the 75th Greatest Guitarist of all time by the Rolling Stone and placed 9th in Guitar World's Top...
from the band Tool
Tool (band)
Tool is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1990, the group's line-up has included drummer Danny Carey, guitarist Adam Jones, and vocalist Maynard James Keenan. Since 1995, Justin Chancellor has been the band's bassist, replacing their original bassist Paul D'Amour...
. Kill Hannah
Kill Hannah
Kill Hannah is a rock band formed in 1993 in Chicago. The band has released six studio albums, seven EPs, and two compilation albums as well as three DVDs.-History:...
, an alternative band from Chicago, Illinois, has gained great popularity over the last few years, and still remains famous in Chicago, playing their annual Christmas show in their hometown. The space rock
Space rock
Space rock is a subgenre of rock music; the term originally referred to a group of early, mostly British, 1970s progressive and psychedelic rock bands such as Hawkwind and Pink Floyd, characterised by slow, lengthy instrumental passages dominated by electric organs, synthesizers, experimental...
band Hum
Hum (band)
Hum is a post-hardcore band from Champaign, Illinois. They are best known for their 1995 radio hit "Stars." Hum has not been consistently active as a recording or touring group since 2000.-Founding and early recordings:...
originate from Champaign, Illinois. The band Chevelle
Chevelle
Chevelle is an American alternative metal trio that formed in 1995 in Grayslake, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. The band was originally composed of two brothers and a local friend: Pete Loeffler , Sam Loeffler , and Matt Scott . Matt was later replaced by brother Joe Loeffler...
originated from Grayslake, Illinois
Grayslake, Illinois
Grayslake is a village in Lake County in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is located in the Chicago metropolitan area, about north of Chicago’s downtown, west of Lake Michigan, and south of the Wisconsin border....
. Wilco
Wilco
Wilco is an American alternative rock band based in Chicago, Illinois. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo following singer Jay Farrar's departure. Wilco's lineup has changed frequently, with only singer Jeff Tweedy and bassist John...
, a popular Chicago-based indie rock group, formed out of the ashes of Uncle Tupelo
Uncle Tupelo
Uncle Tupelo was an alternative country music group from Belleville, Illinois, active between 1987 and 1994. Jay Farrar, Jeff Tweedy, and Mike Heidorn formed the band after the lead singer of their previous band, The Primitives, left to attend college. The trio recorded three albums for Rockville...
, who in turn hailed from Belleville, Illinois
Belleville, Illinois
Belleville is a city in St. Clair County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city has a population of 44,478. It is the eighth-most populated city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area and the most populated city south of Springfield in the state of Illinois. It is the county...
. Lucky Boys Confusion
Lucky Boys Confusion
Lucky Boys Confusion is a rock band from the Chicago suburbs in DuPage County. Their music is a mix of rock, punk, ska, and hip hop. The band consists of bassist Jason Schultejann, drummer Ryan Fergus, vocalist Kaustubh Pandav, guitarist/vocalist Adam Krier, and guitarist Joe Sell...
is also from Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, in Downers Grove and Naperville
Naperville, Illinois
Naperville is a city in DuPage and Will Counties in Illinois in the United States, voted the second best place to live in the United States by Money Magazine in 2006. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 141,853. It is the fifth largest city in the state, behind Chicago,...
. Also other bands that come from the Chicago area are The Hush Sound
The Hush Sound
The Hush Sound was an indie quartet originating in DuPage County, Illinois, United States. Initially named "The Hush," the band later changed their name to "The Hush Sound" due to the discovery of a rapper with the same name...
from Dupage County, The Academy is from Hoffman Estates and The Plain White T's
Plain White T's
Plain White T's is an American Pop rock band from Chicago, Illinois. Formed in 1997 by high school friends Tom Higgenson and Ken Fletcher, the group had a mostly underground following in Chicago basements, clubs, and bars in its early years, and underwent numerous personnel changes.The band is best...
whom are also from Dupage County. Doug Pinnick
Doug Pinnick
Doug Pinnick sometimes stylised as dUg Pinnick or simply dUg is an American musician best known as the bass guitarist, songwriter, and co-lead vocalist for the hard rock/progressive metal band King's X. He has fourteen albums with King's X, four solo albums, and numerous side projects and guest...
, vocalist and bassist of the hard rock/progressive rock band King's X
King's X
King's X is an American hard rock band that combines progressive metal, funk and soul with vocal arrangements influenced by gospel, blues, and British Invasion rock groups. The band's lyrics are largely based on the members' struggles with religion and self-acceptance...
was from Joliet
Joliet
There are several people and things named Joliet:*Louis Jolliet, a 17th century explorer of North America*Joliet, Illinois, United States, a city named after Louis Jolliet**Joliet Prison*Joliet, Montana, United States...
.
Although not always Alternative Rock or necessarily Chicago area, Champaign, Illinois
Champaign, Illinois
Champaign is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, in the United States. The city is located south of Chicago, west of Indianapolis, Indiana, and 178 miles northeast of St. Louis, Missouri. Though surrounded by farm communities, Champaign is notable for sharing the campus of the University of...
has a rich local rock scene, mainly because it is a large college town, home of the University of Illinois. Many of the surrounding towns throughout central and southern Illinois have rich local scenes, with a large number of hardcore bands and alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
bands. This includes the newly signed Tooth & Nail Records
Tooth & Nail Records
Tooth & Nail Records is a record label founded by Brandon Ebel in the U.S. state of California in November 1993. The label later moved to Seattle, Washington, where it is situated today...
band Icon For Hire
Icon for Hire
Icon for Hire is an American rock band originating from Decatur, Illinois. The band is currently signed to Tooth & Nail Records and has released two EPs independently...
, based out of Decatur, Illinois
Decatur, Illinois
Decatur is the largest city and the county seat of Macon County in the U.S. state of Illinois. The city, sometimes called "the Soybean Capital of the World", was founded in 1823 and is located along the Sangamon River and Lake Decatur in Central Illinois. In 2000 the city population was 81,500,...
, and the popular Champaign native So Long Forgotten. Illinois is also known for the famous Cornerstone Festival
Cornerstone Festival
Cornerstone Festival is a Christian music festival put on by Jesus People USA and held annually around the 4th of July near Bushnell, Illinois. In a given year, many artists that play at Cornerstone also play at other events such as Creation Festival and mainstream festivals and tours such as the...
, which is held every year in Bushnell, Illinois
Bushnell, Illinois
Bushnell is a city in McDonough County, Illinois, United States. The population was 3,221 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Bushnell is located at ....
on the Fourth of July time period.
Indie
Illinois has a thriving indie music scene. Artists including Andrew BirdAndrew Bird
Andrew Bird is an American musician, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist.- Early life and the Bowl of Fire :...
, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and Jim O'Rourke
Jim O'Rourke (musician)
Jim O'Rourke is an Irish-American musician and record producer. He was long associated with the Chicago experimental and improv scene...
, experimental musician. The Indie scene in Chicago has not had as huge an impact as some of the other genres, however, it is on the rise. Evidence of this is the upcoming radio station Region Radio. (www.facebook.com/regionradio) They play lots of local artist such as Steepwater, Crawpuppies, Toronzo Cannon, Marrakesh Express, and Asteria.
Hip hop
Although Chicago has had a hip-hopHip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
scene for decades, relatively few artists have broken out and garnered national attention. A few exceptions in recent years have been Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
, Common
Common (rapper)
Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr. , better known by his stage name Common , is an American hip-hop artist and actor....
, Twista
Twista
Carl Terrell Mitchell , better known by his stage name Twista, is an American rapper. He is known for once holding the title of fastest rapper in the world according to Guinness World Records in 1992, being able to pronounce 598 syllables in 55 seconds...
, Rhymefest
Rhymefest
Che Smith , known by the stage name of Rhymefest, is an American hip hop artist from Chicago, Illinois whose first official album, Blue Collar, was released on July 11, 2006. He co-wrote Kanye West's "Jesus Walks", which won a Grammy at the 47th Grammy Awards. In October, 2010, Rhymefest announced...
, R. Kelly
R. Kelly
Robert Sylvester Kelly , better known by his stage name R. Kelly, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. A native of Chicago, Kelly began performing during the late 1980s and debuted in 1992 with the group Public Announcement. In 1993, Kelly went solo with the album 12 Play...
, and Lupe Fiasco
Lupe Fiasco
Wasalu Muhammad Jaco , better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco , is an American rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur. As an entrepreneur, Lupe is the CEO of 1st and 15th Entertainment. He rose to fame in 2006 following the success of his critically acclaimed debut album, Lupe Fiasco's Food...
. On the underground level, Chicago is home to The Molemen, Gravel Records and Mc juice
MC Juice
Terry Parker, better known by his stage name MC Juice or simply Juice, is an American freestyle rapper from Chicago, United States. He beat Eminem at Scribble Jam in 1997. He was regarded in 2004 as one of finest freestyle rappers ever produced by Chicago...
. William Upski Wimsatt
William Upski Wimsatt
William Wimsatt, also known as Billy or Upski is a social entrepreneur, author, political organizer, and former graffiti artist...
also began writing about hip-hop in Chicago.
R & B
Some memorable Rhythm and BluesRhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
bands have come out of Illinois, such as the group Champaign
Champaign (band)
Champaign was a 1980s United States R&B band with adult contemporary leanings, best known for their 1981 hit, "How 'Bout Us."-Career:The mixed-race septet, who named themselves after their hometown of Champaign, Illinois, included Pauli Carman and Rena Jones on vocals; Michael Day and Dana Walden...
from Champaign, IL with classic hits like "How 'Bout Us
How 'Bout Us
"How 'Bout Us" is a 1981 hit single recorded by R&B music group Champaign and composed by band keyboardist Dana Walden. Originally released on the band's debut album of the same name, the title track peaked at #12 on the Hot 100...
".