Visit to Willie Dixon’s Blues Heaven Foundation offers glimpse into History
Jarrod Horton
If you want a short, straight to the point answer about who Willie Dixon was and what his contribution and legacy was to music, simply ask Kevin, one of the program directors at the Willie Dixon Heaven Foundation in Chicago. “He was the man” Kevin says confidently. “The godfather of blues….put it this way, he was like the Dr. Dre, Teddy Riley, Kanye West of his generation; but he was like all of them wrapped into one.”
Iconic Status
2120 south Michigan Avenue in Chicago Illinois is an iconic address in the music world. It is the home of Chess Records, the record label that revolutionized music, the place where the aforementioned Willie Dixon recorded songs with Bo Diddley, Howlin Wolf, Buddy Guy, Chuck Berry, Ko Ko Taylor, and Etta James. As Kevin pointed out to me “do you know Maurice White from Earth Wind & Fire was a session player here and Minnie Ripperton was a secretary?”