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Illinois, includingChicago has a widemusical heritage. Chicago is most famously associated with the development of electric (or Chicago-style)blues music. Chicago was also a center of development for earlyjazz and later forhouse music, and includes a vibranthip hop scene andR&B. Chicago also has a thrivingrock 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 subgenres includingpower pop,punk rock,indie rock,emo rock,pop punk, andalternative rock.
Illinois musicians with a number-oneBillboardHot 100 hit include artists from the 1950s:Sam Cooke ("The King of Soul," d.1964); from the 1960s:The Buckinghams; from the 1970s:Earth, Wind & Fire,The Chi-Lites,The Staple Singers,The Emotions,Minnie Riperton,Styx; from the 1980s:Chicago,Cheap Trick,REO Speedwagon,Survivor,Richard Marx; from the 1990s:R. Kelly; from the 2000s:Kanye West,Twista,Plain White T's; from the 2020s:Polo G with "Rapstar". Most of these artists are from Chicago, with soul singers Sam Cooke,Mavis Staples, Minnie Riperton, and R. Kelly hailing from the South Side. In addition, Chicago musicians with a number-one album on theBillboard 200 include bandsThe Smashing Pumpkins withMellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness in October 1995,Disturbed with five number-one consecutive albums from 2002 to 2015 fromBelieve toImmortalized, andFall Out Boy with four number-one albums such asAmerican Beauty/American Psycho in 2015; and rappersCommon withFinding Forever in 2007,Lupe Fiasco withLasers in 2011,Juice Wrld (d.2019 in Chicago) with two number-one albums includingDeath Race for Love in 2019, andLil Durk with a number-one solo album in 2022. Also,Curtis Mayfield (d.1999) had a number-oneBillboard 200 album with theSuperfly soundtrack in 1972. ComposerRichard A. Whiting 1891-1938
Chicago blues music was developed as black musicians influenced byDelta 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 toelectric guitar and other forms of amplified music. The result was a tough, gritty sound that directly led to the creation ofrock and roll. As the style developed, artists added more instruments and diversification of styles. Key early Chicago blues artists includedHowlin' Wolf (buried in Hillside, IL near Chicago),Willie Dixon,Bo Diddley andMuddy Waters (d.1983). Chicago would continue to be a hotbed of activity in this genre, with artists includingBuddy Guy,Koko Taylor (d.2009),Junior Wells,Son Seals, and others calling the city home and performing regularly.
Chicago was the first important center ofjazz as it left the city of its birth,New Orleans, Louisiana. The namejazz (and its early variationsjass orjas) may have first been applied to the music in Chicago in the 1910s, as such hot New Orleans bands asTom Brown's made a hit up north. New Orleans pioneers together with enthusiastic younger musicians from theMidwest gathered in Chicago. The result has sometimes been calledChicago Style. Thesaxophone first became a significantinstrument 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 trumpeterMiles Davis (fromAlton, Illinois nearSt. Louis), clarinetistBenny Goodman "The King of Swing",Gene Krupa,Lee Sims,Ramsey Lewis, andHerbie Hancock, while singersNat King Cole (d.1965) andDinah Washington (d.1963) grew up in Chicago. One of early jazz's great groups, theAustin 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.
Burl Ives, hailing fromdownstate Illinois (and attendedEastern Illinois University), helped popularize folk music, with releases beginning in the 1940s (One of his most enduring hits is "A Holly Jolly Christmas" from 1964).
Chicago was a focal point for the folk music boom of the 1960s and early 1970s. A center of activity was theOld Town School of Folk Music which opened in the late 1950s and helped launch the careers of many folk musicians associated with the city, includingJohn Prine,Steve Goodman (d.1984), andBonnie Koloc.
A large influx of Polish immigrants into Chicago in the late 19th and early 20th centuries broughtPolka music with them; this music evolved into several local styles. ThePolka Hall of Fame is located in Chicago, and is home to theInternational Polka Association which hosts a yearly convention.
Brett Eldredge is from Paris Illinois.Alison Krauss was part of the revival ofbluegrass music in the late 1990s. She grew up in the central Illinois city of Champaign. She had a number three album with Union Station in 2011 calledPaper Airplane.Suzy Bogguss fromAledo in western Illinois had a number of country hits in the 1990s.Gretchen Wilson ofPocahontas, Illinois charted several top ten hits from 2004 to 2006. She had a number-one album on theBillboard 200 in 2005.David Lee Murphy who hails fromHerrin had hits in the mid-1990s.Joshua Scott Jones, winner of Season 2 ofCMTCan You Duet and one-half of the duo "Steel Magnolia", is from the southeastern town ofCharleston.
Inalternative country, the bandUncle Tupelo, hailing fromBelleville, are considered early genre pioneers. Their breakup would later form the bandsSon Volt andWilco from their former members.
SingerSam Cooke was raised inChicago (and had a number-one Top 100 hit with "You Send Me" in 1957), andPhil Everly of the Everly Brothers,Minnie Riperton (who had a number-one Hot 100 hit with "Lovin' You" in 1975), and singer-musicianCurtis Mayfield were born there.Earth, Wind & Fire had a number-oneBillboard Hot 100 hit with the funk and disco song "Shining Star" in 1975.The Staple Singers had a number-one Hot 100 hit with "I'll Take You There" in 1972. The girl groupThe Emotions had a number-one Hot 100 hit in 1977 with "Best of My Love".Chaka Khan ("The Queen of Funk") ofRufus had the 1984 song "Through the Fire" which was sampled by Kanye West. Notable Illinoispop androck bands includeThe Smashing Pumpkins (who also had two number-one albums on theBillboard 200 likeAdore in 1998 andZeitgeist in 2007. They also had four number-one songs on the Alternative Songs chart. DrummerJimmy Chamberlin attendedNorthern Illinois University),Styx (who had a number-one Hot 100 hit with "Babe" in 1979, and whose members originally lived in the Chicago neighborhood of Roseland and later in the suburbs),Chicago (the original members of which were students atDePaul University in Chicago and hailed from the area, though they moved toLos Angeles before becoming famous and eventually releasing three number-one Hot 100 hits, including "Look Away" in 1988),Jim Peterik (who founded Chicago-area band theIdes of March and was later a member ofSurvivor (who had a number-one hit with "Eye of the Tiger" fromRocky III in 1982). The Boyzz, or the Boyzz from Illinois, were a hard rock, boogie band from the Fox River Grove area. The Boyzz were ably managed by former Buckingham drummerJohn Poulos.[1] Nearby Rockford, Illinois, produced the power pop four-someCheap Trick (who had a number-one Hot 100 hit with "The Flame" in 1988).[2] Another product of Rockford was 1970's hard rock band Stone Cold Fever. Members ofREO Speedwagon hailed fromChampaign-Urbana andSterling. They had two number-one Hot 100 hits including "Keep on Loving You" in 1980.Richard Marx had three number-one Hot 100 hits including "Right Here Waiting" in 1989.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 ofBlue Island.
Rock bandHead East is originally from East Central Illinois.Dan Fogelberg (d.2007), an influential singer/songwriter of the 1970s and 1980s, was fromPeoria, Illinois. The heavy metal bandMudvayne was also a product of Peoria. Mudvayne had a number two album on theBillboard 200 withLost and Found in 2005. The death/doom metal bandNovembers Doom are from Chicago. The death metal bandMacabre is from Downers Grove. The rock bandDope from Villa Park was formed in Chicago. Songwriters who hail from the Chicago area have had success on the US pop rock charts as well, including Jim Whelan, fromWilmette who co-wrote Belinda Carlisle'sGo-Go's first hit. Illinois musicians inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame includeSam Cooke,Muddy Waters (buried in the Chicago suburb of Alsip, IL),The Impressions andCurtis Mayfield,The Staple Singers;Earth, Wind & Fire;Buddy Guy,Miles Davis (d.1991),Paul Butterfield Blues Band,Chicago, andCheap Trick.
From the years 1966 to 1967, the Chicago area was a key area in the rise ofSunshine pop, 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 asShadows of Knight,The New Colony Six,The Cryan' Shames,Ides of March,The Mauds,Mason Proffit,H.P. Lovecraft, andThe Buckinghams, who topped the Hot 100 charts in 1966 with their song 'Kind of a Drag'.
The Shadows of Knight recorded a cover of Van Morrison'sGloria.The Ides of March (band) topped the chart withVehicle. This was a great period during the 1960s 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.
The firstpunk rock club in Chicago was La Mere Vipere, located nearDePaul 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, andnew wave bands likeSpecial Effect,The Dadistics,Epicycle andOno played there. Another gay bar, Oz, soon opened and began catering to the burgeoninghardcore punk scene as local bands likeNaked 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 includedArticles of Faith andRights of the Accused. The highly influentialScreeching Weasel formed in scenic Prospect Heights northwest of Chicago in 1986, and would inspire fellow travelers around the world, especially in the East Bay area of northern California.Shellac are a Chicagopost-hardcore band formed in 1992. Arguably the most popular Punk Rock band from Chicago isRise Against - a politically charged 4-piece band who formed in 1999. Rise Against had a number twoBillboard 200 album withEndgame in 2011.
Fall Out Boy, fromWilmette, Illinois, has been the most commercially successful band to come from the Chicago area in recent years, scoring four number-one albums on theBillboard 200. Chicago maintains a thrivingpop punk scene. Bands such as Makeout from lemont Illinois.Allister,Spitalfield,The Lawrence Arms, andAlkaline 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. Celtic punk rock bands LikeThe Tossers andFlatfoot 56 are also from Chicago. Material Issue power popped the late 1980s and early 1990s.Knuckle Puck is from the south side of Chicago, andReal Friends is from Tinley Park, Illinois.
Growing out of the Chicago hardcore scene was a vibrantindustrial rock tradition in the mid-1980s. Industrial musicians from Chicago included members ofMinistry,My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult, andPailhead. The Chicago-basedWax Trax! label put out several key industrial rock recordings during the 1980s.
During the early 1990s, several Illinois alternative rock artists garnered national attention, includingDidjits,Disturbed,SOiL,The Smashing Pumpkins (Billy Corgan went to high school inCarol Stream),Local H,Liz Phair,Urge Overkill, andVeruca Salt. Members of several notable early 1990s alternative rock groups were originally from the state.Soundgarden'sKim Thayil andBruce Pavitt, the founder ofSub Pop Records, both were from Illinois andPearl Jam frontmanEddie Vedder was originally fromEvanston, Illinois. The guitaristTom Morello (of the bandsRage Against the Machine andAudioslave) was originally fromLibertyville, Illinois as well asAdam Jones from the bandTool.Kill Hannah, an alternative and dance-punk band fromChicago, Illinois, has gained great popularity over the last few years, and still remains famous in Chicago, playing their annual Christmas show in their hometown. Thespace rock bandHum originate from Champaign, Illinois. The bandChevelle originated fromGrayslake, Illinois. Chevelle had a number three album on theBillboard 200 withLa Gargola in 2014.Wilco, a popular Chicago-based indie rock group, formed out of the ashes ofUncle Tupelo, who in turn hailed fromBelleville, Illinois.Lucky Boys Confusion is also fromIllinois, inDowners Grove andNaperville. Also other bands that come from the Chicago area areThe Hush Sound from Dupage County,The Academy Is... from Hoffman Estates and ThePlain White T's who are also from Dupage County. The Plain White T's had a number-oneBillboard Hot 100 hit with "Hey There Delilah" in 2007.Doug Pinnick, vocalist and bassist of the hard rock/progressive rock bandKing's X was fromJoliet. The bandFall Out Boy also originated from the Chicago area.
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 theUniversity of Illinois. Many of the surrounding towns throughout central and southern Illinois have rich local scenes, with a large number ofhardcore bands andalternative rock bands. This includes the newly signedTooth & Nail Records bandIcon For Hire, based out ofDecatur, Illinois, and the popular Champaign nativeSo Long Forgotten. Illinois is also known for the famousCornerstone Festival, which is held every year inBushnell, Illinois on the Fourth of July time period. A new scene is rising from Chicago that includes bands such asReal Friends,Knuckle Puck,Sworn In,Marina City,Sleep On It,Mighty Fox,AyOH, andBonfires.
The late 1990s putNu Metal on the map withDisturbed from Chicago southwest side. Originally made up of members from the band Loudmouth who showed promise broke up withDan Donegan going on to form Disturbed.David Draiman graduated fromLoyola University Chicago. TheIndustrial Metal bandMinistry formed in 1981 also came fromChicago Illinois. The Alternative Metal bandMudvayne came FromPeoria, Illinois since they formed in 1996 but broke up in 2010 only to reform in 2020. The band Rauk Schizzl was a favorite from 1981 -1984 in the Addison, Itasca area with their thunderous sound and ripping vocals. They did not play out much but they certainly had a reputation. When they did play something crazy was sure to happen and they always drew the crowds. Steve Spaperri was one of the guitarists for Schizzl, he was also an engineer who worked with bands such as Ministry, Smashing Pumpkins, Red Hot Chili Peppers, amongst many others. Metalcore bands likeBorn of Osiris was formed in Palatine andThe Color Morale formed in Rockford.
Illinois has a thrivingindie music scene. Artists include:Smith Westerns,Andrew Bird,Jim O'Rourke,Tortoise,The Sea and Cake, andGauntlet Hair. Chicago-based indie labels includeThrill Jockey Records,Touch and Go Records,Drag City, andAtavistic Records.
Chicago is also home to the indie music webzinePitchfork Media.
Elsinore and Santa are two indie bands fromChampaign-Urbana.
Additional musicians from Illinois include power pop bandOK Go ("Here It Goes Again" 2006), pop rock bandAugustana ("Boston" 2006),Jars of Clay ("The Flood" 1996), and industrial metal bandStabbing Westward ("Save Yourself" 1998; they attendedWestern Illinois University); country singerBrett Eldredge who had the hit albumIllinois in 2015 ; rappersBoo & Gotti (featured on R. Kelly's song "Fiesta" 2001); r&B singersThe Five Stairsteps "O-o-h Child" from 1970,Michelle Williams (of Destiny's Child) from Rockford,Anastacia ("I'm Outta Love" 2000) andSyleena Johnson (featured on the Kanye song "All Falls Down" 2004, and attendedIllinois State University);hip house duoThe Outhere Brothers ("Boom Boom Boom" 1995, onJock Jams, Volume 2), house DJKaskade (Fire & Ice 2011) from theNorth Shore, electropop singerKiiara ("Gold" 2016) from Will County, and female alternative hip hop and electro singerK.Flay ("Blood in the Cut" 2017) from Wilmette. Chicago is world-famous for hosting the 3-dayLollapalooza festival each August since 2005 at Grant Park. Chicago'sRise Against performed at Lollapalooza in 2009, andKanye West performed there in 2008.
Chicago's greatest influence onelectronic dance music is its role as the birthplace ofhouse music. The name House music is said to come from the Chicago dance club, the Warehouse, where the legendaryFrankie Knuckles (d. 2014) "the Godfather of House"DJed. The classic houserecord labelTrax Records was based in Chicago, and put out seminal house records like Jamie Principle & Frankie Knuckles's "Your Love" andMarshall Jefferson's "Move Your Body". Other influential house artists to come out of Chicago includeAdonis,Larry Heard,Ron Hardy,Phuture,Robert Owens, andFarley Jackmaster Funk.Krewella (sisters from Northbrook) had a number eight album on theBillboard 200 in 2013:Get Wet in the style of progressive house and dubstep.
Chicago has had ahip-hop scene for decades, but recent years have led to the rise of the city's hip-hop musicians, includingKanye West (who has had three number-one hits on theBillboard Hot 100 including "Gold Digger" in 2005. (Kanye has also had nine number-one consecutive solo albums on theBillboard 200 from 2005 to 2021, includingLate Registration and the Christian rapJesus is King); he attendedChicago State University,Common,Chief Keef,Cupcakke,Da Brat,Shawnna,Ludacris (early life),Twista (who had a number-one Hot 100 hit with "Slow Jamz" ft. Kanye West in 2004),Rhymefest,R. Kelly the "King of R&B" (Who had two number-one Hot 100 hits in the 1990s including "Bump n' Grind". R. Kelly had five number-one albums on theBillboard 200 from 1995 to 2007, fromR. Kelly toDouble Up),Lupe Fiasco,Soulja Boy (early life),Jeremih,Chance the Rapper (who won Best New Artist at the 2017 Grammys), andJuice Wrld. On the underground level, Chicago is home to The Molemen, Robot Hilarious, Tomorrow Kings, Gravel Records andMc juice.William Upski Wimsatt also began writing about hip-hop in Chicago.
TheChicago Symphony Orchestra is Illinois' premier symphonic orchestra and has received widespread recognition for its recordings. The orchestra has received 10Grammys 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 singerDeborah Voigt was born in the Chicago area. ComposerMildred Barnes Royse was born in Illinois.Irwin Bazelon was a successful composer born in Evanston. Professional violinistDavid Kim was born in Carbondale. ComposerDave Soldier grew up in Carbondale.
Illinois is a center of theshaped note singing revival with the MidwestSacred Harp convention taking place yearly in Chicago.
Illinois has several Christian Rock bands.Resurrection Band started in the early days of Jesus rock and became a forerunner ofChristian metal.Whitecross was a heavy metal/glam metal band.BarlowGirl andSuperchick were recognized nationally for their Christian music.The Normals were an alt rock band fromNormal whileBallydowse from Chicago performed Celtic rock. Resurrection Band andJesus People USA ran the label, Grr Records, which produced several bands.Jars of Clay was formed in Greenville, although they are from Tennessee.
