TBT to Harold Washington winning the 1983 Chicago Mayoral primary
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On Feb. 22, 1983, Harold Washington won the Democratic primary election for Chicago mayor, defeating incumbent Mayor Jane Byrne, Richard M. Daley and other candidates. He went on to be elected the 51st mayor of Chicago that April and served as the first African-American mayor of Chicago.
Harold Washington was born on April 15, 1922, in Chicago to Roy Lee Washington Sr., a lawyer and Methodist minister, and Bertha Jones Washington, a singer. He was the youngest of four children. Washington attended DuSable High School before he was drafted into the Army in 1942. He served in the U.S. Army Air Corps unit of engineers, where he earned the rank of First Sergeant.
Illinois artist of the month: Micah Wall
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Micah Wall is an artist based in Edwardsville who specializes in woodworking and personalized craftsmanship. He founded his own business called Unnatural Resources and prides himself in working with his hands and tools to bring beauty into our everyday lives and spaces.
Coming from a long line of craftsmen, the spirit to create and design is something he considers part of his DNA. He specializes in bringing others’ visions to reality and bringinging out the natural beauty in his materials.
TBT to the Father of Chicago Blues, Muddy Waters, winning his first Grammy
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In honor of the 59th Annual Grammy Awards this past weekend, we’re throwing it back to 1971 when the Father of Chicago Blues, Muddy Waters, won his first Grammy for his album They Call Me Muddy Waters.
Muddy Waters was born on April 4, 1913, in Issaquena County, Mississippi as McKinley Morganfield. He was raised by his grandmother after his mother’s death in 1918. His grandmother nicknamed him Muddy Waters because he frequently played in a muddy creek.
Muddy Waters began playing guitar at the age of 17. In 1940, he visited St. Louis and later joined the Silas Green tent show as a harmonica player and singer. 
In 1943, Waters moved to Chicago where he worked in a paper mill. Soon thereafter, he began playing guitar at South Side clubs. He signed with Aristocrat Records in 1946 and recorded several singles. He recorded his first hit single, “Rollin’ Stone,” in 1950.
Muddy Waters helped pioneer the Chicago blues style, which earned him the nickname of the Father of Chicago Blues.
Muddy Waters went on to record a number of blues classics including “Honey Bee” in 1951, “I’m Your Hoochie Coochie Man” in 1954, “I’m Ready” in 1954 and “Mannish Boy” in 1955. In the 1960s he performed at concerts and festivals across the country and recorded several albums.
Waters made three of his best-selling albums in the late 1970s with producer and guitarist Johnny Winters. They performed together throughout the 1970s and 1980s.
Muddy Waters won his first Grammy for They Call Me Muddy Waters in 1971. He won the following year for The London Muddy Waters Session and at the awards ceremonies in 1975, 1978, 1979 and 1980.
Muddy Waters’s last public performance was in 1982. He died the following year of a heart attack in his home in Westmont, Illinois.
Muddy Waters was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. He received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1992.
Valentine's Day at Pease's and Bunn Gourmet
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In celebration of Valentine's Day we caught up with Pease's and toured Peases at Bunn Gourmet to see how they prepare for one of the sweetest days of the year.
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