Koko Taylor R.I.P.

She picked ‘Koko” because she loved chocolate. We picked Koko because she embodied what the ‘Queen of the Blues” should be: fiercely independent, larger than life, and a voice that could neuter any man that dared to step in her way.
Koko Taylor performed with some of the most legendary artists of the last 60 years. She called Chicago’s premier blue label-Chess Records-home for nearly 20 years and Alligator records for over 30. She won a Grammy in 1985, got induced into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1997, but even until the very end she had to perform live just to make a living. That’s right, even at the age of 80, Koko Taylor wasn’t secure enough financially that she could properly retire. Each year was a continual itinerary of gigs and maybe the occasional special performance, like the one she landed at the Kennedy Center Honors earlier this year, performing her signature “Wang Dang Doodle” in front of a black-tie crowd honoring Morgan Freeman.
Her last performance was little under a month ago, another stop before checking into the hospital to treat a bleeding ulcer. Complications from that surgery eventually took her life yesterday.
Something tells me that regardless of financial necessity, Koko probably would have chosen to still make music and perform live anyway. She was that kind of lady. And as anyone knows, a queen doesn’t just give up her thrown-it has to be taken away.
Scroll back up to the photo of Koko and notice that it’s none other than Steven Segal paying tribute to her, second from the left.

Photo courtesy of the Official Koko Taylor Website.