Blue Island, Illinois - Music

Music

Because of the wide popularity of performers such as W. C. Handy, the blues became a popular musical genre during the roaring twenties. It is not surprising, then, that when Wendell Hall, Harry Geise and Emory O'Hara were looking for a title for their 1923 composition, they hit upon the name Blue Island Blues. The sheet music for it was published that year by Waterson, Berlin & Snyder Co. Described by the New York Times art critic John S. Wilson as a "striking and colorful original composition", it is a plaintive love song about a man who is missing his girl and "...has a ticket to Chicago..." that will be used to help him "... lose - those Yesterday's - Blue Island Blues". It was performed in 1923 by Hall with The Virginians on the Victor Talking Machine Company (now RCA Records) record label and again in 1929 by Tiny Parham. An instrumental version is currently available on the CD by George Shearing and Brian Torff entitled Lullaby of Birdland: Blues Alley Jazz/On a Clear Day which was released by Concord Records in 2000.
A closer connection between Blue Island and the music world has been made by several individuals. On December 26, 1937 resident La Julia Elizabeth Rhea (1908—1992) broke the color barrier by being the first black woman to sing the title role in Giuseppe Verdi's Aida with the Chicago Civic Opera. Chicago Tribune drama critic Cecil Smith was there and made this assessment "...A musical event without parallel in grand opera in America took place at the Civic Opera House last night when two colored singers, La Julia Rhea and William Franklin, sang the Ethiopian roles of Aida and Amonasro in a special performance of Aida ... Both singers won a goodly success and were warmly applauded." On August 29, 1941 the two reprised their roles for the inaugural performance of the National Negro Opera Company, for which the music critic for the Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph wrote "...“We have rarely heard so impressive a chorus in all opera experience”. During her career she appeared with the jazz and blues vocalist and actress Ethel Waters in a 1931 production of Rhapsody in Black, and toured in 1935 with a group of winners from the Major Bowes Amateur Hour.

The rock band Enuff Z'Nuff, also has members who lived there. One of their songs on the album Strength is named "Blue Island", and a later album is titled Welcome to Blue Island. The group has appeared on MTV, Howard Stern and David Letterman. Their music has been released on Atco Records and Arista Records.
The singer, songwriter and music producer Peter Brown was born in Blue Island. Brown was a popular performer in the late 1970s and early 1980s with hits that included Do Ya Wanna Get Funky With Me (the original version of which was recorded in his bedroom) and Dance With Me. He was introduced to a somewhat younger group of fans as the writer, with Robert Rans, of Madonna's smash hit signature song "Material Girl", which was later sung by Nicole Kidman as part of the "Sparkling Diamonds" medley in the 2001 Golden Globe-nominated and Academy Award winning 20th Century Fox motion picture Moulin Rouge!.
Another musical group that called Blue Island home is the pop punk band Mest. Former Mest frontman Tony Lovato grew up there. Their performance of "I Melt With You" was part of the soundtrack from the 2001 Columbia Pictures film Not Another Teen Movie. The CD for it was released by Maverick Records the same year.

Saxophonist Eugene Rousseau was born in Blue Island.

Marty Grebb, a multi-instrument musician, grew up in Blue Island attending St. Benedict’s Elementary School. He was a member of The Exceptions, a local group from the 60s that some might remember. Next Marty joined The Buckinghams as keyboardist; the band went on to earn multiple top recordings for singles and albums with Columbia Records. Marty went on to become part of the group Chicago with Pete Cetera in the late 70s. Through Marty’s multi-faceted and sought-after musical talent as player, producer, and songwriter, Blue Island can claim a connection to a wide and deep musical family. He’s worked with Etta James, Buddy Guy, B.B. King, Paul Butterfield, Mike Bloomfield, Bonnie Raitt, Rosanne Cash, Taj Mahal, and Leon Russell. Eric Clapton has covered his songs. You can hear some of Marty’s latest work on the new CD from Elton John/Leon Russell coming in October 2010. Marty is still an active part of the musical community and lives in California.

Folk singer Anna Stange has lived and worked in Blue Island for many years. She has released several albums including When Will We Ever Learn: Songs for Justice and Peace and Miss Anna's Music Class Volumes I and II. As an advocate for environmental responsibility, Anna Stange was highlighted in the Chicago Tribune in 2008 as being one of the most 'green' inhabitants of Chicagoland, with a carbon footprint of just 11,500 lbs/year.