Reader’s Choice Lee’s Unleaded Blues

Now that the Checkerboard Lounge has been uprooted from its original 43rd Street location, Lee’s stands as the sole surviving monument to the glory days of the south-side neighborhood blues scene. The featured artists these days may not rank with such former headliners as Junior Wells and Lefty Dizz, but proprietor Stanley Davis still manages to book solid journeyman blues acts on a regular basis. Reflecting the flexible definition of “blues” among contemporary African-American listeners, the music ranges from postwar shuffle to funk, soul, pop, and even the occasional hip-hop number. A seemingly endless parade of “guest stars” (many of whom are regulars, and most of whom are surprisingly good) take the mike nightly, and the jubilant interplay between performers and patrons keeps alive the tradition of blues as a music of celebration, solidarity, and pride. 7401 S. South Chicago, 773-493-3477. —David Whiteis

Readers’ Choice Buddy Guy’s Legends

754 S. Wabash, 312-427-1190, buddyguys.com.

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