A group of Chicago-based musicians are hosting a community birthday to kick off the opening of their nonprofit. 

Their aim is to revive the history of soul and blues music in the West and South sides while inspiring the next generation’s artists.

On his 69th birthday party Friday, Larry Taylor, a drummer and singer from Austin, will be officially launching FOUR Blues Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to revitalizing blues and soul music in Chicago’s West and South sides communities and helping aspiring local blues musicians. 

Larry Taylor grew up immersed in blues music, experiencing its evolution firsthand when his family moved from Mississippi to Chicago in the mid-20th century. This was the same era when blues music was carried north by the Great Migration and began to flourish in Chicago. 

Taylor is now the vice president of FOUR Blues Inc. – “FOUR” stands for “Further on Up the Road,” the title of a popular Bobby Blue Bland song sung by Taylor. “We are bringing music from the blues ancestors to raise the spirits of our elders and pass on to our youth,” Taylor said.

“The purpose of this nonprofit is to bring back this music, regrow it, because it declined probably due to the age factor,” said Bonnie McKeown, the FOUR Blues Inc.’s president, and an Austin-based writer. “We’re going to try to get people to give us names of musicians that we may or may not heard of, anywhere from the past 50 to 60 years,” McKeown said. “People might forget who their ancestors are, and neighborhoods might forget their history if it isn’t collected right now.”

FOUR Blues Inc. also aims to help emerging artists through events and to get people to enjoy their music. McKeown said this genre of music comes from people with an impoverished background, and that’s why paying musicians and keeping their art alive is important for them. 

“If you don’t support the artists, you don’t have music anymore.” McKeown said.

The event adopts a community jam style, reminiscent of the old blues clubs back in the day where anyone was welcomed to play music along with the performing band. This event is for all ages, and it will include spoken poetry during music breaks. There will also be a soul food buffet, and to make it a friendly event for all ages, no alcohol will be served.

The local professional artists that will be headlining this party are: Larry Taylor as the lead singer in this event, along with his brother, Tim, on drums. Minoru Maruyama, the band’s guitarist, is a Japanese musician who moved to Chicago 30 years ago and learned from leading blues players in the west side such as the late Willie Davis. West Sider Abraham Avery Brady plays bass. On keyboard is Kevin Stovall, who is also an organist for the St. Episcopal church where the event is taking place.

The FOUR Blues Inc. nonprofit is gathering donations to put together the first community all-ages blues show during Black History Month in February. They are also gathering funds to organize blues workshops for youth. 

It promises to be a soul-stirring night of music that you don’t want to miss. The event is free for all ages. You can get more information about the event and RSVP on https://fourbluesmusic.org

This community jam is set to take place on Friday, Dec. 13, at St. Martins Episcopal Church, 5700 W. Midway Park at Waller and Race in the Austin neighborhood at 5 p.m.