Koko Taylor "Don't Mess With The Messer" (Checker, 1965): NY Night Train Party Platter

Happy Birthday Koko Taylor - who would've been 87 years old today! In 1965 Willie Dixon brought an unreal band to Chess studios to back up his recent discovery Koko Taylor on a couple of sides: guitarists Buddy Guy and Matt "Guitar" Murphy, drum innovator Clifton James (who provided the earth-shaking beat you hear on the early essential Bo Diddley sides and much more), and prolific Chess studio Pianist Lafayette Leake. And this kind of thing band was fairly common at Chess. Maybe now that Wrecking Crew, Funk Brothers, etc have documentaries and books, someone should do some more work on these Chess badasses . Anyhow, though "Don't Mess With The Messer," her second release, remains one of her most exciting sides, nobody bought it. Chess, Dixon, and Taylor would have to wait nearly a year for the next record "Wang Dang Doodle" to hit the jackpot and become not only a big smash hit but an all-time classic! And you can't go wrong with the next few either - "Egg or The Hen", "Good Advice," "Fire" (and its blood-curdling b-side "Insane Asylum"). "The Queen of Chicago Blues" kept on the road and in the studio until her death in 2009. I was lucky enough to see her play at Houston's outdoor Juneteenth Festival in the 1980s she rocked so hard and tough and real. Her band was way heavier than most and her deep growl that went right through ya! They meant business. I will never forget watching her transform that field into a wild and dirty juke joint dance! One of the all-time greats! Get some Koko Taylor in your life! And whatever you, don't miss out on those early canonical Checker sides! http://sun.iwu.edu/~jplath/taylor.html http://www.npr.org/artists/17127977/koko-taylor http://www.alligator.com/artists/Koko-Taylor/ http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/04/arts/music/04taylor.html graphics by AVI SPIVAK (http://www.avispivak.com)! You're listening to my daily addition to the New York Night Train Party Platter playlist. Each track here is recorded directly from the original 45 (no bootlegs, reproductions, etc) to give you an idea of what the real deal authentic vinyl sounds like. COME BACK EVERY DAY FOR A NEW FIX! Because the records pass so quickly at my dance parties, this channel is an attempt to stop and focus on one record at a time in hopes that it'll turn you on to the artists, tracks, labels, etc. I'm just hipping myself to a lot of these records for the first time as well - so you can view this as our journey to learning more about cool old records together! But mostly I hope this music moves you as much as it moves me. Get your enjoys, Jonathan Toubin Soul Proprietor, New York Night Train https://www.youtube.com/JonathanToubin https://www.facebook.com/newyorknighttrain https://twitter.com/jonathantoubin https://instagram.com/jonathantoubin/

Added 26 Mar 2026