Magic Sam and Shakey Jake Live at Sylvio's, 1968

A fresh, exciting, thoroughly electrified guitar sound exploded across Chicagos west side during the late 50s. Future legends pushed the stylistic envelope, taking the ensemble approach perfected by Muddy Waters and Howlin Wolf adding their blazing lead guitar solos to the mix.

But the king of West Side blues guitar was a young gent named Sam Maghett. You may know him by his singular stage name, Magic Sam. He had a style all his own, laced with vibrato and rapid fire barrages of bent notes. His soul steeped vocal delivery was every bit as distinctive as his fretwork.

The precise date when this performance was captured at Silvio s has been in question over the years. December of 1966 is sited by one reliable source and that seems realistic. Mark Thompson remained Sam s right hand man on bass, Odie Payne, Elmore James long time drummer sat in on drums and Sams uncle, Shakey Jake, sat in to share the vocal load and blow some harmonica.
Magic Sam broke out at the Ann Arbor Blues Festival but sadly, Sam passed away on December 1, 1969 of a heart attack at age 32.