Stax Of Wax: Koko Taylor's Raw Blues

Koko Taylor, who was born Cora Walton in 1928, just outside of Tennessee, had a voice so strong and a presence so respected that later in her life it would earn her the title “The Queen of the Blues.” In the early 1950's her and her husband packed up, hit the road, and headed for Chicago. In 1962 she was discovered by blues artist and producer Willie Dixon who helped get her signed to Chess Records. The rest is blues history. She was a Grammy winner, Blues Hall of Fame inductee, and had released 15 studio albums starting as early as 1968 and ending with her final release in 2007. Koko Taylor's talents would influence artists such as Janis Joplin, and Bonnie Raitt. In this episode of the all-vinyl Stax of Wax our host Mitch Anderson dives into the Vinyl Me Please Classics release of the month, I Got What it Takes by Koko Taylor which was originally released in 1975 on Alligator Records.