Bringing the Blues… Chicago Style!

Chicago, a city steeped in blues history, is where the band have honed their chops since their inception in 1988. Howard & the White Boys have established a reputation as one of the city’s favorite attractions and regular appearances at Buddy Guy’s Legends have afforded them an opportunity to display their wares before locals and out-of-towners who come to Legends to hear the best the city has to offer in blues entertainment. Indeed, Buddy Guy has been their unofficial mentor and his support for the band has been instrumental in exposing them to a wider audience. He has taken them on several major Midwestern tours as his opening act, and has often jumped onstage to jam with them when they appear at Legends. He also gave them the ultimate endorsement by making a rare guest appearance on their third release The Big $core. He plays some scorching guitar and sings a duet with Howard on a remake of the Sam & Dave classic “I ThankYou.” Guy told the  L.A. Times, “These guys deserve whatever they get and more. And I tell these guys, ‘If you ain’t gonna do it, you know I will, so don’t let me down now.’ And they haven’t!”

Howard & the White Boys formed in 1988 and began jamming together just for fun, but their fast-growing popularity soon convinced them they could make a career of it. After only a few months, they got their first big break by opening for B.B. King. Their reputation grew in Chicago and they began performing with the biggest names in blues: Koko Taylor, Otis Rush, Albert King, Junior Wells, Lonnie Brooks, Luther Allison, Bo Diddley, and Chuck Berry.